By Stephanie Stevens

While the ghosties and goblins were out trick or treating Oct. 31, the Columbia Valley Rockies were after treats of a different kind.

The British Columbia Hockey Conference (BCHC) Junior A team was on the road all last weekend, seeing them in the Jack Goddard Memorial Arena against the Grand Forks Border Bruins on Halloween and facing the Nelson Leafs the Nelson Community Complex on Sunday, Nov. 1.

The bust up with the Border Bruins didn’t end in the Rockies favour, with the Bruins taking the game seven to three, but despite the immediate lead Grand Forks took and kept, head coach and general manager Tucker Braund said the team didn’t quit.

“We played well for the first 15 minutes or so, then took too many penalties and they capitalized on the power play,” said Braund. “Our penalty kill can be better for sure. I like that we didn’t quit but I think we can play a lot better than we did.”

The first period ended without any scoring from Columbia Valley, but Trae Lees (assists from Wesley Lizotte and Nolan Torhjelm) stepped up in the second. Third period action saw Cooper Barclay (Keaton Thompson) and Danil Timchuk (Parker Cutts and Meric Poncelet) pot one apiece, but the game closed out seven to three for the Bruins.

Netminder Ivan Tourin stopped 38 of 45 shots on goal.

The next night in Nelson, Braund said the team played “very close to a full 60 minutes.

“Again, we can be better on the penalty kill… we gave them some life there. We battled some adversity but then we took the game over later.”

Braund added the continued work on conditioning is showing and the team is buying into what it is going to take to stay on top.

“Is play consistent right now? No, but we are working at it every day. It’s going to be a battle with those teams all year for a playoff spot and we have to match the intensity every weekend.”

Opening up the Rockies scoreboard in the second was Barclay (Evin Bossel, Cutts), followed by Timchuk (Bossel and Poncelet), Bossel (Cutts) and Cole King (Torhjelm and Lees).

The third period saw Ryker Klassen pot an unassisted goal, Bossel beat the Leafs goalie in a penalty shot and Cutts (Lees and Poncelet) and Lachlan Hanton (Timchuk and Cutts) got and empty netter apiece to finish the game 8-4.

Tourin was in once again between the pipes and stopped 20 of 24 shots sent his way.

Assistant captain King is optimistic about the mindset of the team after the up and down weekend of play.

“We knew coming into this weekend that we needed these points badly,” said King. “The game in Grand Forks, we started slow and ultimately didn’t come out with the result we wanted, so playing on Sunday we knew we needed to win.

“Our start was on point and all our lines were going. When they (Nelson) got up a goal we didn’t quit, but instead responded with a few goals of our own.”

While it still needs work, King said he thought Sunday’s penalty kill was better the previous night.

“We were able to win a big game and jump up in the standings.”

The boys are back in the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena this Friday, Nov. 6. Puck drop is 7 p.m.

Lead image: Cooper Barclay celebrates one of the Rockies’ eight goals against Nelson.  Photos by Erin McCarthy

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