Mixed success for Novice Chinooks during triple home game stint

Novice Chinooks vs Blades
C. Davis and T. Lucas photos and videos

Chris Davis and Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

Pincher Creek's Novice Chinooks played three home games last weekend at the MCC arena, including back to back games on Saturday afternoon. The Chinooks lost both Saturday games and won their final game of the weekend on Sunday.


Chinooks edged by Picture Butte Blades

On Saturday January 18 the Chinooks hosted Picture Butte's Blades for three periods of hotly contested hockey. These two teams were closely matched and well stocked with eager players. The Blades had the Chinooks on the defensive for much of the first period, and Blade #13 Ryan Holm scored the first goal of the game unassisted at the halfway point. Chinook #4 Drew Stuckey broke away from the pack to tie it up with his first unassisted goal of the game. With 2:19 remaining in the period Chinook #18 Shenoa Jessen flipped in a neat backhander, assisted by Mayz Vance, to put the Chinooks ahead 2-1, which is where it stood at the buzzer. No ice cleaning between periods 1 and 2, so after a brief break both teams were back at it.

In the second period the play was much as it had been in the first - the Blades on the offensive a little more and Chinooks finding ways to break through and take it to the net. At the 15:26 mark Blade #4 Jaxon Nault scored unassisted to tie it 2-2. Remember that name boys, girls, and goalies. Then Stuckey pulled out the stops again for the Chinooks to make it 3-2, unassisted. Chinook #2 Lane Conley provided a dramatic net-knocker goal a couple of minutes later, also unassisted. 4-2 Chinooks. Then it was the Blades' turn to shine. Blade #12 Karsen Haney scored, assisted by #19 Quade Vandendungen. 4-3. Then Nault scored his second unassisted goal for the Blades to tie it 4-4. Then he did it again. Hat trick for Jaxon Nault and 5-4 Blades. Ryan Holm scored again for the Blades, unassisted. 6-4. With 4:21 remaining Mayz Vance scored for the Chinooks, assisted by #27 Travis Bastien. 6-5. Blades #11 Riley Hillaby and #17 Matt Reiter scored an unassisted goal each to make it 8-5. Drew Stuckey earned his hat trick and helped put the Chinooks back into a positive frame of mind with 1:26 left in the period with another unassisted effort. At the buzzer it was 8-6 Blades.

The third period was a beaut, rough and tumble all the way, both teams playing flat out and pushing the boundaries of their skills. Blade #3 Leland Gellrich score just 37 seconds into the period, assisted by Ryan Holm, to make it 9-6 Blades. At the 17:09 mark Shenoa Jessen scored her second goal of the game for the Chinooks, this time unassisted. 9-7 and the Chinooks were back in the game. Lots of back and forth, with no change in the score until Drew Stuckey put a brim on his hat trick with his fourth goal of the game, once more unassisted, to bring the Chinooks within a point of the Blades again. With 9:49 remaining Riley Hillaby scored his second goal of the game for the Blades, a nice unassisted backhand shot, to make it 10-8.

The Chinooks upped the pressure, drawing from some deep well of energy, and managed to score the last goal of the game with 6:30 remaining, that one coming from #17 Jaxon Shenton (who's turned into a real team player), assisted by Stuckey and Mayz Vance. As sweet a team effort as you could hope to see, that one. That made for a goal and two assists for Vance this game. The final minutes of the game were played out in a flurry of activity, and in the declining seconds it really looked like the Chinooks were going to tie it up, with multiple oh-so-close attempts, but alas it was not to be.

Tip of the hat to Chinooks #3 Eric Radvak, who was stellar in net, and to his counterpart Blade #18 Even McCloud, who was equally stellar. Those two repeatedly stole the show.

Final score: Blades 10, Chinooks 9

Biggest winner: The crowd that got treated to a great game between two honorable opponents. So close.

Coaldale 1 defeats Chinooks

This one is the game I'd rather forget from the weekend. Directly after the game above, the Chinooks were back on the ice to face a fresh opponent. They were visibly tired from the first whistle, having just played 3 full on periods of hockey with only two intermissions before facing a tough competitor in the Coaldale 1 Cobras. Back to back games are tough, and this one proved no exception.  

Coaldale 1 defeated the Chinooks by a wide margin. The Chinooks managed only three goals, two of them in the first coming from #10 Joah Randall and #4 Drew Stuckey, with assists going to #12 Jaydon Draper and #27 Travis Bastien. The other Chinooks goal was an unassisted final goal of the game by Stuckey with 2:02 remaining. When Stuckey gets his dander up look out, he's going to make it count. Scoring hat tricks for Coaldale 1 were Brady Magarrell, Paul VandenElzen, Josh Elfring, and Riley Preachuk. Preachuk also earned two assists. Cobra Sam Wegenast scored once. Also earning assists were Bowman Klippenstein, Kevin Erick, and Ryden Yackulic.

Chinooks defeat Coaldale 2

On Sunday the refreshed Chinooks hit the ice to take on the Coaldale 2 Cobras for what was to prove an interesting game equivalent to their game against the Blades the day before, albeit with more pleasing results for the home team.

look out, here comes Stuckey again!

The first goal of the game was scored early on by Cobra #4 Corbin Derochie, assisted by #8 Noah Olinek at the 17:46 mark.    That was answered by Chinook #12 Jaydon Draper, unassisted at the 12:51 mark.  The Cobras pulled ahead again after #11 Schae VanBuren scored, assisted by Derochie. With 5:26 remaining in the period Chinook #4 Drew Stuckey scored, unassisted.  That was followed by another goal from Draper with 3:17 remaining, this time assisted by #28 Mayz Vance, to ultimately close out the period with the Chinooks up 3-2.

The second period featured lots of back and forth played almost to a draw.  However, the Chinooks outscored the Cobras 2 to 1 this period, to finish it ahead 5-3.  Chinooks goals came from Stuckey assisted by #24 Zach Hann and from Mayz Vance unassisted.  The Cobras goal game from  Schae VanBuren, his second of the game.

An attempt by Chinook Nathan Mitchell - close but denied

The third period was interesting.  The Blades got off to a good start, scoring 4 goals before the Chinooks got their game back.  Those Blades goals came from #13 Dylan Ginter, #5 Dustin Nelson, #10 Graham Lloyd, and #6 Max Davis.  Assists went to #12 Brandon McDonald and #9 Grant Shipton.  Dramatically, the Chinooks had gone from being ahead by two to being behind by two, 7-5 for the Blades.

The team that plays together wins together

Chinook #12 Jaydon Draper broke the Chinooks drought with an unassisted goal, earning himself a hat trick.   7-6. Then Drew Stuckey scored unassisted to tie it 7-7.  Hat trick for Drew, his second of the weekend.  Then #8 Bowen Hann scored what turned out to be the game winner, unassisted, to make it 8-7 Chinooks.  Drew Stuckey iced the cake with his fourth goal of the game with 1:01 remaining, and it was 9-7 Chinooks at the final buzzer.

Drew "I'll take that, thanks" Stuckey makes another breakaway play

Nice way to end the weekend.

It was also quite gratifying to note how many Chinooks have grown by leaps and bounds this season.  Passing and strategy have both improved dramatically.  Skating skills have improved dramatically.  Several players that have been in the background stepped up into the spotlight when they were most needed.  There was drive and determination under some pretty adverse conditions.  The joy of playing Canada's great game was evident for most of the weekend.