After suffering their first loss of the season Sunday, the top spot Flames (6-1-2) got back on track with a 4-2 win over Kilrich (3-4-2) Wednesday at Takhini Arena.
“It was a good clean, fun game,” said Kilrich’s Roger Lockwood, who assisted both of his team’s goals. “It was real close, which makes it fun … (We had) good laughs, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Kilrich’s Peter Grundmanis got both of Kilrich’s goals, scoring the lead off goal at the start of the game followed by the last goal of the first period to tie the game 2-2.
The game winner, scored by Dave Milne, came less than three minutes into the second period. Pulled out of his crease to cut off the angle, Kilrich’s goalie, Mike Hawkins, made a pair of great saves including a glove save from a lying position as the Flames’ Wade Harrison tried to lift it over him. However, unable to control the rebound, Milne shot the puck in as Hawkins scrambled to get back on blue ice.
“Our goalie kept us in it and made it close,” said Lockwood. “We were down one and we started to try to put more pressure on to score, and they dug it up.
“We were pressuring them and they kind of got a lucky break and they went the other way.”
“I’m not one of your offensive stars of this team,” said Milne. “I play centre, but I’m a pretty defensive centre,” he added.
“The boys did all the work in the corners. I was standing out in front of the net and it came right out to me and I batted it in — just like in practice. I was in the right place at the right time.”
With two minutes left to play, Harrison scored his second goal of the game to put the tie out of reach for Kilrich. Harrison picked up a rebound in front of the net and slid it into the bottom right corner, inches from Hawkins’ outstretched stick.
The Flames’ break-away king, Blaine Demchuk, who is also the league leader in points, opened the scoring for the Flames in the first.
Sunday’s 6-5 loss for the Flames came at the hands of the Performance Centre Turbos.
Taking a small lead early in the game, the Turbos managed to maintain it as the Flames nipped at their heels, time and time again scoring to come within one. With less than two minutes to play and a Turbos player in the box, the Flames pulled their goalie to get a two-man advantage, but was unable to tie.
Medicine Chest
continues winning streak
Just a week ago Medicine Chest (4-2-1) had a losing record and was down in the bottom half of the league’s standings. Now, in the midst of a hot-steak, Medicine Chest has won three straight, launching the team into one of the top spots.
Twice taking advantage of odd man rushes, Medicine Chest recorded a 4-1 win over the Firth Rangers (4-2-1) Wednesday.
“We’re winning, that’s all that counts,” said Dave Bakica, who scored Medicine’s first and last goals of the game. “Brian (McWatters) hurt his back — we’ve haven’t lost since he’s been gone,” said Bakica, poking fun at his absent teammate.
Bakica’s first was a shorthanded goal on a 2-on-1 rush, taking a pass across the ice from Greg Bull to bury it upstairs stick side.
Then, six minutes into the second period, Medicine’s Ross Phillips made it 3-1 on a 2-on-0 rush, taking a pass from Pat Campbell, who also assisted Bakica’s second goal.
“I got squared up with one guy — I was nice and square,” said Rangers goalie Jon Heaton. “And then he passed it and I had to move across but it was too late. And then he deked me out and made me look pretty bad,” Heaton added.
“They were really hustling though, and they were actually giving really nice passes across once they were getting in the zone. We weren’t taking away their passes.”
The teams’ previous meeting went the other way, with the Rangers taking a 1-0 win October 9.
“Everything has been working right, working out good,” said Bakica. “We’ve got one new player (Rob Bolton), and we haven’t lost since he’s been here.
“He was sent up from Manitoba — we scouted him,” Bakica said jokingly of Bolton, who scored Medicine Chest’s second goal.
Ed van Randen scored the Rangers’ lone goal.