You could have heard a pin drop in the Kilrich dressing room after Wednesday’s oldtimer game at Takhini Arena. The players were as quiet as church mice as they sat gathering their thoughts.
“We should have won,” said Kilrich captain Peter Grundmanis. “That’s why we’re so quiet.”
Tied 2-2 late in the final period, while on a power play, Yukon Inn’s Tom Ullyett fired a shot from the point that went in after being deflected off the stick of Kilrich’s Rick Moses, giving Inn a 3-2 win. It was the first Inn win over Kilrich this season.
“It was just a little lucky,” said Ullyett. “All I did was throw it towards the net É So it wasn’t exactly a brilliant play but they all count.
“One coach used to say, ‘Just shoot the puck on net and good things can happen.’”
“It was a power play and they were moving it around - you can’t stop them all,” said Grundmanis.
Kilrich opened the scoring just over a minute into the game when Mike Blower and Roger Lockwood cycled the puck around the Inn’s end and found Joel Witten in front.
“They dominated the first period,” said Ullyett. “They forechecked well from start to finish and even some of their little guys, like Joel Witten, were tenacious. Plus they’ve got John Skilnyk - he’s always dangerous.”
After a goal by Inn’s Sean McAskie in the first and another by Brian Boorse in the second, Kilrich tied the game on a goal by Andy McLeod. Taking a pass from Skilnyk in front, McLeod took what little time he had to move in closer and slipped it under goalie Joe Sparling as he went down to stack the pillows.
“Sparling has had a strong season,” said Ullyett. “He has one of the lowest goals against (average) in the league.”
Ullyett’s previous goal two-weeks earlier against Klondyke Dental Molars was also a game winner.
“Rick (Blaker) was standing in front of the goalie and did a fine job of screening him,” said Ullyett, reflecting on his previous goal. “My grandmother could have shot that puck and it would have gone in.”
The loss marks the end of a five-game undefeated streak for the Kilrich.
“We’ve been hot,” said Grundmanis. “(We’re) storming back in the league, but this is just a little setback.
“We were playing well before, we just weren’t playing well tonightÉ
“We scored first but we didn’t score often. We should have buried them in that first period. Their goalie stood there and we shot them at him.”
Wednesday’s other game
Medicine Chest 5, Edgewater Hotel 2
Medicine scorers: Ryan Hennings 2g, Phil Roszell 1g 1a, Bill Bohmer 1g, Lorne Burnett 1g, Brian McWatters 2a, Dennis Connelly 2a, Ross Phillips 1a, Mark Pike 1a, Dave Bakica 1a, Phil Roszell 1a
Edgewater scorers: Morley Lessard 1g, Gord Peterson 1g, Roger Hewlett 1a
Standings (not including Thursday’s games)
Team GP W L
T
Pts
Medicine Chest 32
21
7 4
46
Yukon Inn 32
17 12 3 37
Firth Rangers 31
15 11 5 35
AON Flames 31
15 12 4 34
Edgewater Hotel
32
12 14 6 30
Kilrich 32
12 16 4 28
Performance
Centre 31
10 17 4 24
Klondyke Dental 31
7
20 4 18
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com