The Weekly Roundup

The Ghostriders won both of their games last weekend, 4-3 in OT against Castlegar and 6-1 against North Okanagan. Jeff Orser  was in net in the Castlegar game and Brandon Butler played against North Okanagan. Both goalies had to stop some tricky shots and played well.

Against Castlegar  The Rebels scored 28 seconds into the first period then the Riders took over scoring two goals and firing 21 shots at the Rebel net.

There was no scoring in the second but the game was a quite a bit closer.  In the third the Riders scored one more and were leading 3-1 but the Rebels scored two quick goals in the last five minutes to get a point and take the game into overtime.   Spencer Bender from Pronchuk and Keebler ruined their dreams and scored the game winner at 3:44 of the OT.

On Saturday against North Okanagan the Ghostriders scored two in each period and ran away with a 6-1 win. All the debating between the refs, players and coaches after many of the calls in that very long and drawn out game drove me crazy.

Ghostrider Notebook

Sam Plaquin had a goal and 3 assists against North Okanagan and Cole Keebler had 3 goals. Keebler also had a goal and an assist in the Castlegar game and has had 12 points in his last five games.  Plaquin at 17 points is 3 behind Josh McCulloch who had another couple of goals last weekend and has 15 in 14 games and leads the team with 21 points.

Derek Georgopoulos scored a goal from far out on the left side  at a very sharp angle against Oak. That’s the second goal I’ve seen him score like that and I’m beginning to think it’s not just luck.

Travis Thomsen scored a shorthanded goal against the Rebels and has almost doubled his point totals from last season.

Joel Burgess got  hit in the head in the Castlegar game and left the ice spitting a considerable amount of blood. A few minutes later he fearlessly scored the Riders third goal and now has a nine game point scoring streak going. Burgess missed the next game with what was called an upper body injury. 

The way I saw it was like this, Burgess was hanging on to the puck a little too long and got himself into a somewhat low and vulnerable position and the Rebel D also saw it and ran him, or you could make the argument he charged him, but he definitely  contacted his head with either his stick, elbow or possibly his shoulder as JB was not completely upright and arguably in a vulnerable position, which means something in the Jr B supplement.

There was no call on the play and there wouldn’t have been… "a few of years ago" .... but with the new head contact rules in place now, read the above sentence,  there should have been. And there was no shortage of DNA evidence on the ice either. Coach Mohr says Joel won't be able to play next weekend .

The North Oak players who were down 5-0 seemed to want to have a gong show in the third but the Riders, who won't see them again this year, and knew they were going to win, didn't co-operate and kept the PIM's down, that doesn't always happen. Sometimes against your real rivals it happens -click me 

Sixteen year old Cavin Tilsley is now an affiliate player with the Coquitlam Express. The Express Head Coach is former Rider Coach Barry Wolff who was here a couple of years ago and also several years ago in the Jr A days. Coaching history is here 

Evan Pumphrey is now a Ghostrider affiliate and played his first game against Castlegar when a couple of Riders came down with the flu. Several teams around the KIJHL are reporting the flu is going through their players. The worse part is that it will hit again in the new year, the best you can hope for is to have it go through your team just before the playoffs.

Josh Teves was named as the Riders Rookie of the Year and  Best Defensemen last year. He is having a pretty good season with the J"A" Merritt Centennials so far this year with 9 points in 12 games after the weekend.

Nice to see Evan Reid back in lineup after missing a few weeks, he fit right in effortlessly, where are you Justin Peers.... 

The nicest goal was Cole Keebler's second goal Saturday, his fast hands and stick hypnotized the Oak goalie.

Cole Webber played here last year is now playing with the 100 Mile House Wranglers with his old buddy, Coach Duner.

The Oak goalies were hypnotized again Sunday in Kimbo where they lost 8-2. Golden also lost 6-5 but in OT in Castlegar, they are here next Friday, Halloween night. Kimberley is here Fri Nov 7th.

And finally... all the best of luck to Randy Teeple with his new team in Invermere.