The Creston Valley Thunder Cats started off 2012 by winning their first game of the year, but things changed a bit on the weekend, when the Thunder Cats hosted the Spokane Braves on Friday and visited the Golden Rockets on Sunday.
The Spokane game resulted in a 3-2 overtime win for the Thunder Cats, despite a slow start — also the cause of a loss to Golden.
“They (Spokane) came out skating hard, and we came out not really knowing what we wanted from that game,” said head coach Bresnt Heaven.
Darcy Flaherty scored the Thunder Cats’ only goal in the first period, so they were down 2-1 heading into the second.
After an intermission pep talk, “we were able to battle back and get ourselves back into the game,” said Heaven. “In the last 40 minutes we completely dominated the game.”
Goalie Tyler Moffatt was pulled with two minutes left in the third period, allowing Jovi Fabbri to tie the score, sending the game into overtime, in which Jessse Collins scored the game-winner.
The Thunder Cats visited Golden on Sunday for a game that resulted in a 2-0 loss to the fourth-place team in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Eddie Mountain Division.
“We definitely outplayed them but didn’t have any real drive,” said Heaven. “We were just out for a Sunday skate.”
The Thunder Cats outshot the Rockets 37-13, but their goaltender, Cole Henson, was “phenomenal,” said Heaven. Golden’s two goals were scored at 19:30 and 2:13 in the second period.
Heaven noted that competing in the 1 p.m. game time after the long trip to Golden was difficult, so the loss was, perhaps, understandable.
“At the same time, we’ve got to build for playoffs,” he said. “What we do this week will determine if that’s a big factor or just a hiccup.”
The Thunder Cats now have a 13-point lead on the Rockets, who hold fourth place in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Eddie Mountain Division. The division is led by the Fernie Ghostriders, with 58 points, and they are followed by the Kimberley Dynamiters, with 56.
This weekend, the Thunder Cats visit the Castlegar Rebels on Friday, then host the Columbia Valley Rockies on Saturday and the Revelstoke Grizzlies on Sunday.
The Rockies are at the bottom of the Eddie Mountain Division with five points (one from an overtime loss), while Rebels, with 57 points, are in second place in the Neil Murdoch Division, and the Grizzlies are in second in the Doug Birks Division, with 54.
“It will be a good challenge for us to see how we match up against some of the top teams in other divisions,” Heaven said.