Thunder Cats three for three on road trip
By Brian Lawrence
Creston Valley Advance
The Creston Valley Thunder Cats are climbing back to the top of their division following three wins on a weekend road trip. With 32 points, the team sits at second in the Eddie Mountain Division, one point behind the Golden Rockets, and fourth overall in the Kootenay Inter-national Junior Hockey League.
In their division, the Thunder Cats are two points ahead of the Columbia Valley Rockies and three points ahead of the Fernie Ghostriders; the Kimberley Dynamiters trail with 16 points.
The Thunder Cats’ successful weekend began with a 3-2 victory over the Revelstoke Grizzlies on Friday.
“We only made a few mistakes early on,” said head coach Joe Martin. “We had a slow start and that got us behind to start the game.”
Near the end of the second period, the Grizzlies had two goals, while the Thunder Cats had none, but that changed when Casey Silverson scored on a power play with seven seconds left in the period.
“As time went on we got stronger,” said Martin. “The guys didn’t give up. They believed that what they were doing was going to get them the win.”
Following an early third-period goal by Evan Campbell, the score was tied at 2-2 for much of the third period, until assistant captain Nick Mohn scored the game-winner.
“That was his first goal of the year,” Martin said. “The boys were really happy for him.”
Goalie Andy Williams also made an excellent showing in the game, blocking 30 Revelstoke shots, proving that he’s more than mere backup to goalie Wade Waters.
“He made a huge save on a breakaway,” said Martin. “If they had scored that goal, it would been devastating to our momentum. …
“The team loves playing in front of him and feels confident playing with either guy in the net. When players are confident, they perform better.”
The following night, the Thunder Cats played against Sicamous Eagles, where they won their first shootout of the season for a 4-3 victory.
“We had an even worse start to that game,” said Martin. “We were really slow, really passive, letting them dictate the play. That was the opposite of the game plan. …
“We let them get some confidence and get momentum in the first period. They were taking the play to us the whole first period.”
Still, the Thunder Cats managed to finish the first period down 2-1, thanks to a power-play goal by Colton Grolla.
“In the second period, we started to get a few things going,” said Martin. “The guys were trying be positive, trying to believe in themselves.”
By the end of the period, the Thunder Cats were still behind the Eagles, this time with a score of 3-2 after a power-play goal by Mac Smith. In the third period, a goal by captain Cole Yurkowski tied the score at 3-3, sending the game into a scoreless overtime, which led to a shootout.
In the shootout, which had six shots from each team, goals by Sean Maktaak — whose parents were watching the game — and Casey Silverson topped the Eagles’ single netter for a Thunder Cats’ win.
“The guys were really riding high after that,” said Martin.
Their enthusiasm stuck with them on Sunday as they played the Chase Chiefs, who beat the Okanagan Division-leading Kamloops Storm 4-2 on Friday night.
“We focused on having a strong start to that game,” said Martin. “They had been playing some good hockey.”
A power-play goal by Kenny Johnstone tied the game at 1-1 by the end of the first period.
“He played exceptionally all weekend,” said Martin. “He has a great shot. It’s pro-level speed, so that obviously makes it hard to stop.”
Despite keeping up their momentum, the Thunder Cats didn’t score in the second period, although a Chiefs goal brought the score to 2-1.
“It wasn’t a bad period,” said Martin. “We had many, many chances.”
But things really picked up in the third period, when the Thunder Cats added four goals of their own to the Chiefs’ third. Evan Campbell scored early in the period, followed by a late goal by Kane Dawe — then Campbell netted two more for a hat trick.
“Those guys have kind of been sleepers lately,” said Martin. “But every game … they try their hardest and go to dangerous areas where they are going to get rewarded if they’re pushing themselves.
“If this team wants to do well, it needs players other than Cole Yurkowski and Casey Silverson getting the puck in the net.”
This weekend is parents’ weekend, which means the Thunder Cats will have some extra spectators watching their home games, in which they host the Fernie Ghostriders (Friday) and Beaver Valley Nitehawks (Saturday). Not only will parents enjoy seeing their sons hard at work, they will also be able to watch some great hockey.
“They get to watch three top teams go at each other,” said Martin. “It’s going to be a tough weekend. We want to continue what we’re doing well. When we play against top teams, it shows where we’re at as a team. Do we continue winning because we’re doing well or playing teams that are not as tough as the top ones?”
