The Columbia Valley Rockies fed off a raucous crowd of 437 at Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena on Saturday night exploding out of the gates and never looking back in a convincing 4-1 win over the Osoyoos Coyotes.
It took just 25 seconds for the Rockies to ignite the building. Evin Bossel wasted no time snapping home the opener off crisp feeds from Parker Cutts and Carter Hensch sending the home crowd into an early frenzy. The momentum barely had time to settle before it surged again. Just over a minute later Chance Cole buried a beauty set up by Cole King and Trae Lees and suddenly the Coyotes were on their heels with the Rockies flying.
The opening frame ended 2-0 but the scoreboard hardly captured the tone of the period. Columbia Valley dictated pace, won races and set the standard early.
The pressure continued in the second period. Lachlan Hanton kept his hot stick rolling finishing a slick passing play from Ethan Cerone and Peter Godley to make it 3-0. Moments later Carter Hensch found twine with help from Parker Cutts and Karson Schick pushing the lead to 4-0 and bringing the crowd to its feet once again.
The Rockies locked things down from there playing smart structured hockey and getting strong goaltending from Ryan Tamelin who was calm and composed as the Coyotes pushed back late. Osoyoos would manage a lone goal but the outcome was never in doubt as the Rockies skated off with two massive points in the playoff race.
After the game head coach Tucker Braund reflected on a week filled with emotion and change. “We had a busy and stressful week with the trade deadline,” Braund said. “Moving Johnny Lozeman and Isaac Sommer, they were great players for the Rockies. But we were able to acquire two very solid defensemen in Luke Lawford and Danil Timchuk who are excited to be here and help us push towards the playoffs.”
Braund praised his group’s mindset and execution. “The boys were very excited for this one right from the get go. We’ve been talking about good starts and jumping on teams early and lately we’ve been doing that. I thought we strung together a full 60 minutes of good hockey which we’ve been preaching.”
He also highlighted the team’s defensive commitment and goaltending. “Our goaltending was very good and the guys played strong in front of Ryan to help him get the win.”
One player continuing to make an immediate impact is Lachlan Hanton who now has three goals in four games since joining the club. “Lachlan is turning into a really good player for us,” Braund said. “He’s a real leader on the bench, has great character and will be a leader going forward. I’ve been very happy with our additions Siemens, Hanton, Lawford and Timchuk have all been great since joining the team.”
With momentum building the Rockies now head out on the road for a crucial two week stretch playing five games away from home as they look to gain ground in the playoff chase.
The next home game will be Tuesday January 27 when the Rockies return to Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena to host the Kimberley Dynamiters at 7:00 p.m. Fans can expect another high energy night as the Columbia Valley Rockies continue their push toward the postseason.
