The 100 Mile House Wranglers ended 2022 on a bittersweet note with one win and a heartbreaking loss.
The Wranglers shut out the Chase Heat 2-0 before Dec. 16 losing to the Kelowna Chiefs 6-5 Dec. 17 in a tie-breaking shootout. The Wranglers remain in fourth place in Doug Birks Division with 18 points, with just three teams ranking below them: Chase, Kelowna and Castlegar.
The Wranglers started out strong against the Chiefs, with an early goal scored by Jace Myers. But the Chiefs fought back, responding with two goals of their own. The Wranglers rallied, with Ethan Davey and hometown favourite Mason Pincott each scoring a goal before the period ended.
In the second period, the Chiefs took advantage of an early powerplay to tie up the match and the game became more physical. Derek Teare got the Wranglers back in the lead by the period’s end, while Wranglers captain Ethan Sanders brought the Wranglers’ score to five in the final period and it seemed the hometown team would finish the year with a victory. However, the Chiefs rallied, scoring another powerplay goal and tying up the game with five minutes to go.
The game was decided by a shootout, in which the Chiefs were able to score twice.
The Wranglers return to home ice on Friday, Jan. 6 to face the Kamloops Storm followed by the Nelson Leafs on Saturday, Jan. 7. The playoffs for the Teck Cup begin Feb. 17.
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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