After the mixed success — one win, two losses and a tie — that followed their 13-game winning streak, the Creston Valley Thunder Cats returned to their winning ways, defeating the Golden Rockets 8-1 and 4-3 on the weekend.
“That could be a potential first-round [playoff] matchup for us,” said Thunder Cats head coach Josh Hepdtich. “We played our game and did that for a full 60 minutes.”
With 76 points, the Thunder Cats have secured first place in the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, while the Rockets bring up the rear with 34 points, one behind the fourth-place Columbia Valley Rockies. Between the Rockies and Thunder Cats are the Kimberley Dynamiters, with 58 points, and Fernie Ghostriders, with 54.
For Friday’s game, the Rockets visited Creston’s John Bucyk Arena, where goals by Trevor Hanna (two), Ethan Rusnack, Jaymes Veitch and Matti Jmaeff gave the Thunder Cats a 5-0 lead after the first period.
“We kind of just kept building on that as the game went on,” said Hepditch.
The ability to rotate four lines through the game has been one of the Thunder Cats’ greatest assets this season, and this game was no different.
“That’s something we really wanted to key on,” said Hepditch. “That was our game plan going in and it was nice to be able to do that.”
Between second-period goals by Logan Styler and Colby Livingstone, Hanna scored again, earning a hat trick.
The Rockets finally scored their single goal with four minutes left in the third period. Despite the near-shutout, the Rockets still put in a great deal of effort, noted Hepditch.
“I don’t think the score reflected the game Golden played,” he said.
On Saturday night, the Thunder Cats visited Golden for a game that saw the Thunder Cats down 1-0 after the first period.
“We had a little bit of a slow start,” said Hepditch. “We just didn’t have the intensity of the night before.”
Nearly six minutes into the second period, Hanna scored for the Thunder Cats, marking his 41st 2013-2014 goal, and beating the previous record for most goals in a season set by Brandon Formosa two years ago.
Jmaeff followed with a goal a minute later, and two goals by the Rockets had the Thunder Cats down 3-2 at the end of the second period.
A few big saves by goalie Kyle Michalovsky kept the Rockets from scoring in the third period. Formosa scored on a power play halfway through the third, and Livingstone scored the game-winner with just under two minutes left in the game.
“He played well all game,” said Hepditch. “It was nice to see him get that goal for us.”
On Wednesday, the Thunder Cats play the season’s penultimate game when they visit the Grand Forks Border Bruins, who, with 36 points, are at the bottom of the Neil Murdoch Division and shut out of the playoffs. The Thunder Cats may not need the win, but that won’t stop them from trying.
“We can’t really move anywhere in our division, so we’re not really looking too much into it,” said Hepditch. “But we don’t want to create any bad habits. We’re going to play our game, and see where the chips fall.”
On Saturday, the Thunder Cats play their final game of the season, hosting the Rockies, who may already be shut out of the playoffs if they don’t beat the Rockets on Friday. And if that isn’t the case, “we’re by no means going to just hand over two points,” said Hepditch. “We don’t want to have any impact.”
The Thunder Cats will return to the John Bucyk Arena on Tuesday, as they begin the first round of the division’s playoffs.
“We want to make sure boys are rested and ready for bigger picture,” said Hepdtich.