The Creston Valley Thunder Cats won the first two games of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s playoffs on Tuesday and Wednesday, defeating the Columbia Valley Rockies 5-1 and 7-4 at Creston’s John Bucyk Arena.
Neither team scored in the first period of Tuesday’s game, but Thunder Cats Marcel Fuchs, Carson Cartwright and Jesse Collins scored in the second period, with a Rockies scoring their only goal at 0:45. Brandon Formosa scored the first goal of the third period at 13:55, with Matti Jmaeff (power play) following at 6:38.
The Thunder Cats started the scoring in Wednesday’s game, with goals by Cartwright (power play), Connor Ward, Formosa and Logan Styler giving them a 4-2 lead by the end of the first period. Cartwright and Colton St. John scored in the second period before the Rockies added a third goal. Collins scored the Thunder Cats’ seventh halfway through the third period, with the Rockies’ final goal coming nine minutes later, with 1:20 left.
For games three and four, the Thunder Cats will head to Invermere to play in the Rockies’ arena tomorrow and Saturday.