Ghostrider Notebook, and a few other things

Friday's Game

The Ghostriders play the Kimberley Dynamiters this Friday in game four of their eight game regular season series. After a 6-4 win last Saturday the Riders have a 2-1 record against the Nitro’s. 

There were several really great quality goals by both teams last week and it was a great show, I expect the same again this week. Kimberley was rattled by the middle of the third but I bet they will be coached on how to handle the hysterics  this week.

Kimberley's top scorer from Cranbrook just turned 17,  Korbyn Chabot, (scored 1 last Saturday)  has18 goals and was leading the KIJHL in goals scored after last weekend. Their Head Coach is Derek Stuart, he played with the Nitro’s back in the 1990’s and has seen the hysterics and more from the old RMJHL days when every team had a line of thugs.... it just seems a few years ago I was watching most of their coaching staff on the ice as players. 

A hockey minded parent (Darwin Sincennes) brought this up to me last week...and I added my 2cents as well.... After a 6 game win streak where the win was certain and the pressure was off by the third and sometimes even after the first period, the boys played pretty well getting back up to full speed and going 1-1 against the Division's top two teams.

Ghostrider Notebook

Trevor Broad scored what turned out to be the game winning goal last Saturday, it was his first of the year and he was named as the Tim Horton’s Player of the Week for his efforts.

Aidan Wilson had a slow start and has been under the radar a bit this season but he scored in both games last weekend (the two tough games) and has 5 goals in his last 6 games.

Tayler Sincennes'  shorthanded goal last Saturday tied the game at 2-2 and tied him with Ryan Kennedy (at 2 ) in shorthanded goals.

Brandon Butler played both games in the Rider net last week losing 5-2 (1 empty net goal) in Creston but bouncing back and winning 6-4 vs Kimberley.

Devin Nemes scored his first goal last Saturday, for those who don't remember last weekend...after the Grey Cup...he was in Beaver Valley earlier this year.

With 9 goals and 3 assists sharpshooter Justin Peers was named as the Boston Pizza Player of the Month for November.

Round the League

The Kelowna Chiefs Twitter was chirping about how they have the most Penalty Minutes in the KIJHL and are proud of it...a quick look at their roster also shows their Top Scorer Brett Witala has 17 goals and 39 points in 23 games... and he  leads his team in PIM with 132. Well you just gotta like that a lot, like a lot ... Old time hockey !

There are a lot of different things that go into building a winning team and with 40 points and a first overall ranking Creston has done a pretty good job of it. For various reasons Cat Coach and Cyclone Tayler host team GM Jeff Dubois did some of what turned out to be major juggling this summer bringing in a few guys and moving a few out... not the least of which was the aforementioned Witala to Kelowna and Logan Styler to Castlegar. Both players are in the top three in KIJHL scoring as we speak, and Creston is still in first place. If you can shed top guns and still be a first place team... you probably know what you're doin.

KelownaChiefs ‏@KelownaChiefs  Nov 25

Infamous stat of the night: The Chiefs have hit the 1000 PIMs mark 1st in the @KIJHL. By alot. Like ALOT!

0 replies5 retweets12 likes

The Eddie Mountain Break Dance

Kimberley 4 @ Fernie 6

The game was tied at 3 part way through the third when Aidan Wilson scored the go ahead goal but then Nitro Ketola scored on the PP to tie it a 4. A few minutes later D man Trevor Broad saved the day when he scored his first of the season and it turned out to be the game winner. Ty Abbott scored the insurance goal after that giving the Riders the win.

Six Riders scored and both teams scored a power play goal. Tayler Sincennes' goal that tied the game at 2 in the second was scored shorthanded. New Rider Devin Nemes scored his first as a Rider on the PP in the first. Mitch Titus scored the other Rider goal.
Brandon Butler had the win in net and the shots were 35-25 Kimberley.
Four Nitro's scored and Mitch Traichevich took the loss in the KD net.

A few PIM in the second period, click on the score at the top to see. A few of the goals by both teams were great lookin goals.

With the win Fernie is 3 behind Kimberley for second place... but both teams are well behind...

Creston 6 @ Spokane 1

Creston outshot Spokane 67-23 and Brock Lefebvre only had to stop 22 for the W. Six different Cats scored as well.

Beaver Valley 3 @ Columbia Valley 2

BV got their 15th win in a row when Kyle Hope scored in the third on the PP.  Tallon Kramer had the win in the BV net

Will McCreight was great in CVR net stopping 45 giving his team a chance to win. 
But it won't matter that much to the Rockies who are in 4th place cause...

Golden 0 @ Castlegar 7

The Rebels fired 52 shots at Russian Katsnelson keeping him dancing all night long while Curt Doyle languished in a lawn chair stopping 12 for the shutout. It was their 9th W in a row. They just can't catch them Hawks who have a 15 gamer goin.

The Eddie Mountain Break Dance

Fernie 2 @ Creston 5

Creston scored the first 3 goals and were leading 3-0 in the second before the Rider's Tristan Downe scored his first of the year on the power play.

Creston's Brodie Smith scored his second goal in the third then Aidan Wilson scored for the Riders to make it a 4-2 game. 
Late in the third the aforementioned Smith scored into the empty net for the hat  trick sealing the deal for the Cats.

The Riders actually out shot Creston 36-31but Brock Lefebvre held Fernie to two goals. Brandon Butler was in the Rider net in the loss.

Fernie was 1-4 and Creston 1-3 on the power play.

The Riders lost ground on Kimberley (who they play here in Fernie Saturday the 26th) because...

Columbia Valley 2 @ Kimberley 8

Kimberley scored early and lots in their lopsided home ice win and they went 2-3 on the PP.
Nick Ketola and Ryan Hozjan each had 2G 1A and Mitch Traichevich had the win in net.

Kimberley with 34 points are 4 behind Creston but 5 up on the Riders.




It won't matter for the Rockies because ...

Beaver Valley 10 @ Golden 3 
BV got their 14th win in a row, the winner of the Eddie Mountain Division will likely face the Hawks in the third round of the playoffs... but the Rebels may have something to say about that with an 8 game win streak going... tomorrow they host Golden while BV travels to Invermere.


In other news Kamloops lost 9-5 in Kelowna Friday, 
Brett Witala lit it up scoring 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 points. Beauty...

Ghostrider Notebook... and a few other things

The Ghostriders won both of their games last week, 9-1 on the road in Invermere and 9-2 vs the last place Golden Rockets here in Fernie last Saturday and have now won 6 in a row. 

But life will get decidedly harder in the next couple of days, the boys play the first place  Thunder Cats in Creston Friday then they get the second place Dynamiters right here in Fernie Saturday at 7:30. 

Ghostrider Notebook

Justin Peers scored 3 Friday 1 Saturday and has had nine goals and 2 assists in his last four games. He is also averaging 1.3 points a game, exactly the same as last season, but he's scoring more goals.

Mitch Titus continues to lead the Riders in scoring with 30 points... and with 11 goals, he has now matched the 11 he scored last season, in 30 less games.

In the 9-2 win vs Golden 15 players had at least a point and 9 different guys scored. A team effort !

Mike Dyck has been moved to the Columbia Valley Rockies. Dyck may turn out to be a great deal for the goal challenged Rockies. He has shown flashes here in Fernie and could develop. A couple of reasons for that move.

#1/ all teams have to get down to a total of 25 players and  cards December 1st. The Riders are at 23 now, meaning they can bring in two more players. But January 1st they will have to get back down to 23. 

So keep an eye on the KI transactions, at least if the GM's decide to post their moves.Several teams have too many guys and at the same time have high hopes they'll get one of the many Jr A cuts. Buy a rabbit's foot or something.

#2/ Last season Rider GM Craig Mohr brought in Coleton Dawson from Beaver Valley and the 20 year old had 14 points and 59 PIM in 18 games. This year Mohr is bringing in Devin Nemes from BV, he is 20 and has the potential to be a point a game guy after picking up 38 points in 49 games last season.  Coach Mohr "He's a big strong power forward and a player I know well from his Midget days, and he  knows a few of our guys as well so should fit in".

After missing a few games with an injury Tayler Sincennes was back in the lineup last week, the 20 year old had a goal and an assist in the two games.

Riley Siebel had his first junior hat-trick last Friday and was named as the Tim Hortons Player of the Week.

Matt Rogers scored his first junior goal last Friday and had an assist Saturday, he is the McDonald's Practice Player of the Week.

Nolan Lagace is still day to day with an injury but Kyle Haugo is a hugo this weekend. 

The Riders are # 4 in power play goals scored with 28, Osoyoos is first with 34.


I found this in the Fernie Free Press last week...I'm gonna nominate him for the George Majic "Spiritus Award" 


Round the League

The Princeton Posse have relieved Head Coach Geoff Goodman and AC Lance Vaillancourt of their duties and now Mark McNaughton who was the Director of Hockey Operations is the "guy" in Princeton. That is the second HC to get the axe, earlier in the year Sicamous relieved Ty Davidson who was with Golden for several years but left because he wanted to be closer to home ... You just never know.

I asked a few coaches to comment on this but they declined. A College in Nanimo says they want to put  BCIHL team  in Namimo next season. Press Release can be seen here 

The BCIHL is a College league that uses among others several graduated KIJHL  players. It gives our guys a place to go to school and still play hockey after Jr. 

The only reason I bring this up is because of the Fernie connection. Former Rider and NHL goalie David LeNeveu is one of the owners of the Nanimo Jr A Clippers. The Jr B Rebels attendance took a beating when the BCIHL's Selkirk Saints moved into Castlegar... So I can't imagine the Clippers, who have outrageous operating expenses compared to Jr B are very happy right now...but Im sure their public response will be everything is roses.  I don't believe it for a second... there is only so much money for entertainment.  But if I lived in Nanimo, I, without a doubt, would keep on attending the Clipper games.

The Rocky Mountain Breakdance

Golden 2 @ Fernie 9

Well no one was hoggin the points Saturday night here in Fernie.... nine different Riders got in on the goals and fifteen guys had at least a point.  Brandon Youngson Stopped 18 in the Rider net for the Ghost's 6th win in a row.
Justin Peers, Joey Stensland,Ty Carron,Mitch Titus, Ben Sushkovsky and Alex Cheveldave all had multi point games. The shots were 52-20 FGR

The gap in the standings between Kimberley and Fernie remains at  three because...

Grand Forks 2 @ Kimberley 7

Six different Nitro's scored and Franco Colapaolo picked up  2G 1A in the win, Cody Campbell was in the KD net. The shots were 45-26 KD and the PP's KD 1-4 GF 1-6.

Meanwhile back at the Cat house...

Castlegar 6 @ Creston 3  

The Rebels prove to the world that their recent six game win streak was no fluke as they beat the Thunder Cats 6-3 in Creston for their seventh in a row... not the score I anticipated, or that Creston did I'd bet.
Nico Sidoni scored what would turn out to be the game winner in the second after Creston was up 3-2 at the end of the first. John Moeller had 2G 2A  and the Rebels outshot Creston 43-29. Jason Mailhiot had the win in net beating Brock Lefebvre in the CVT net.
PP's CR 2-5 CVT 0-5

The Creston loss allowed Kimbo and Fernie to inch a little closer to the Cats but they still have 2 points on KD and 5 on the FGR

The Rockies with seven points on Golden have pretty much sealed up  a playoff spot with their...
7-4 win over the Nelson Leafs Saturday.

Ryan Skytt (2G) scored the game winner shorthanded and Connor McKay had the win in net. Nick Wihak had 3 assists as well while former Nitro Sawyer Hunt had a goal and 2 assist for Nelson.

The Eddie Mountain Breakdown

Fernie 9 @ Columbia Valley 1

Justin Peers and Riley Siebel each had a hat-trick while  Ty Abbott, Mitch Titus, and Matt Rogers with his first on the year added singles.
Brandon Butler had the win in net only allowing 1 goal late in the third.
The shots were 46-24 for the Riders who also went 3-9 on the power play. CVR was 0-4.

The big big battle for first Friday wasn't much of a battle either ...

Kimberley 2 @ Creston 7

Seven different Thunder Cats scored and they also outshot Kimberley 36-26.

Nelson 4 @ Golden 0

Jason Sandhu got the shutout and 4 Leafs scored.

The Creston win gives them a 4 point lead on Kimberley while Fernie is now only 3 points behind the Nitro's. Meanwhile Golden remains 5 back of the Rockies for the final playoff spot.



The other game of note that keen KIJHL watchers was interested in was in that other Conference between two of the best teams but it was another blowout.
Osoyoos 7 @ Chase 7-2. A blowout was not expected between two 30 point teams.

The Panger turns 80-and gets 2 min for looking so good