Twice taking the lead was not enough for Yukon Appliance in minor hockey Saturday at Takhini Arena. Receiving its first loss of the season, Appliance fell to Cinderwood after a goal late in the third by Jake Wykes to put his team up 4-3.
“He’s one of our stand-up defencemen,” said Cinderwood coach Ken Olson of Wykes. “In some of the drills we’ve been doing the last couple weeks, he’s been getting the guys to stand in front of the net and staying in the open, and that’s where he got his two goals tonight.”
Less than a minute after teammate Jonas Lees tied the game on an amazing shot he took while sliding up to the Appliance net on his knees, Wykes took a tape-to-tape pass out from the wing and let one rip from 20 feet out to score his second of the game.
“It’s one thing we’ve been practising in the last few practices,” said Olson. “So he was right on the money where he was supposed to be.”
After taking and losing the lead in the second, Appliance moved out in front in the third on a backhander from Dillon Cozens and then a tight-angle shot by Payton Fohe that went off the Cinderwood goalie and in.
“They’re some of the same guys that score a lot of the time,” said Appliance coach Mike Cozens.
“Payton has this ability to shoot from really incredible angles and score — that’s where he scores most of his goals. He puts them high from the bad angles off the goalie.”
Other scorers in the game include Ryan Troke for Cinderwood and Curtis Goodman for Appliance.
“Both teams played really hard and really well,” said Cozens. “Nobody gave up and, in the last minute, they worked really hard to keep the puck in and score.
“Everyone enjoyed watching that game.”
Strong finish gives Gem Gas win
Although scoreless in the second, Gem Gas accumulated a dozen goals in a 12-5 win over Klondike Motors Saturday.
The Motors started the game under dreadful circumstances, not having a goalie in the net for opening half of the first period and therefore were forced to put in a regular player to mind the net.
The lack of a dressed goalie cost the Motors four unanswered goals, before ending the period down 5-2. However, the Motors fought back to even the score at 5-5 by the end of the second period.
“My team started pretending they were on a Sunday skate,” said Gem Gas coach Yogi Ponsioen. “They were coasting and not really putting in an effort. Between periods we had a little chat with them and told them to skate a little harder, be the first on the puck and it obviously paid off in the third period.
“We came together as a team in the third period.”
Gem Gas stepped things up in the third with seven goals, including two by Joe Stokes who ended with a hat trick and two from Tyler Egglestone, who led the game with four in addition to a pair of assists.
“The kids lost energy and that was about it,” said Motors coach George King. “(Gem Gas) took over in the last period. Our kids were short on the bench lost energy and it was all downhill from there.”
The most condensed string of goals came in the final two and a half minutes of play, with four pouring into the Motors’ net.
“They figured out that that was the object of the game,” said Ponsioen with a laugh.
“We’re trying to get the point across that short shifts, work hard, skate hard, come off get a break and your counterparts does the same thing. So everybody gets lots of ice time and everyone skates hard and works hard.”
Other scorers for Gem Gas include Damien Homes and Mikaela Ponsioen, each of who picked up an assist. Patrick MacDonald also scored twice while teammate Zak Ashchak got an assist and scored his first league goal ever.
The Motors were not without their own multiple goal scorers. Nicholas Steinbach scored twice in the second and grabbed an assist and MacKenzie Benn also scored twice. Teammate Gavin Lawrie picked up the variety pack with a goal and assist.
“Win or lose, they always have fun,” said King.