The Creston Valley Thunder Cats had mixed results on the weekend, enjoying a 2-1 victory over the Beaver Valley Nitehawks but suffering a 6-3 loss to the Fernie Ghostriders.
The Thunder Cats are hanging on to fourth place in the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League with 28 points, one behind the Kimberley Dynamiters. The Fernie Ghostriders and Golden Rockets top the division with, respectively, 40 and 36 points.
Friday’s game against the visiting Nitehawks got off to a slow start.
“The first period was a little tentative,” said head coach Jeff Dubois. “But we raised our level in the second and third.”
Neither team scored in the first period, but the Nitehawks scored early in the second, followed by a power-play goal by the Thunder Cats’ Alec Wilkinson at 17:59. Newcomer Kyle Richter scored the game-winner on a third-period power play with 14 minutes remaining.
Richter hails from Vancouver Island, where he’s played for three seasons with the Westshore Wolves in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. Friday and Saturday were his first games with Creston.
“Kyle fit right into the lineup,” said Dubois. “He’s gotten off to the start we thought he would, producing some offence for us. … He’s a pretty dynamic offensive guy.”
Saturday’s game in Fernie started well, with Richter and Trevor Beaton (unassisted) scoring for Creston in the first period. The Ghostriders scored twice in the second before Richter scored for Creston, but the Thunder Cats were down 4-3 after another Fernie goal. Early in the third period, a power-play goal by Fernie shut down the Thunder Cats’ momentum, and they allowed two more goals for a 6-3 loss.
“Fernie is a good offensive team,” said Dubois. “They come at you in waves. … It was certainly a bit of an eye opener as to what it’s going to take to win games in that rink.”
Saturday was the first game for Tyler Podgorenko, who played with the Thunder Cats last season and has been playing Junior A hockey in Saskatchewan.
“For a guy coming in and playing his first game, there were a lot of positives for him,” said Dubois.
It was also a good night for the fourth line of Jack Berger, Mason Mazur and Dylan Hogue, who provided consistent energy.
“They definitely did what we asked of them,” said Dubois.
The Thunder Cats play three games this weekend, hosting the Kimberley Dynamiter and Columbia Valley Rockies, respectively, on Friday and Sunday, and visiting the Golden Rockets on Saturday.
“Kimberley and Golden are the two teams we’re trying to battle with for positioning,” said Dubois. “It’s going to be a real battle for the second spot in the division.”
And although the Rockies are at the bottom of the division with 14 points, the standings don’t reflect their level of play.
“They have their struggles but they’ve given us tough games,” said Dubois.