The end of one season signals the start of the next.
The final games of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) regular season were played last weekend, and for the Columbia Valley Rockies, a Friday win over the Fernie Ghostriders was an auspicious bridge to the first round of playoff games.
A crowd of 850 in the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena cheered the boys on to a home ice 4-1 victory over the visiting ‘Riders, who sit in second place in the Eddie Mountain Division. The fast-paced game was slowed a few times for tilts but it didn’t take away from the energy of hockey being played.
Opening up scoring in the first in his 100 game as a Rockie was Paddy Donahue (assists by Jack Hefferan and Peter Godley). Teo Fath (Kobe Mason) stepped up in the second and the third period saw Noah Asmundson (Ashton Sledz) and Bryan Kim (Godley and Jack Thorne) clinch the win.
Between the pipes goalie Hunter Arntsen stopped 26 of 27 shots on goal. Head coach Tayler Sincennes said he is pleased with the team’s performance, adding their focus going into the playoffs this week will be focussed “heavily be on attention to detail.
“We have to be really sharp, minimize large mistakes and execute at a really high level throughout our playoffs,” he said. “Our guys are aware of that and our game had reflected it for the most part in the last couple of weeks. There are so many guys that have elevated their games as the season has gone on… I feel like our group is in a good spot heading into the playoffs.”
Sincennes added the buy-in and efforts he is seeing going into this weekend bode well for the team.
Team captain Kobe Mason said he is feeling “really good” about where the team is at. “I think all the pieces we need to win are there and now it’s about coming together and sacrificing everything for each other,” said Mason. “I think we’ve seen amazing development in each guy and it’s been nice to see them find their roles and playing them well every single night. We are very excited to get going in the first round.”
This Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1 will be away games in Fernie as the two teams head into the best of seven first round. Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4 will see the playoff action in The Eddie, and if needed the Rockies will head back to Fernie on Friday.
By Stephanie Stevens
