Ghostrider Award Banquet

 The Fernie Ghostriders held their Annual End of the Year Awards Banquet Saturday March 18th at the Fernie Golf and Country Club.

The dinner was catered by The Cast Iron Grill and it was great.

Team President Barb Anderson thanked all the volunteers billets, sponsors and board members for the time and work they put in this year." Without them we would have a tough time existing". "Also thank you to the parents for trusting us with your kids".

 GM Ty Valin and Captain Scott Sinclair gave their opening remarks to start the ceremonies. Both stressed how the players became a team after the deadline once the new new players got acclimated.

It was the tightest team I've ever played with.

On to the Awards presented by GM Ty Valin and Assistant Coach Mike Anderson

It was no surprise to anyone who followed the Riders this year who the big award winner would be. 

Ethan MacDuff was the MVP, Top Scorer and Top Forward 

The Top Defenseman was another easy pick, Team Captain Scott Sinclair. No one got the puck out of trouble in Fernie’s end better, and he finished 4th overall in KIJHL scoring for D men

The Rookie of the Year was Taylor Haggerty with 41 points in 43 games, a nice first year.

Honourable mention to the other rookies who didn’t play like rookies once they figured out the pace of the league. Andrew Kennedy, Aiden Kruhlak, Liam Fitzgerald, Jack Lambert, Eli Neilsen, Gaege Johnson, Malachai Peigan, and Lucas Desjarlais.

The Top Defensive Forward was Gaege Johnson. He always worked hard and was a big part of the penalty kill. Could work on looking mean though...

The Most Inspirational Player was Malachai Peigan.

When Malachai scored his first goal in January the whole bench erupted, his team mates obviously loved him. Honourable mention to Ethan MacDuff who played on a bad leg in the post season, Cole Fournier who came back from a broken arm just before the playoffs and Cole Fisher and Liam Samycia who suffered broken hands. Samycia’s  took months to completely heal.

The Most Exciting Player was Liam Fitzgerald who scored some important goals and was always buzzing. He was a fan favourite.

The Playoff MVP was goalie Aiden Kruhlak who really got his game together in January in time for the playoffs. He always gave his team a chance to win.

The Community Award went to Lucas Desjarlais 

Ty Valin “Lucas was always the first to step up for anything the team was asked to do”

The Most Improved Player

Kaden Slobodian. 

Kaden worked hard on strength and conditioning during the season and the change was noticeable. Unfortunately he broke his finger in the Rockies series and was really missed in the Kimberley series.

We Wish the twenty year old players all the best in the future no matter where you end up

 Kort Kisinger Jack Karpyshyn Jarod Sigouin Ethan MacDuff Scott Sinclair

  

Kimberley ties the series at 3 and Round the League

 The Ghostriders lost game six 3-2 and now game seven is in Kimberley on Monday.

Game six was close and should have been tied but the referee waved off a Fernie goal in the third period. 

The video clearly showed that the puck was across the line... but  no explanation was given... even though 1118 fans paid to watch the game and keep the league viable, it was decided they didn’t need to know why there was no goal.

The goal judge was not asked if the puck crossed the line... but we know from the red light and his comments that he saw it cross.

From now on our goal judges who also count saves should just sit in the stands and count  saves.

As you read from above one of the two referees is from Kimberley... 

One of our local linesmen was told he couldn’t line Fernie games because his brother is a Rider player... go figure

Obviously Fernie needs someone on the KIJHL Executive Board

Power plays were KD 1-5   FG 0-4

Shots were 38-30 KD

Round' the League

Beaver Valley 5 @ Creston 1 

Five different Hawks scored to tie the series at 3

Game seven is in BV on Monday

Ghostriders lost 4-2 in Kimberley but return home tonight March 11 & Round the League

Fernie 2 @ Kimberley 4

Last night in Kimberley the Dynamiters won 4-2 and the series is now Fernie 3 Kimberley 2.

In the first period Kimberley’s Kade Leskosky (5) scored the first goal just 40 seconds into the game. A couple of minutes later Christian Mealey (4)  from Campbell Mclean scored and Kimberley had a 2-0 lead.

With five minutes left Ethan MacDuff (6) from Kort Kisinger and Jarod Sigouin scored then a couple of minutes later on the power play Liam Fitzgerald (6) from Taylor Haggerty and Andrew Kennedy scored and the period ended with the teams tied at 2.

There was no scoring in the second period but in the third period Campbell Mclean (5) from Christian Mealey and Cash Regan made it 3-2 then Campbell Mclean (6)  scored into the empty net and the game ended 4-2.

Aiden Kruhlak and Trystan Self  were in net and the shots were 32-28 Kimberley .

Not many penalties in this game, Kimberley went 0-2 and Fernie 1-2 on the power play.

If Kimberley wins tonight game seven would be in Kimberley on Monday.

The winner of this series will play either Beaver Valley or Creston.

Round’ the League

Creston 0 @ BV 4 

Beaver Valley’s Connor Stojan stopped 41 shots and four different  Hawks scored goals giving BV a 4-0 win at home over Creston. That series is now Creston 3 BV 2. They play in Creston tonight.

North Okanagan 1 @ Princeton 4 

Princeton wins their series 4-1.

Princeton who have only lost 1 game will now play Revelstoke who are a perfect 8-0. The Possy finished in first place with 68 points so will have home ice against the Grizzlies who finished up with 67 points.

  

Fernie 4 Kimberley 1

 Kimberley 1 @ Fernie 4

The Riders scored three in the first period survived a bit of a Dynamiter push in the second period then exchanged goals in the third for a 4-1 win and a 3-0 series lead.

Aiden Kruhlak had the win in the Rider net stopping 29 of 30 and Matt Fleet took the loss in the Nitro net stopping 32 of 36 shots.

Liam Fitzgerald scored two, one short handed,  Taylor Haggerty PP had the game winner and Eli Neilsen on the PP ended any thoughts of a comeback later in the third..

Penalties were a thing in this game, the Riders went 2-8 and Kimberley 1-3. 

Kimberley spent lots of time head hunting and much to the dismay of their coaches they took most of the penalties and a few misconducts. 

A mere fraction of what could have been called. The Riders got away with some things as well.

Anyway game four is Tuesday March 7 here in Fernie

Round the League

Creston and BV did not play yesterday, they are tied 1-1 and play tonight.

North Okanagan 3 @ Princeton 7 Former Rider Dayton Nelson scored 2 as did Ty Russell and Princeton now leads the series 3-0.

In Sicamous Revelstoke’s Luke Aston scored in the second OT for a 5-4 win and the Grizzlies now have a 3-0 series lead.

Ghostriders lead Kimberley 2-0 and return home on Monday and Tuesday March 6&7

Game two : Fernie 5 @ Kimberley 3

A much different Kimberley team showed up on Saturday and the game was still up for grabs until midway through the third when the Riders Ethan MacDuff scored what would turn out to be the game winning goal.

Games three and four are here in Fernie Monday and Tuesday March 6&7

The First

The Ghostriders got off to a good start when Jarod Sigouin from Ethan MacDuff scored on the power play just 2:10 into the game. Then a few minutes later Gaege Johnson from Lucas Desjarlais and Jack Karpyshyn gave the Riders a 2-0 lead.

But Kimberley came to play and they battled back and Jake Watson and Kasey Miller on the power play scored goals and the first period ended with the two teams tied at 2-2.

In the second

Kimberley’s Cash Regan scored the only goal and the period ended with Kimberley ahead 3-2.

In the third period

 

Lucas Desjarlais scored to tie the game six minutes in then halfway through the period Ethan MacDuff from Taylor Haggerty scored what would turn out to be the game winning goal. 

Ethan MacDuff finished off the Nitros when he scored the insurance goal into the empty net in the last minute for a 5-3 Rider win and 2-0 series lead.

Aiden Kruhlak earned his money in Saturday’s game, Kimberley was a much more determined team and Kruhlak had to have a big game to get the win.

Trystan Self was in net for the Nitros and the shots were even at 30 each.  

Attendance  896

Round’ the League

The winner of the Fernie - Kimberley series will have home ice against the winner of Creston BV 

Creston 1 @ Beaver Valley 4 

BV’s  Ollie Clement scored two of BV’s 3 PP goals, (his 4th and 5th) and the  Hawks have tied the series up at 1-1.

North Oak 0 @ Princeton 4

The Possy outshot the Knights 47-27, had 2 PP goals and Peyton Trzaska had the shutout  they now lead their series 2-0 

Sicamous 2 @ Revelstoke 5

Daniel Wittenberg scored a pair of goals and Revelstoke now has a 2-0 series lead.

Fernie wins game one 4-0 in Kimberley

The Ghostriders won game one in Kimberley 4-0.

The Rider’s Eli Neilsen from Kort Kisinger scored early in the first period on the power play.

In the second period Liam Fitzgerald scored one unassisted then Cole Fournier from Kort Kisinger and Jarod Sigouin gave the Riders a 3-0 lead.

In the third period Kort Kisinger from Scott Sinclair and Eli Neilsen finished up the scoring and the Riders ended the game with a 4-0 win.

Fernie kept the Dynamiters to the outside most of the night and killed off three Nitro power plays. Both Trystan Self and Matt Fleet played in the Nitro net 

Aiden Kruhlak didn’t have to stop very many grade A chances but he was tested a few times and came up big and got the shutout.

Kort Kisinger had a goal and two assists and D man Eli Neilsen had a goal and an assist.

The shots were 29-27 Kimberley and the attendance was 1084

Round’ the League

Creston’s Parker Forest stopped 49 of 52 Beaver Valley shots, Blake Anderson had 2 goals and the Thunder Cats won 4-3 on the road in BV.

In Revelstoke the Grizz outshot Sicamous 46-25, scored short handed, on the power play and into the empty net for 3-1 win.

In Princeton the first place overall Possy needed overtime for a 3-2 win over the North Okanagan Knights. Brayden Bablitz scored the OT winner and Dayton Nelson had two assists.

Trzaska Peyton had the W in net.

 Trzaska Peyton had the W in net.