After a couple of weeks tied for third in the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, the Creston Valley Thunder Cats are in fourth place after losses to the Summerland Steam and Osoyoos Coyotes.
Friday’s 4-3 loss to the Summerland Steam had an average start, said head coach Jeff Dubois, and goals by Nichols Kovacik, Carson Cartwright (unassisted) and Marcel Fuchs put the Thunder Cats ahead by the middle of the second period.
“At that point, we kind of let them back in it,” said Dubois.
By the end of the period, the Steam had scored again, then tied the score midway through the third period. Jack Mills scored the game-winner on a power play with 7:29 remaining.
Dubois said the team’s level of preparation, focus and work ethic were lacking on Friday, and they turned that around the next night in Osoysoos in a game that resulted in a 1-0 loss against the league’s top team, “a good offensive team in their own rink.”
“We went in and played a real hard 60 minutes and generated some opportunities,” he said. “We just couldn’t score.”
This weekend, the Thunder Cats host the Beaver Valley Nitehawks on Friday, taking on a team that beat them 2-1 in their last game.
“They’re also the team that knocked us out of the playoffs last year, so I think there’s always a bit of extra motivation there,” said Dubois.
And on Saturday, the Thunder Cats visit the Fernie Ghostriders, whom they last beat 4-0 in Creston.
“We know how to handle those teams and what we need to do to be successful,” said Dubois.
•For the Osoyoos and Summerland games, the Thunder Cats were missing one of their top defencemen, Maverick Lynes, who saw his first Junior A action on the weekend, playing three games with the BC Hockey League’s Trail Smoke Eaters.