Exciting KIJHL action continued over the past weekend on two fronts for the Golden Rockets, as they came away with one win at home, and one loss on the road, to remain near the top in the tough Eddie Mountain divisional standings.
With one month already completed in the regular season schedule, the standings (in both the Eddie Mountain and Neil Murdoch Divisions) look like the proverbial “can of sardines”, with very little room between first and last places. In fact, throughout the entire league, the parity thus far is highly tangible and any club can prevail on any given night. Fans across the league are very well-pleased with the play, tempo and calibre.
Now, back to the Rockets with quick glances of the past weekend…………..
Friday, Oct.21st, 2022 Rockets 4 Rockies 3
Yet another chapter unfolded in the impressive history of sports rivalry between Golden and Invermere, as the Rockets and Rockies hit the ice Friday evening at the Plywood Palace.
The opening five minutes were what we expected. At 4:05 Golden opened the scoring with a Nick Morin powerplay marker, banging home a loose puck in front with the goalie caught out-of-position. That lead was short-lived however, as Columbia Valley came back just :17 seconds later with a Keenan Ingram goal.
At 12:56, the visitors moved in front 2-1, when Lucas De La Salle neatly deflected a shot from the point from Roan Girard. Invermere held much of the territorial play in the first period, drastically outshooting Golden 17-4. Levi Hall was between the pipes for the Rockets and was simply outstanding, coming up with several sparkling saves keeping his team in the game.
Just one goal in the middle stanza, tying things up at 2-2. At the 8:47 mark Nathan Kaye fired a blistering point shot through a crowd of players in front, and Jordan Lario pounced on the rebound.
In the final frame, the visitors took the lead at 5:31 with an Anthony Domina goal, but the Rockets replied just :49 seconds later. After being setup by Alexander Johnson and Austin Angus, Brydon Foster tied the game at 3-3, neatly tucking a quick backhand under the crossbar. Regulation time ended with the score tied.
Both teams tried to end the game in the 5-minute OT session with numerous scoring opportunities, but netminders Levi Hall and Evan McDevitt each came up with huge saves as fans were brought to their feet time and again.
In the player shootout, the only goal came off the stick of Nick Morin with a smooth deke, as Golden took a 4-3 win.
Invermere outshot Golden 48-28, with the heroics of Levi Hall the big difference.
Saturday, Oct. 22nd, 2022 Creston 7 Rockets 4
The ThunderCats are on a roll.
After a 4-3 loss against the Golden Rockets on October 8th, Creston has been a force to be reckoned with, rolling off 4 straight victories and looking for a fifth (and a bit of revenge) against Golden.
A fairly even game (as far as shots on goal are concerned). The big difference in this contest being the ThunderCats utilized their man-advantage opportunities, striking for no less than four powerplay markers, to take the win. That, coupled with the fact that Creston forward Luke Chakrabarti was nearly unstoppable with 4 goals and 1 assist.
Opening up a 3-0 lead after the first period (including two goals in :39 seconds) the ThunderCats didn’t look back, extending the margin to 6-2 after forty minutes. Rocket tallies came off the sticks of Kade Cochlan and Liam Furlong (both with their fourth goals of the season).
In the third period, Golden put together good offensive pressure and struck for another pair. A Jordan Lario powerplay goal and Austin Angus’ first of the season closed the gap to 6-4 with about 10 minutes remaining, but that would be as close as the local stars could get in this contest. Creston would add a late goal.
Final score was 7-4, with Creston outshooting Golden 31-27.
Rockets will be back on home-ice this Friday, as they entertain the visiting 100 Mile House Wranglers at the Plywood Palace. Then, on Saturday they return to Creston once again looking for a quality rematch with the Cats.
