On the 12th of October, the Chase Heat made “Traxx” to Shea Weber Drive in Sicamous to face the Sicamous Eagles; the big white behemoth carried 23 hockey players that had lost some confidence due to an 0-9 start to the season.
In the second game of the regular season the Heat had earned their lone digit of a point, a 1-1 tie versus the ‘houseboat capital’ crew. There was an air of optimism on the land yacht that packed it’s young cargo, and in the hours to come that feeling produced a turnaround event.
Friday night at the east end of the Shuswap, in a clean hard-hitting contest, the Chase Heat came out on top. Riley Keyes popped his first of the season in the first period, ably helped by Evan Hughes and Brendan Laing. In the second, captain Cam Watson, with his fourth of the season, fired a counter assisted by Brandon Gramaud and Brett Alexander.
In the third, Wyatt Kelly got his third of the season with thanks to Haden Nordick and Kasey Jackson. Geoffrey Drought was stellar between the pipes stopping 25 of 26 in a winning effort, and was named a star.
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The home-and-home series continued on Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Art Holding Memorial Arena. The Shuswap rivals from the far east and west of the pristine waters clashed once again.
This match was tighter than a drum, and the 262 fans in attendance spent extra time holding their breath. In the first, the Heat did the unusual, scoring two goals while shorthanded to take a 2-0 lead.
Gavin Mattey, a whirling dervish of a penalty killer, accepted a long feed from Garrick Ward and found the back of the Sicamous net. Not to be outdone, Evan Hughes, in the last minute of the period, got the second shorthanded marker unassisted, and after 20 it was 2-0.
In the second, Brendan Laing got his first goal of the season unassisted, it’s now 3-0 and the Heat took their feet off the gas just a bit. The result was the Eagles soaring back with a man- advantage counter followed by a five-on-five tally, it’s now 3-2.
In the third, the teams each scored, Hughes with his second of the game and third of the season from Gramaud and Ty Collens. And then Sicamous made it a nail- biter. Drought stymied 28 of 31 shots to once again provide a stellar net presence. Hughes received star honours in a 4-3 win, that gave the Chase crew a four-point weekend.
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Malcolm Petty, a 16 year old associate player, joined the roster for the weekend and was solid on the back end. Raeyden Beauchamp, obtained in a trade from the Summerland Steam, provided a bang-bang presence up front. This weekend the Heat head to the East Kootenays to face the Fernie Ghostriders and the Creston Valley Thundercats. A formidable three-game foray, but newfound confidence should assist the local shinny stars with their game.
Submitted by Scott Koch
