The Columbia Valley Rockies turned a rare weekday tilt into a statement night Tuesday at the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena battling past the visiting Kimberley Dynamiters in a heart pounding shootout victory that set the tone for a massive four point week.
The Dynamiters struck first with a shorthanded marker midway through the opening frame and doubled their lead early in the second putting the Rockies on their heels. But this Rockies squad didn’t blink. Ethan Cerone sparked the comeback burying a beauty from Peter Godley and Josh Larsen to pull the home side within one. Momentum swung again late in the second when Parker Cutts electrified the crowd, ripping home a shorthanded goal with four minutes remaining to knot the game at 2-2 heading into the intermission.
The third period belonged to Cerone once more. The forward struck again at the midway point finishing a crisp setup from Godley and Evin Bossel to give the Rockies their first lead of the night. With the Dynamiters pressing and their goalie on the bench, chaos erupted in the dying seconds. Kimberley managed to force the equalizer with just 35 seconds left sending the contest to overtime.
Three on three overtime delivered end to end action but neither side could find the winner. Enter the shootout. Peter Godley calmly converted the lone goal going 5 hole. While netminder Piet Mierau slammed the door stopping all three Kimberley attempts to seal a dramatic Rockies victory and two massive points.
The momentum carried into Friday night when the Kelowna Chiefs rolled into town. Once again Parker Cutts wasted no time making an impact snapping home a highlight reel shorthanded goal midway through the first. Kelowna answered before the break and the teams headed to the rooms tied 1-1.
Cutts struck again early in the second finishing a slick feed from Lachlan Hanton and Jack Miller but the Chiefs responded to keep things even at 2-2 heading into the third. That’s when Cutts put the exclamation point on his night. Six minutes into the final frame he completed the hat trick on the power play burying a pass from Luke Lawford and Cerone to give the Rockies the lead for good. From there the Rockies locked it down with a gritty defensive effort closing out another huge home win and pushing themselves firmly into the playoff conversation.
Head Coach Tucker Braund praised his team’s growth and resilience following the big week.
“Really happy with the games this week a massive four points. The team is playing connected with each other and our young guys are taking on more of a role and thriving. They are really understanding how we want them to play and compete every night and they’ve put in some good efforts since Christmas. Cerone played very well against Kimberley Tuesday he’s really shown he can be a great leader. Parker Cutts had a great game Friday. He’s played excellently since mid December. He had a couple of fights and a chat with the coaches and he has just taken off. We also played the last two games with two 16 year old APs: Mason Alexander and Jake Gramlich. They’ve gotten their first tastes of junior hockey but also have been contributing to the wins.”
With four hard-earned points in the bank the Rockies now control their own destiny in the playoff race. The next chapter begins Friday February 6 when the Fernie Ghostriders come to town for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop at the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena in the opening game of a home-and-home series.
Pack the Eddie bring the noise and help push the Rockies one step closer to the postseason. The playoff chase is on.
Picture submitted by Sarah Rae Murray – Official Photographer Columbia Valley Rockies Junior A Hockey Club. @serra.studio.cv
