Seven games into an inaugural season, the 100 Mile House Wranglers find themselves standing in the middle of a very competitive Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, tied for second place in the Doug Birks Division with seven points.
The Wranglers 2-1 loss in double overtime to one of the league's best teams at the South Cariboo Rec. Centre on Sept. 28 goes to show any game against any team is up for grabs this year, says captain Jaiden Ward.
“This is my third year in the league. There's usually a top team and a bottom team. This year, everyone seems to be right in the mix of it, which is great for the fans and great for us players.”
The North Okanagan Knights haven't lost a game in regulation this season. On Sept. 28 in 100 Mile House, they scored with just over a minute remaining in the second and final overtime period.
“We were right with them the whole game,” Ward adds. “We showed we're going to be a top team in this league.”
The goal was shot number 38 on Wranglers goalie Kristen Stead, who applauded the team's effort and called it a “bounce-back game” following a sub-par outing the night before in a 2-1 loss to the Golden Rockets, a team 100 Mile House beat 5-4 earlier in September.
“The guy had great patience,” Stead says of the winning goal. “He centred it in front and it was a big scramble. I tried to get to my post but it went off my skate and in. Nothing I could really do.”
Coach/general manager Doug Rogers says he also liked the effort, but adds the team needs to finish better offensively.
“We need to develop or acquire some secondary scoring to take the pressure off of the line of Luke Santerno, Lane Van de Wetering and Connor Sloan.”
Sloan leads the team in scoring with nine points, followed by Santerno and Tyson Levesque with six, and Van de Wetering and William Orrey with three.
The Wranglers have dropped three straight games at home after going 3-1 to start the season on the road. They play next in Revelstoke on Friday (Oct. 4).
“There is an urgency to win every game,” Rogers says. “That being said, we need to remember where we are at.
"Five months ago this team had no players and not even a puck to its name. We are currently second in our division and every game our roster, made up primarily of first-year players, is taking on teams with [most] of their roster returning from last year or multiple years in this league.
"There will be the occasional bump or bumps in the road, but we need to stay the course as this group of quality young men develop both on and off the ice.”
Santerno scored 100 Mile House's goal on the power play midway through the first period against North Okanagan. Assists on the play went to Sloan and Levesque.
After the game, Ward echoed a lot of what Rogers says about the team coming together.
“We've got some chemistry; we just need some finish now. We're starting to click,” he says.
“We will do better. It's only a matter of time.”
During the game, it was announced 100 Mile House has the highest attendance numbers in the KIJHL.
“The fans are great, by far probably the best fans in the league,” Stead says. “We couldn't be happier with them.”
The Wranglers host the Creston Valley Thunder Cats at the South Cariboo Rec. Centre on Saturday (Oct. 5). Puck drop is 7 p.m.