A rested lineup, good goaltending and a strong penalty kill helped the 100 Mile House Wranglers take four of a possible six points on a three game road trip and sole possession of second place in the Doug Birks Division.
The local Kootenay International Junior Hockey League club capped off the trip with a decisive 4-1 win over division rival Kamloops Storm on Oct. 25.
The Wranglers lost 5-2 in Kimberley on Oct. 24 and beat Golden 5-4 in overtime on Oct. 23.
Even in the loss to the Dynamiters, the league's best right now with 28 points, there were some positives to take away, says Wranglers coach Dale Hladun.
Kimberley is by far the strongest team they've faced, he says, and they're double tough on their own Olympic-size rink.
“Their speed really shows there.”
Kimberley took an early lead 3-1 in the first. The Wranglers though for the most part stifled their usually dynamite power play, allowing only one goal on seven attempts.
“Their power play [scoring percentage] at home was 44 per cent,” Hladun explains. “They scored on a 5-3, but overall I was happy [keeping them at 14 per cent].”
Against Kamloops, the team's third game in three days, Hladun says he was nervous, not sure how the boys would start. The Wranglers tend to start slow, he says, but not this afternoon.
“It was opposite. We had one of our best periods right out of the gate. The guys were hungry to beat Kamloops, hungry to go.”
Zane Steeves turned away 44 shots, according to the scoresheet, which Hladun disputes.
“I thought they must have counted shots in warm up, because they did not [have that many] I don't feel.”
The coach made some healthy scratches in the first and second games, which went a long way in ensuing a healthier lineup against Kamloops.
“I think it was a good thing. Otherwise you're whipping your horses all weekend. Guys played, they played good minutes, but they weren't so worn down.”
“Full kudos to the kids,” he adds. “That was a huge weekend.”
The Wranglers host Kootenay Conference clubs Creston Valley Thundercats on Oct. 30 and Fernie Ghostriders on Oct. 31.
“It's a tough weekend,” says Hladun. “It's a good weekend for fans to come out; these are two good teams.”
Cole Zimmerman, Brady Ward and Tyler Povelofskie (2) scored in the 4-1 win over Kamloops. Ward, Justin Bond, Stephen Egan, Zimmerman and Brett Harris assisted on the plays. Povelofskie won star of the game.
Kolten Carpenter, from Justin Bond, and Povelofskie, from Harris, found the back of the net for the Wranglers in the 5-2 loss to the Kimberley Dynamiters. Carpenter won star of the game for 100 Mile. Steeves made 20 stops.
Ryan Friesen scored the 5-4 overtime winner in Golden with an assist from Alex Meeker on the play.
Friesen, Povelofskie, Brandon Howard and Alex Meeker had goals for 100 Mile House. Assists went to Howard, Michael Lynch, Harris, Friesen and Meeker.
Adam Derochie stopped 31 shots for his second win as a Wrangler.