With playoff hopes dashed a week earlier, the Creston Valley Thunder Cats played their final game of the 2012-2013 season on Saturday, losing 5-3 to the Columbia Valley Rockies, who finished the season with 48 points, seven ahead of the Thunder Cats.
“Our guys played pretty hard,” said head coach Josh Hepditch. “We outshot them 45-32. I give them full credit for that. It’s a tough game to get motivated for.”
The Thunder Cats started the scoring with a power-play goal by Joey Berget at 15:08 in the first period. Two Rockies goals followed, and Jaiden Ward scored a second Thunder Cats goal 10 minutes later. In the second period, the Rockies scored at 18:24, before Matti Jmaeff tied the score 3-3 with a goal at 12:01. The Rockies scored two more goals in the third period.
Despite knowing they were at the bottom of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Eddie Mountain Division, and that the Rockies were the team that put them there, the Thunder Cats weren’t out for revenge and played a relatively disciplined game.
“They did it with pride and with class, I think,” said Hepditch. “They went about it the right way and just played hard.”