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Thunder Cats coach positive despite back-to back losses

The Creston Valley Thunder Cats may have lost both of their games on the weekend, but head coach Brent Heaven isn’t letting it get him down...
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Brandon Formosa during the Sept. 30 home game against the Fernie Ghostriders.

The Creston Valley Thunder Cats may have lost both of their games on the weekend, but head coach Brent Heaven isn’t letting it get him down.

“I’m not banking the whole season on what happens in the first month,” he said. “We’re making huge strides to be the team I want to be and what the boys want to be, as well. … The boys are working so hard and feeling we should be winning, but we’re not quite getting it done yet.”

On Friday, the Fernie Ghost-riders visited Creston, and went home with a 4-3 win, despite the Thunder Cats outshooting the visitors 33-25.

“I think the team played well, but we had some letdowns with goaltending,” said Heaven. “The boys showed a lot of resiliency.”

Creston’s Brock Ward led scoring in the middle of the first period with a goal that was followed by two from Fernie. The second period was scoreless, but two Fernie goals started the third period, which ended with goals by Creston’s Dane Birks and Jesse Collins.

When the Thunder Cats visited the Nelson Leafs on Saturday, they also outshot them, but ended up losing 6-5.

“Two out of their first four shots went in,” said Heaven.

The Thunder Cats followed those goals with one by Formosa near the end of the first period, and Forward and Ward each scored at the beginning of the second.

“We were being creative and getting opportunities,” said Heaven.

But Nelson scored the next four, two in the second period and two in the third — at which point, Heaven pulled goalie Ryan Waldhaus and replaced him with backup goalie Tyler Moffatt — before Forward and Jordan Johnson each scored to bring the final tally to 6-5.

“We absolutely dominated the last two or three minutes of the game,” said Heaven.

He was able to find the positive aspect of this season’s losses, with the exception of the 15-5 loss on the first weekend of the season.

“Except for the game that was a total collapse, every game’s been a one-goal game,” said Heaven.

With four points, the Thunder Cats are in fourth place in the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, one point behind the Golden Rockets. The Ghostriders lead the division with 12 points, just ahead of the Kimberley Dynamiters, who have 10.

The weekend’s games were the first for newcomer Trevor Forward, a Newfoundland native who was recently cut from the junior A Merrit Centennials, led by former Thunder Cats coach Joe Martin. Forward earned an assist in Friday’s game, and two goals and an assist the next night, and was named third star in both games.

“He was fantastic,” said Heaven. “It was great to see a young kid come in and take control the way he did.”

This weekend, the Thunder Cats hit the road for two West Kootenay games, playing against the Beaver Valley Nitehawks on Friday and the Grand Forks Border Bruins on Saturday.

The Nitehawks are in second place in the Neil Murdoch Division with 10 points, while the Border Bruins have lost every game this season — although that doesn’t allow the Thunder Cats to relax.

“We’ve got to go in there and play a strong, solid 60 minutes,” Heaven said. “If we do that, there is no doubt in my mind we’ll come out with two points.”

On Sunday, the Chase Heat travels from the Doug Birks Division to visit Creston. As with Grand Forks, it hasn’t chalked up any wins this season.

Heaven is confident that the Thunder Cats will emerge victorious from the three upcoming games.

“I think if we continue to play the style of game we have been, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win,” he said. “With the tide tuning a bit and the ice slanting in our favour because of our work ethic, we’re going to be getting rewards.”