“It’s about sacrificing everything for each other.”
Columbia Valley Rockies team captain Kobe Mason’s pre-playoff words rang true this
past week. Hard work, a strong team mindset and a whole lotta heart paid off in spades for the
Rockies this as they achieved a clean sweep in the first round of Kootenay International
Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) playoffs.
The Rockies, sitting third in the Eddie Mountain Division at the end of the regular
season, squared off with second place Fernie Ghostriders. Games one and two were
played in the Fernie barn and the Rockies came away with two wins.
“We were obviously really happy going into their rink and coming out with two wins early
in the series,” said head coach Tayler Sincennes. “Our specialty teams were excellent in
both games. Early in game one we killed off two 5 on 3s and that really grabbed us
some momentum in that game. Our powerplay went 3/4 and helped win us the game.”
Scoring in the Friday, Feb. 28 game was Lukas Masters (assist by Noah Asmundson) in
the first and in the second period Ethan Cerone (unassisted), Peter Godley (Wyatt
Wurtz) and Carter Velker (Asmundson) all found their mark. Velker (Jack Thorne)
stepped up again in the third period to end the game 5-3.
Goalie Hunter Arntsen stopped 41 of 44 shots on goal.
The following night included what associate coach Tucker Braund called “one of the
wildest third periods” he has seen.
“With the five-minute major penalty to Jonah (Fornier) they could have put us away on
the power play and they did get one, but our penalty kill (PK) has been great and we
scored a short-handed goal to tie it. Then us scoring with one second left was just wild.”
“Saturday night we played better: we generated way more chances and defended
excellently,” said Sincennes. “Again our pk did a great job killing off a five minute major
in the third period and our power play went 2/3. We still have a lot of work to do to win
this series, but we have set ourselves up really well coming back to play at the Eddie in
games three and four.”
The score remained 1-0 for the ‘Riders into the third period but Ashton Sledz (Mason
and Wurtz) found the net early in, followed by Teo Fath (Wurtz). The game looked to
head into overtime but with one second left on the clock, Velker put one more past the
Fernie goalie unassisted to win the game 3-2.
“Going into this playoff series, we knew it was going to be a grind,” said Velker. “The
atmosphere is definitely different in the post season: there’s a lot more intensity and I
feel like as a group we’ve been really good at embracing it. Winning both away games
this weekend was huge for us. Playing on the road in an environment like Fernie in the
playoffs is never easy, but we knew if we stuck to our game, we could take control of the
series early. These wins are important, but we know we still have a job to do.”
On the Saturday night winning goal, Velker said it was an incredible feeling.
“The energy from the team was unreal,” he said. “Everyone was pushing until the final
whistle, and you could just feel the belief we had throughout that game. To score a goal
like that in a high-pressure moment felt amazing… it’s a goal you imagine as a young
kid scoring at the buzzer. As a team we have a lot of momentum right now and we are
looking to carry that into these next games.”
Games three and four were played out at The Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena March 3
and 4 to full and vocal crowds.
Game three saw goals from Godley (Wurtz and Thorne) and Wurtz (Asmundson and
Thorne) in the first period, Sledz (Jack Hefferan and Godley) in the second and Carter
Krause (Sam Cristo and Trae Lees), Sledz (Bryan Kim and Cristo) and Mason (Fath and
Cerone) in the third for the 6-4 win. Arntsen stopped 30 of 34 shots on goal.
The following night game four action saw Sledz (Kim and Hefferan) in the first, Fath
(Cerone and Mason) and Godley (Sledz and Mason) in the second and Fath added an
empty netter to close out the score 4-2.
“I’m really proud of the way the guys handled this series,” said Sincennes. “They were
very business-like. Our power play and penalty kill were the difference in the series. We
were confident we could beat them going in and our guys solidified that through
sacrifice and laying their bodies on the line. So many guys blocked shots throughout the
series and took hits to make plays. We added into that timely scoring from every line
and really solid goaltending.”
Assistant coach Tanner Wit echoed Sincennes’ sentiments.
“I haven’t seen a group like this in a long time as far as accountability and trust within
each other,” said Wit. “It’s amazing to see how they build each other up and get one
another going. I think like Tayler said our specialty teams shined bright this series and
helped keep the momentum on our side of the ice. I am really proud of the group thus
far but a long way to go still.”
During the intermission between the first and second period of game four, an upbeat
and smiling Kim said the change in the team dynamic from pre to post regular season
was palpable.
“In regular season guys were hoping to get points and score goals themselves, but that
is gone. We are playing for each other… no one cares who scores the goal, as long as
we score it. It’s been incredible.”
Assistant captains Wurtz and Lozeman both stepped up along with team captain Mason
to guide the team the direction they needed to go.
“The boys really bought into what we were trying to do, everyone putting their bodies on
the line blocking shots and taking hits to make plays,” said Wurtz. “Going 4-0 against
the Ghostriders was huge, they put up a great fight with all the games being very close
but as a team we pushed through lots of ups and downs to come out on top.”
“We really gelled as a team leading up to playoffs and it obviously showed in this first
round,” added Lozeman. “I loved how the boys rallied together and how everyone
played so selflessly. We never got too high or low and just had a relentless attack. I
think that was the key to sweeping such a good team like the Ghostriders. As for next
round I think we’re more motivated than ever to continue to play at the best of our
ability. It’s a really good feeling to know that every person in our dressing room is ready
to sacrifice and do anything in order for us to win.”
“We are all really proud of the guys, the way they’ve come together and how they are
motivated for more wins,” said associate coach Tucker Braund. “I think they are
realizing their potential and when they put in the work they get positive results.”
The Kimberley Dynamiters and Creston Valley Thunder Cats are midway through their
round, with Creston up two games on the regular season first place Nitros. It remains to
be seen who The Rockies will face in the next round.
“Whoever it is we will be ready and hungry, said Wurtz. “I’m very proud of all the guys
because these wins were a full team effort from top to bottom.”
By Stephanie Stevens
