Bantam Chinooks defeat Lethbridge Falcons in feisty home opener

Bantam Chinooks #17 Haylie Klyen scuffles
for the puck behind the Panther's net
C. Davis photos/vid

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Pincher Creek's Bantam Chinooks hosted the Lethbridge Falcons at the Memorial Community Centre Arena on Saturday afternoon, October 20.

Of 19 Bantam Chinooks at least 13 were in Peewee together last season, and it was gratifying to see them play so well at a higher level.

The first period saw a lot of good back and forth action, with the Chinooks having perhaps a bit of an edge over the Falcons.  With 7:16 left on the clock, Chinooks #28 Colin Lincez scored, assisted by #11 Jessen Luco, and the Chinooks were ahead 1-0 as a result at the end of the period. The Chinooks pulled 5 penalties in the period, contrasted with 3 for the Falcons.

The second period saw and increase in the rough stuff, and Chinooks #17 Haylie Klyen was the subject of at least one particularly dodgy play, which she responded to in an uncompromising manner that spoke well of her ability to compete at this level.  At the 14:05 mark Chinooks #19 Ethan Richards scored, assisted by Klyen and #2 Chaz Vance, bringing the score to 2-0.  Penalties hurt the Chinooks, resulting in a goal by Falcons #9 Blake Marczuk at the 6:18 mark, assisted by #14 August Demaere.  Chinooks #30 Matthew Duncan was quite admirable in the net, being submitted to a barrage that could have resulted in a much higher score for the Falcons. Playing three on five, the Chinooks were forced into a primarily defensive mode, and with 3:00 left on the clock for the period the Falcons tied it up 2-2 with a goal by Demaere, assisted by #11 Caelan Ridout.  With penalties evened out in the declining moments of the period, the Chinooks were able to display their dominance, and #4 Tyson Goodreau sent one home unassisted with only 38 seconds left, a humdinger of a goal that brought the score to 3-2 for the Chinooks.  The buzzer rang, and at least some of us breathed a sigh of relief that there were no more penalties, when all of a sudden a dust-up occurred, and after a period that saw 3 penalties for the Falcons and 7 for the Chinooks, the third period started with 2 new ones each.

In that conflict and a couple of previous ones, not listening to their coaches who were telling them to be smart and walk away from blatant provocations cost the Chinooks. Something must have happened during the break between periods, because the third period was significantly calmer at the outset, on both sides.

In the third period the Chinooks again demonstrated the edge they had over the Falcons, all other things being equal.  At the 12:26 mark Chinooks #11 Jessen Luco scored, assisted by Goodreau, and the Chinooks defended that 4-2 lead right up to the closing bell.  #28 Colin Lincez put in a ferocious performance, a relentless athlete.  Both goalies made some big saves in the third, but the Chinooks were the better team on this evening. Their teamwork bodes well for their 2012-13 season.

As can be expected at the beginning of the season, there appeared to be room for improvement on both sides.  Opportunities were missed, as were too many passes, and both sides seemed to suffer from some costly lapses of attention.  However, it was greatly entertaining hockey, with very few dialing-it-in moments.