Palominos defeat Senior Huskies in season opener

Huskies vs Palominos
C. Davis photos

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Yesterday evening, October 26, a sizable crowd gathered at Pincher Creek's Memorial Community Centre Arena to watch a good old fashioned hard checking glass shaking game of fast paced exciting Senior 'A' hockey.  The Ranchland Hockey League's Pincher Creek Huskies and  Nanton Palominos obliged, delivering all that and more.  It was the first regular season game for the newly formed Huskies, and also their home opener.

Puck drop by Mayor Ernie Olsen

Bob Westrop acted as Master of Ceremonies, and did a great job announcing all evening.  Alyssa Barbero sang 'O Canada', and did a terrific job of it, and when her voice proved to be too powerful for the arena sound system the crowd  helped her finish it off.  DJ Frankenstein provided the music for the evening.  Pincher Creek Mayor Ernie Olsen performed the ceremonial puck drop, and a new era in local hockey began.

Over 220 people were in attendance.

Things got off to a fast start, with both teams playing full out.  Huskies #14 Wiley Handford scored first in a classic one-on-one with the Nanton goalie, 5 minutes and 50 seconds into the game, making him the Huskies' first official regular season scorer ever as well. He was assisted by #18 Randy Wittkopf.  Nanton's Captain #18 Steve McMasters tied it up at 10:53 on the clock with #12 Jordy Waters assisting. The Huskies settled that score almost immediately, when #12 Sheldon Filipuzzi homed in on the Palominos net for an unassisted goal 13 seconds later.

The score stood at 2-1 Huskies until Palominos Assistant Captain #61 Curtis Billsten knocked one in with 16.8 seconds left in the period, assisted by #41 Jeff Matheson, tying the game 2-2.  Huskies goalie #1 Joel Hasselman stopped 20 pucks, compared to 12 for Palominos goalie #1 Mike Kraneveldt.  All in all it was a great period of hockey to watch, and encouraging to Huskies fans, including some who travelled from the Crowsnest Pass and parts east of Pincher Creek as well to see the game.

Then the second period happened.

At the outset of the second period Nanton pulled their game together, maintaining the impetus they'd gained at the end of the first period.  A minute and 43 seconds in #44 Chris Maloney scored an unassisted goal for the Palominos, bringing the score to 3-2 for Nanton.  Then at 7 minutes and 17 seconds in Jordy Waters added a goal to his first period assist, helped by Matheson and ##23 Brady Hoetmer, putting the Palominos ahead 4-2.  Just over a minute later Billsten scored his second goal of the game, assisted by Palominos #11 Chris Berns and McMasters.  Just over a minute after that Maloney scored his second unassisted goal for the Palominos.  With 7:47 left in the second Palominos Chilliwack import #24 Jeremy Chadsey scored, assisted by Maloney.

C. Davis photo

The score now stood at 7-2 for Nanton, and hope was slipping away for the Huskies fans in the stands.  Then, with 4:14 left in the period, a ray of light.  Huskies #7 Taylor Elliott scored, assisted by #19 Hayden Shackel.  7-3.  With 16.8 seconds left in the period they switched roles, as Shackel scored assisted by Elliott and Huskies Captain #4 Sean Stuckey, bringing the score to 7-4 Nanton to finish off the period, and bringing the Huskies back within reach of a victory.

The hardest working bear in show biz

The third period.  Penalties.  Too many penalties for the Huskies.  Both teams had spent an even amount of time warming the penalty box seats in the first period, a total of 14 minutes each. That's the period that also ended in a tie.  In the second period the Palominos served a total of 8 minutes in the box, and the Huskies doubled that.  That's the period when Nanton almost doubled them on the scoreboard.  In the third period the Huskies accumulated a whopping 8 penalties, including 3 ten minute stints, for a total of 40 minutes penalty time served.  The Palominos had 3 penalties for a total of 14 minutes served.

That resulted in the disappearance of the back-and-forth game we saw earlier on.  The Huskies were forced into a defensive game, and goalie #1 Joel Hasselman was under pressure constantly.  Update: Hasselman made 42 saves during this game, more than any other goalie in the first week of the RHL's 2012-2013 season.

The period started out encouragingly enough, with a goal by Huskies #24 Dan Bickman just 11 seconds into the period, assisted by #9 Kevin Olson.  That brought the score to 7-5, and it seemed quite possible the Huskies could make it happen.  Then Olson scored one unassisted with 10:31 left in the game, and it was 7-6 Palominos.  That was about as happy as the home team's crowd got to be all night.

Score one for Huskies #9 Kevin Olson

With 8:08 left on the clock Palominos #23 Hoetmer scored, assisted by Maloney.  That put Maloney at 2 goals and 2 assists for the game.  Then at the 5:34 mark #58 Jeff Sapieha made his mark, assisted by Berns and Billsten.  To ice the Nanton cake, Matheson added a goal to his earlier assist, helped by Hoetmer and McMasters, and that was all she wrote.  The Palominos won the game by a score of 10-6.

The Huskies proved they could contend.  When they were on and fully staffed they were actually quite dynamic.  Even shorthanded they showed some moments of real brilliance.  When they let it slip, Nanton showed them quite clearly why it wasn't safe to do so.  As for the crowd at the Pincher Creek arena, there was a general consensus that despite the loss for the Huskies we'd been treated to a terrific game.  They showed fire and determination out there, they skate hard, they hit hard, and when they pull it together they look like real contenders.

Huskies Head Coach Ray Goasdoue was in a pragmatic mood after the game.  "It's our first one," he said.  "You know, we're new, they still need some experience. "

He said the loss could be attributed to consistency.  "They're just not playing the whole 60 minutes."

Coach Goasdoue played for nine years in the Ranchland Hockey League.  "I played three years in Junior 'B' in Pincher and then nine years at the Senior Hockey level."

"It was the Huskies back then too.  There were a lot more teams back then."

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The Senior Huskies played an exhibition game on Saturday, October 20 against the Fort Macleod Mustangs.  The Mustangs won that one 5-3.

Next Friday, November 2, the Senior Huskies will be back at the MCC Arena in Pincher Creek.  This time they will be hosting the Lomond Lakers.  Game time is 8:00 pm.  The day after that, November 3, they travel to Fort Macleod to face the Mustangs again, game time is 8:30 pm for that one.