And so the season has come to an end for the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.
After splitting the first two games of Round 1 of the KIJHL playoffs with the Fernie Ghostriders, the Thunder Cats sustained three narrow losses in a row — two in overtime — to fall to the top seed in the Eddie Mountain Division.
The Ghostriders now go on to face the Columbia Valley Rockies, after the Rockies beat the Kimberley Dynamiters, also three games to one.
The Thunder Cats returned home to the Johnny Bucyk Arena for Game 3, Tuesday, Feb. 27. They came thundering out of the gate with three straight goals in the first period, from Luke Chakrabarti, Nikolai Morrison and Austin McLean. Malachai Peigan got the Ghostriders on the board at the 15 minute mark of the first, to make it 3-1.
Sidney Brill made it 4-1 Creston early in the second frame, on the power play, but then Fernie came roaring back, with three straight goals of their own (from Kyler Watson, Cole Fisher and Hudson Scrimshaw). Game tied.
Coden Fournier and Riley Kostering scored for Fernie and Creston in the third to keep things level.
And so to overtime, where Kyler Watson put one past Dario Cantini, at 1:19 into the extra period. Final score 6-5 Fernie.
Cantini stopped 28 of 34 shots in the Creston net, Levi Hall stopped 23 of 28 for Fernie.
Compared to Game 3’s offensive whirlwinds, Game 4 was a low-scoring affair. Jacob Burnside was in net for Creston, and pulled out the stops, facing 42 shots in total. Nick Kunyk, in goal for Fernie, faced 34 shots from the Thunder Cats.
Fernie opened the scoring in the first, with an unassisted goal from Ben Skarsen. Max Chakrabarti made it 1-1 in the second, on the power play. There was no scoring in the third.
And so once again to overtime, where it took Coden Fournier 3:16 to score for the Ghostriders and make the series 3- for Fernie.
Back in Fernie for the do-or-die Game 5 for the Thunder Cats, it was Fernie Ghostrider Jack Lambert scoring the series clinching goal against the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.
His winner came on the power-play with 23 seconds remaining in regulation time, giving The Ghostriders a 4-3 win and the series.
Along with Lambert, the Ghostriders got goals from Cole Fisher, Luke Schaeffer and Andrew Kennedy. Scoring for the Thunder Cats were Bobby Anselmo, Luke Chakrabarti and Nikolai Morrison. Levi Hall made 32 saves for the win, while Dario Cantini stopped 38.
