The Columbia Valley Rockies took a massive step toward their postseason goal this weekend, splitting a hard-fought home-and-home series with the Fernie Ghostriders and punching their ticket, at least for now, into the fourth and final playoff spot.
Friday night at the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena had all the makings of playoff hockey. With the stakes high and the building buzzing, both teams locked into a tight defensive battle in the opening frame. Chances were limited, lanes were clogged, and after 20 minutes the scoreboard remained untouched.
Fernie broke the deadlock midway through the second period and added another late in the frame to take a 2–0 lead, threatening to quiet the Eddie crowd. But the Rockies answered back in a big way. Just 18 seconds after Fernie’s second goal, Ethan Cerone ripped one home to swing momentum back to the home side, with Evin Bossel and Peter Godley picking up the assists. The visitors carried a 2–1 edge into the intermission, but the tide had clearly turned.
The third period belonged entirely to the Rockies and the crowd knew it. Luke Lawford ignited the building when he buried the tying goal off a feed from Peter Godley, sending the Eddie into a frenzy. The pressure kept coming, and with just over four minutes remaining, Evin Bossel finished off an absolute beauty, cashing in on a setup from Godley and Cerone to give the Rockies the lead.
From there, Ryan Tamelin slammed the door. Calm, composed, and locked in, Tamelin shut down every late push from the Ghostriders as the Rockies skated off with a massive 3–2 victory and two crucial points, enough to move them into fourth place and into the playoff picture.
The rivalry resumed Saturday night in Fernie, and once again it was a battle. Despite outshooting the Ghostriders in the opening period, the Rockies found themselves down 1–0 after 20 minutes. Special teams took centre stage in the second, with Fernie striking twice on the power play. The Rockies responded with a power-play goal of their own as Peter Godley found the back of the net from Luke Lawford and Harrison Todd, but still trailed 3–1 heading into the third.
Refusing to quit, the Rockies made it a game early in the final frame. At the five-minute mark, Evin Bossel buried his second of the weekend, finishing a play from Godley and Danil Timchuk to pull within one. The Rockies pressed hard the rest of the way, generating chances and pushing the pace, but couldn’t find the equalizer, falling 3–2 in a tight contest.
Despite the loss, the weekend delivered good news: the Rockies sit in fourth place with a game in hand and six games remaining in the regular season.
Head Coach Tucker Braund liked what he saw from his group.
“The team competed hard this weekend,” said Braund. “Down 2–0 to Fernie, they climbed back and got the win at home. Ryan Tamelin played well. Saturday we had a short bench as we deal with some injury trouble, but the guys battled again and pushed to get back into the game in Fernie. We had our chances to tie it in the third, but a couple of untimely penalties kept them on the power play.”
The playoff push continues next Saturday, February 14, when the Rockies return home to the Eddie for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. With everything on the line, the message is clear. Come out, get loud, and support your team as the Rockies charge toward the postseason.
