The Kootenay ICE opened the 2012/13 Western Hockey League (WHL) season with two road losses last week.

The ICE allowed a pair of five goal games to the WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings and rival Calgary Hitmen Sept. 20 and 22, dropping the games 5-3 and 5-1.

With the two opening losses, the ICE is fifth in the Central Division.

However, the young club has six games in the friendly confines of Western Financial Place to sort out the early season stutters, beginning with Friday night’s home opener (Sept. 28) against the Regina Pats. Game time is 7 p.m.

On Saturday night the Lethbridge Hurricanes blow into town and on Tuesday, Oct. 2 the Prince Albert Raiders come to Cranbrook.

ICE CHIPS (http://www.kootenayice.net/article/weekly-ice-report)
ROSTER UPDATE:  The ICE have 25 players on their roster, including two goalies, eight defensemen and 15 forwards…Of those players, there are four 1992 born players, three 1993 born players, seven 1994 born players, nine 1995 born players and two 1996 born players…Kootenay begins the 2012-2013 season with 15 returning players from last year. Go to for ICE roster: http://www.kootenayice.net/roster/index/team/28/sort/last
DID YOU KNOW:  Kootenay needs one more victory to reach 600 wins in franchise history (599-422-122)…The ICE finished the 2011-2012 regular season with an above .500 record for the 13th consecutive season, which is the longest active streak in the WHL … Kootenay finished the regular season with a .500 or better road record for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons…The ICE have made the playoffs all 14 season in Cranbrook, which is the longest active streak in the WHL.
INJURIES:  Spencer Wand will be out of the Kootenay line up day-to-day with an upper body injury and Captain Drew Czerwonka will be out of the ICE line up for one to two weeks with an upper body injury.
Above image: Mackenzie Skapski, pictured during last season’s banner raising ceremony, has graduated to be the Kootenay ICE’s starting netminder. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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