Atom 2 Chinooks win one and lose one against Bow Island

Atom 2 Chinooks vs Bow Island
C. Davis photos and video

Pincher Creek's Atom 2 'C' Chinooks played two home games against the Bow Island Rebels last weekend.

Saturday's game

The first game between the two teams was played on Saturday afternoon, January 5.  The Chinooks took an early lead in the first period, and were up 2-0 after two unassisted goals by Christopher LeBlanc.  Then Rebels' Blayze Uchikura went on a scoring spree in the last 6 minutes of the period, scoring 3 goals. Karsten VanTryp assisted with the first one and the next two were unassisted.  Chinooks Associated Player Riley Potts scored an unassisted goal with 2:36 left in the period to tie it up 3-3, which is where it stood at the end of the period.

Uchikura scored two unassisted goals for the Rebels in the second period and his teammate Jaxon Pahl also scored an unassisted goal.  LeBlanc scored for the Chinooks in the second, earning himself a hat trick.  He was assisted by Nico Charette, who went on to score an unassisted goal as well.  At the end of the period the score stood at 6-5 in the Rebels favour, and it was still anyone's game.

Uchikura shut down that notion in the third, scoring 3 more goals for the Rebels.  He was assisted by Kaige Stebanuk on the last one.  Riley Potts was the lone scorer for the Chinooks in the third, assisted by Nico Charette.  In a nutshell, both teams were fairly evenly matched until the third, which the Rebels thoroughly dominated.

Blayze Uchikura got a total of 8 goals in the game, including a hat trick in the first period and a hat trick in the third period. Final score: Rebels 10, Chinooks 6.

Sunday's game

Sunday's Battle of the Goalies: LeBlanc (above) and Uchikura (below)

Sunday's rematch between the Rebels and the Chinooks was the closest local minor hockey game of the weekend and a real pleasure to watch.  A doozie.  Game of the week in my book.  The top scorer for both teams the day before turned into goalies for this one.  Uchikura and LeBlanc have very different styles in net, but they both proved to be formidable.  Battle of the Goalies.  The game flowed well from the first minute to the last, lots of shots on the nets, lots of frustrated offense players.  Score at the end of the first period: 0-0.  Score at the end of the second period: 0-0.

Crowshoe takes it to net again and... GOOOOAAAALLL!!

After many strong attempts denied by Uchikura, Chinooks #4 Beyonce Crowshoe finally managed to get one past him, unassisted at the 15:02 mark of the third period.  1-0 Chinooks.  With 10:34 left in the game Domonic Wyllie sole Rebels goal of the game, assisted by Dacey Timmons.  Wyllie was the Rebels' goalie for Saturday's game. Tied 1-1. Shortly after that Crowshoe smacked another one in to bring it to 2-1 Chinooks.  Despite a huge effort on both sides, that's where it stood at the final buzzer.  Chinooks 2, Rebels 1, and a game apiece for the weekend. Played with a lot of heart and class, these two teams left an impression I won't soon forget.  Wish you'd been there Abi Cryderman.  I bet your team does too.

Isabel Litchfield checks out the Zamboni

Pincher Creek's Atom 2 'C' Chinooks are currently in second place in the Spud League standings.

Atom Tournament
There will be an Atoms Tournament here in Pincher Creek at the Memorial Community Centre Arena next weekend.   Click here for the full tournament schedule.

Correction made:  The Atom 2 Chinooks are currently in second place in the Spud League standings, not third as originally stated in this article.