Welcome to February!! Its the last month of the KIJHL regular season and Beaver Valley kicks it off with a visit from their nemesis, Castlegar Rebels, and a chance at clinching the Neil Murdoch Division title for the first time since 2006!
Game 7 of the season series was nothing short of heart-stopping! It takes all I have to NOT just jump to the juicy details that brought this game to a soul churning climax. Instead, I will muddle through as best I can without getting too far ahead of myself. :)
Once again, BV lunges out to an early lead that has been something of a hallmark for them as of late. Justin Niminiken put home a Mason Spear offering :54 seconds into the game to give BV that customary early lead. Nitehawks have scored first in 11 of their last 12, with 5 of those within the first 1:30 of the game(only happened 2 other times all season). Interestingly, it was Niminiken that scored the opening goal in the LAST game vs the Rebels as well, also in the first minute(:56). BV went on to win that one 7-3. A mysterious bench minor for the Nitehawks would materialize less than 2 mins later and Castlegar made no mistake about making it count. Riley Henderson collected the garbage lying in the crease and tied the game 4 mins in. Two more BV penalties and a Rebel 4 min high-stick got us through the rest of the period with both team knotted at 1.
The first half of the second was uneventful with both team playing with emotion considering what was at stake. Dallas Calvin broke the back and forth action with an unassisted wrister on the power play over a cowering Beauchamp at 11:49 to give the Nitehawks their 2nd lead of the night. Craig Martin (The Phenom) added some insurance 3 minutes later and the crowd is jubilant! More penalties, and once again Castlegar make good on it with Scott Morisseau pulling the Rebels to within 1 after 40 minutes.
With a 3-2 lead starting the 3rd, Beaver Valley came out with a purpose. Coining a Bieksa phrase "Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots!". Thats what the Nitehawks sent towards the Rebel goal, but the CG defense blocked a boat-load of them and more. Furious action at both ends with both goalies making fabulous stops. Fraser Stang and Cody Disher locked horns in a decent battle with Stang coming out on top in my books. Disher was probably trying to pull another player with him as he was already slated to sit for roughing prior to the fight, ref saw through it and BV got the pp. In the last minute of the game, Castlegar did, once again, what they have done in the 2 of the last 3 games between these two, they scored in the last minute of play to tie it. This time it was Anthony Delong with the bank-shot off Vlanich from behind the net with :36 left. Both of those previous games ended with OT goals by CG.
Five minutes of 4-on-4 OT would solve nothing so off to 5 minutes of 3-on-3. Visions of OT's past vs CG screamed through my head as I watched Rebel after Rebel after Rebel find themselves wide open moving in on Vlanich only to have him turn them aside time and again! FINALLY, at 1:34 of the 2nd OT, fate found the "Spark Plug" Christian Johnson alone with the puck facing off with Beauchamp and, unlike the aforementioned failed attempts by CG, he made NO mistake with the Rebel minder flopping like a fish and found the back of the net to send the barn into an unbelievable uproar.
Game Stars:
BV - Mike Vlanich - rightfully so as he made some unbelievable saves in OT!!
BV - Ryan Edwards 1A
BV - Christian Johnson 1G
This was a hard fought win for BV and although with the single point to CG that didnt allow the clinch tonight, they need only to acquire 1 more point over the last 5 games, or have the Rebels drop a point, to clinch the division AND the conference. Kamloops lost tonight in OT as well, so BV now only needs 5 points or have Kamloops drop 5 to claim their first League title since 2004.
I overheard some CG fans following the game saying that the Rebels "outplayed" the Nitehawks. Well, lets address that shall we?
Outhit - Yes, I think Castlegar was more physical and surely won the hit count.
Outshot - On paper? Yes. BV put more rubber towards the Rebel net, but most were blocked.
Outplayed - No, but then neither did BV outplay CG. It was a close game that could have gone either way. Puck control favored BV as they are more methodical, while CG attacks mercilessly with or without the puck.
A little bit on the officiating. Early on I was mentally preparing to explode on the refs here as the stuff they were NOT calling specifically on Castlegar was ridiculous. But as the game progressed, things balanced out as he allowed some blatant infractions to slide in favor of BV as well. This of course incensed the Rebels crowd sitting down in front of me. Seeing that the ref was indeed evening things out, I changed my perspective on him and allowed him to escape the wrath.
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Postgame: Bruins - 1 Nitehawks - 16
This was NOT a game, it was a slaughter. I'll be frank here, Grand Forks was horrid. On the plus side, our Nitehawks played with confidence and purpose. When asked after 20 minutes if they were going to slow down, "No!" was the answer. And why should they? Just because the opposition is either lacking the talent, or the coaching, to keep up, why should they lower their play to that level?
Even though it was a sad sight to watch and I actually felt bad for Dylan Quinn who was put in goal after BV scored 8 on starter Jeremy Mandoli in the first period. Quinn made some very nice saves throughout the second and the third. His play and more posts than I could count, are truly the reason that it wasnt 20+ goals for BV.
I'm going to slip away from the normal format here as it will take just way, way too long to get through it all.
Three Nitehawks got hat-tricks on the night: Christian Johnson(4), Craig Martin(3), and Dallas Calvin(3). Johnson missed on a penalty shot in the 3rd. AP call-up, Jake Lucchini had himself 3 assist on the night as well. The stretch pass was utilized to an extreme tonight as BV had break after break after break. Collins, Perez, Derochie, Edwards(2), and Niminiken were the other goal scorers for the Nitehawks while Brendan Lee scored the only goal for Grand Forks.
Game Stars:
BV - Christian Johnson 4G, 1A
BV - Arie Postmus 2A
BV - Derek Lashuk 2A
For the 2nd game in a row, BV has had E.Dasti as a ref, and for the 2nd game in a row, there were few penalties on both sides. Yes, he let stuff go, but it was both ways. Thats the way it should be.
Even though it was a sad sight to watch and I actually felt bad for Dylan Quinn who was put in goal after BV scored 8 on starter Jeremy Mandoli in the first period. Quinn made some very nice saves throughout the second and the third. His play and more posts than I could count, are truly the reason that it wasnt 20+ goals for BV.
I'm going to slip away from the normal format here as it will take just way, way too long to get through it all.
Three Nitehawks got hat-tricks on the night: Christian Johnson(4), Craig Martin(3), and Dallas Calvin(3). Johnson missed on a penalty shot in the 3rd. AP call-up, Jake Lucchini had himself 3 assist on the night as well. The stretch pass was utilized to an extreme tonight as BV had break after break after break. Collins, Perez, Derochie, Edwards(2), and Niminiken were the other goal scorers for the Nitehawks while Brendan Lee scored the only goal for Grand Forks.
Game Stars:
BV - Christian Johnson 4G, 1A
BV - Arie Postmus 2A
BV - Derek Lashuk 2A
For the 2nd game in a row, BV has had E.Dasti as a ref, and for the 2nd game in a row, there were few penalties on both sides. Yes, he let stuff go, but it was both ways. Thats the way it should be.
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Postgame: Nitehawks - 7 Rebels - 3
Game 6 of 8 between Castlegar and Beaver Valley was extremely important as CG held a 4-1 season series lead and if BV wanted to have any chance of tying the series (possibly important come playoff time), tonight was it.
In their 3rd game in 3 nights, I half expected to see slow legs to start this game. I couldnt have been further from the truth! BV came out with jump and speed from the opening faceoff, wasting no time in their assault on the Rebel goal. Justin Niminiken took just 56 seconds to quiet the home crowd and give BV the lead. As expected, it was a rough game and penalties were taken. Niminiken made CG pay for their sins just under 6 mins in, and the Nitehawks jumped out to a lead that the Rebels just havent allowed in the last 12 games. BV would take that 2-goal lead into the break.
True to his first period form, and improving on it a bit, Niminiken took just 47 seconds this time and suddenly BV has a 3 goal lead that has the Castlegar crowd dead quiet (well, their side at least). Again, Rebels take penalties, and again, Niminiken makes them pay! With his 4th goal, not just on the night, but in a row, Nims gives BV a 4-goal lead. Cue the battle! An unbelievable fight at center ice between Josh Peters and Braydon Horcoff that lasted close to a minute. This was no wrestling match, it was fist pumping action the whole time! Peters got the jump early on and was serving samiches furiously, but Horcoff hung in there and served some of his own near the end. Even though I'm biased, I still have to call this a draw as it was entertaining as hell! More CG penalties and guess who?....no, NOT Nims lol (would have been cool though eh?)...this time it was Derek Lashuk with a rocket from the point, again on the pp and Nitehawk fans are losing it in the stands with a unprecedented 5-0 lead on the Rebels still a minute and a half shy of the halfway point of the second! With a lead like that, what team doesnt slide into protect mode? BV owned the first 30 minutes of this game, but took a step back after the 5th goal and allowed CG to start pressing. 'Big" Mike Vlanich held steady turning away all shots until a squeaker got past him with 1:33 remaining in the second and the Rebels on the pp. OK, 5-1, still pretty good. No, wait, 5-2.....what? With 5 seconds left, Robinson pulled a puck wide on a rebound and wristed it past Vlanich to give CG the momentum heading into the third.
Castlegar carried that momentum and pushed. BV bent, but did not break. Vlanich made some saves are truly HON candidates! Bryan Hinchcliffe hushed the CG faithfuls with almost 8 mins to go and the Ryan Edwards shut them up completely just 34 seconds after and suddenly its 7-2 BV! Brantley Schapansky and Nolan Kinney (apologies for the mix-up on twitter) dropped gloves off the ensuing face-off and it was over before i finished tweeting the previous goal. One punch and Kinney was licking snow. Things started getting a bit chippy nearer the end, but Ref Dasti kept control and removed the culprits. Just like the end of the second, Robinson scored with only seconds remaining to make the final score 7-3 BV.
Game Stars: for some reason, they are never chosen in CG, so I will chose my own.
BV - Justin Niminiken 4G 1A
BV - Mason Spear 3A
BV - Mike Vlanich
Yesterday was Justin Niminiken's birthday, so I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY and congratulations on your first career hat-trick (and 4-goal game)(make sure he reads this boys)!! With the win, the Nitehawks snapped a 12-game Rebel win streak, and a 4-game losing streak TO the Rebels themselves. Next game is at home on Tuesday, January 24th at 7pm when we host the ever threatening Grand Forks Border Bruins!!
I wont go into anything regarding officiating, as I believed tonight to be a very well handled affair. I do, however, believe that the KIJHL needs to look into the possibility of a 2-ref system to help eliminate the animosity that is being created with the crowds. Across the league, game attendance is dropping and many pbp guys and analysts that ive spoken with attribute it in part to poor officiating. Just some food for thought for any league officials that may happen to read this :)
In their 3rd game in 3 nights, I half expected to see slow legs to start this game. I couldnt have been further from the truth! BV came out with jump and speed from the opening faceoff, wasting no time in their assault on the Rebel goal. Justin Niminiken took just 56 seconds to quiet the home crowd and give BV the lead. As expected, it was a rough game and penalties were taken. Niminiken made CG pay for their sins just under 6 mins in, and the Nitehawks jumped out to a lead that the Rebels just havent allowed in the last 12 games. BV would take that 2-goal lead into the break.
True to his first period form, and improving on it a bit, Niminiken took just 47 seconds this time and suddenly BV has a 3 goal lead that has the Castlegar crowd dead quiet (well, their side at least). Again, Rebels take penalties, and again, Niminiken makes them pay! With his 4th goal, not just on the night, but in a row, Nims gives BV a 4-goal lead. Cue the battle! An unbelievable fight at center ice between Josh Peters and Braydon Horcoff that lasted close to a minute. This was no wrestling match, it was fist pumping action the whole time! Peters got the jump early on and was serving samiches furiously, but Horcoff hung in there and served some of his own near the end. Even though I'm biased, I still have to call this a draw as it was entertaining as hell! More CG penalties and guess who?....no, NOT Nims lol (would have been cool though eh?)...this time it was Derek Lashuk with a rocket from the point, again on the pp and Nitehawk fans are losing it in the stands with a unprecedented 5-0 lead on the Rebels still a minute and a half shy of the halfway point of the second! With a lead like that, what team doesnt slide into protect mode? BV owned the first 30 minutes of this game, but took a step back after the 5th goal and allowed CG to start pressing. 'Big" Mike Vlanich held steady turning away all shots until a squeaker got past him with 1:33 remaining in the second and the Rebels on the pp. OK, 5-1, still pretty good. No, wait, 5-2.....what? With 5 seconds left, Robinson pulled a puck wide on a rebound and wristed it past Vlanich to give CG the momentum heading into the third.
Castlegar carried that momentum and pushed. BV bent, but did not break. Vlanich made some saves are truly HON candidates! Bryan Hinchcliffe hushed the CG faithfuls with almost 8 mins to go and the Ryan Edwards shut them up completely just 34 seconds after and suddenly its 7-2 BV! Brantley Schapansky and Nolan Kinney (apologies for the mix-up on twitter) dropped gloves off the ensuing face-off and it was over before i finished tweeting the previous goal. One punch and Kinney was licking snow. Things started getting a bit chippy nearer the end, but Ref Dasti kept control and removed the culprits. Just like the end of the second, Robinson scored with only seconds remaining to make the final score 7-3 BV.
Game Stars: for some reason, they are never chosen in CG, so I will chose my own.
BV - Justin Niminiken 4G 1A
BV - Mason Spear 3A
BV - Mike Vlanich
Yesterday was Justin Niminiken's birthday, so I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY and congratulations on your first career hat-trick (and 4-goal game)(make sure he reads this boys)!! With the win, the Nitehawks snapped a 12-game Rebel win streak, and a 4-game losing streak TO the Rebels themselves. Next game is at home on Tuesday, January 24th at 7pm when we host the ever threatening Grand Forks Border Bruins!!
I wont go into anything regarding officiating, as I believed tonight to be a very well handled affair. I do, however, believe that the KIJHL needs to look into the possibility of a 2-ref system to help eliminate the animosity that is being created with the crowds. Across the league, game attendance is dropping and many pbp guys and analysts that ive spoken with attribute it in part to poor officiating. Just some food for thought for any league officials that may happen to read this :)
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Postgame: Nitehawks - 4 Chiefs - 0
It was a much better outing for Beaver Valley on all accounts. They did start the 1st very rough, but managed to pick things up and kept it throughout the rest of the game. Defensively, turn-overs were still an issue but they kept things on the outside and what did manage to sneak in front of Perehudoff was quickly dealt with.
D-man, Arie Postmus, got things rolling on a high slapper that managed to see its way through a crowd and past a surprised O'Donnell to make it 1-0 BV under 5 mins in. Craig Martin scored his 38th of the year on the PP to put BV up 2-0 at 7:55. Nitehawks third goal was announced as scored by Tyler Collins, but as he was sitting on the bench, and I SAW Mason Spear put the puck high glove side, Im going to go with that theory. BV took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, but trailed in shots 11-10.
Kelowna received the only 3 penalties of the first, as so BV started the second with 3 of their own. Chris Derochie got the 4th and final goal for the Nitehawks just before mid-period and thats when the school bus started loosing its wheels for the Chiefs. Once again, and for the second straight night, BV opponents lost their verbal composure. In the final minute of the second, Brendan Jost took a hooking call. It was a legit call by all standards, but Jordan Salahort did not think so and upon voicing his opinion, received a 10min misconduct. Kyle Clerke then takes a X-Checking sin with 31 secs left and things are not boding well for the Chiefs. Luckily, nothing else happens and BV takes a 4-0 lead into the 2nd int.
The 15-min break between period period allowed time for tempers to cool as we we made it an entire 10:25 into the 3rd before all hell broke loose. A hit behind the BV goal resulted in a retaliation by 2 Chiefs which in turn brought in all the players on the ice. The hit was hard, but legal. Kelowna was thoroughly frustrated at that point and so needed very little to boil over and thats pretty much what happened. Now usually, I am berating the officiating at this point for NOT keeping control of the game, but I felt he did a very good job of that in this one, more on that later. In this case, he tossed the whole lot. All 10 players involved, were sent to their rooms. Calvin, Boyczuk, Stang, McKinnon, Hikari(KC), McDougall(KC) received 10min misconducts. Andrusiak(KC) got 10 and 2 for roughing, Collins got 10 and a game, Renner(KC) got 5 for fighting and a game, Salahor(KC) got 10 and a game. Oddly, Salahor had JUST been back barely 28 seconds from his previous misconduct. Net result, after over 121 minutes in penalties called in that single play, was a 2 min pp for BV on the original retaliation. This just fueled the fire as Kelowna took 3 more penalties within a 5 min span causing more verbal abuse to the officials by players. Bamber and Hill were also escorted off with game misconducts. It was good the game was close to over at that point as the Chiefs bench was very empty.
There was no scoring in the third, but that was due to a brilliant show of skill by Tyler O'Donnell. He is truly the reason it wasnt 8-0 and, in my eyes, deserved a spot in the 3 stars. Zack Perehudoff mad the save of the night in the final minute off Kelowna's scoring leader Dane Rupert on a clean break-away from the blueline to keep his shut-out bid intact as BV cruises to a 4-0 win.
Game Stars:
BV - Chris Derochie 1G 2A
BV - Zach Perehudoff 27 save SO(5th career)
BV - Craig Martin 1G 1A
As mentioned before, the officiating in this game was a far cry from the night previous. He allowed the boys to play and called those that warranted calling. In many an instance, he either called both teams or neither at all for simultaneous infractions, which got the goat of many a fan. I myself even caught myself a few times before realizing what he was doing and changed how I responded to his calls. For the majority of the game, the calls were fair. The only reason things became UNFAIR, was because of the verbal abuse received by the Kelowna players. At that point, I didnt blame him one bit for not standing for it and doing what was in his legal right as a referee and to remove the abusive parties from the game. My mother, whom I had taken to last nights debacle in Summerland, was much more impressed with the officiating but stated she was "...embarrassed to say I am from Kelowna after listening to how those players treated the ref.." Now, this boils down to respect. If she heard what they were saying 8 rows up ( and she asks me to repeat alot when we speak), then how many more people in that arena heard it?
D-man, Arie Postmus, got things rolling on a high slapper that managed to see its way through a crowd and past a surprised O'Donnell to make it 1-0 BV under 5 mins in. Craig Martin scored his 38th of the year on the PP to put BV up 2-0 at 7:55. Nitehawks third goal was announced as scored by Tyler Collins, but as he was sitting on the bench, and I SAW Mason Spear put the puck high glove side, Im going to go with that theory. BV took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, but trailed in shots 11-10.
Kelowna received the only 3 penalties of the first, as so BV started the second with 3 of their own. Chris Derochie got the 4th and final goal for the Nitehawks just before mid-period and thats when the school bus started loosing its wheels for the Chiefs. Once again, and for the second straight night, BV opponents lost their verbal composure. In the final minute of the second, Brendan Jost took a hooking call. It was a legit call by all standards, but Jordan Salahort did not think so and upon voicing his opinion, received a 10min misconduct. Kyle Clerke then takes a X-Checking sin with 31 secs left and things are not boding well for the Chiefs. Luckily, nothing else happens and BV takes a 4-0 lead into the 2nd int.
The 15-min break between period period allowed time for tempers to cool as we we made it an entire 10:25 into the 3rd before all hell broke loose. A hit behind the BV goal resulted in a retaliation by 2 Chiefs which in turn brought in all the players on the ice. The hit was hard, but legal. Kelowna was thoroughly frustrated at that point and so needed very little to boil over and thats pretty much what happened. Now usually, I am berating the officiating at this point for NOT keeping control of the game, but I felt he did a very good job of that in this one, more on that later. In this case, he tossed the whole lot. All 10 players involved, were sent to their rooms. Calvin, Boyczuk, Stang, McKinnon, Hikari(KC), McDougall(KC) received 10min misconducts. Andrusiak(KC) got 10 and 2 for roughing, Collins got 10 and a game, Renner(KC) got 5 for fighting and a game, Salahor(KC) got 10 and a game. Oddly, Salahor had JUST been back barely 28 seconds from his previous misconduct. Net result, after over 121 minutes in penalties called in that single play, was a 2 min pp for BV on the original retaliation. This just fueled the fire as Kelowna took 3 more penalties within a 5 min span causing more verbal abuse to the officials by players. Bamber and Hill were also escorted off with game misconducts. It was good the game was close to over at that point as the Chiefs bench was very empty.
There was no scoring in the third, but that was due to a brilliant show of skill by Tyler O'Donnell. He is truly the reason it wasnt 8-0 and, in my eyes, deserved a spot in the 3 stars. Zack Perehudoff mad the save of the night in the final minute off Kelowna's scoring leader Dane Rupert on a clean break-away from the blueline to keep his shut-out bid intact as BV cruises to a 4-0 win.
Game Stars:
BV - Chris Derochie 1G 2A
BV - Zach Perehudoff 27 save SO(5th career)
BV - Craig Martin 1G 1A
As mentioned before, the officiating in this game was a far cry from the night previous. He allowed the boys to play and called those that warranted calling. In many an instance, he either called both teams or neither at all for simultaneous infractions, which got the goat of many a fan. I myself even caught myself a few times before realizing what he was doing and changed how I responded to his calls. For the majority of the game, the calls were fair. The only reason things became UNFAIR, was because of the verbal abuse received by the Kelowna players. At that point, I didnt blame him one bit for not standing for it and doing what was in his legal right as a referee and to remove the abusive parties from the game. My mother, whom I had taken to last nights debacle in Summerland, was much more impressed with the officiating but stated she was "...embarrassed to say I am from Kelowna after listening to how those players treated the ref.." Now, this boils down to respect. If she heard what they were saying 8 rows up ( and she asks me to repeat alot when we speak), then how many more people in that arena heard it?
Postgame: Nitehawks - 6 Steam - 5
I actually contemplated NOT writing this tonight as I dont have a whole lot of positive to comment on, but decided I need to get it over with and out of my system. For those of you that read and follow regularly, you will know my standpoint on the following already. Therefore this wont come as too much of a surprise. Please note: The follow statements are wholly my own and do not in any respect reflect the opinion of the Beaver Valley organization!
If the last game was the best I had seen, this was inexplicably the worst! I have seen bad officiating in my very short tenure on the KIJHL scene and come to regard this as a norm around the league and have been validated on many occasions with fans and coaches alike. This game took the cake and then ate it in front of everyone. While the penalty that WERE called were clearly penalties, it was what was allowed to go on long before the third rolled around, that set the tone. Many, many non-calls(both sides, but mainly on BV) were witnessed by the crowd which got the animosity started in the stands. If anyone has ever been to an emotional game, you will know that fan mood can effect player mood, especially if its frustrated and somewhat negative. This is what happened tonight and while BV managed to hold their composure, Summerland did not. This loss of composure led to several 10 minute misconducts for 'beaking' at the refs during breaks in play. The thing that made the whole fiasco more important was the fact that it was a CLOSE game! If it had have been a blow-out, then things could have been different. Enough....on to the game story....
Like I said, it was the worst game i have seen. And this time not from an officiating standpoint, but a gameplay one. BV was blatantly being outplayed by Summerland. I figured it was going to be just the first period jitters after a long drive, but it was game-long. The Steam deserved to win this game, hands down, but BV mustered just enough talent, combined with a shortened Summerland bench due to misconducts, to pull off the win.
The power play actually was a huge part of this game with BV going 4-for-11 and SS 3-for-6. 16-yr old phenom Craig Martin got things going with a ppg with just under 7 mins to go in the 1st. Not to be outdone, Gerry Hol pots 2 ppg's with under 4 mins left to give Summerland the 2-1 lead after one.
Nick Perez got one of the few regular strength goals at 5:01 of the 2nd to pull BV even at 2 and Tyler Collins got a ppg a minute and a half later to put the Nitehawks ahead. Ryan MacMurchy at 9:05 on the pp and Doug Chadwick at 17:39 regained the Steams lead before we are through 2.
Arie Postmus took just 18 seconds of the 3rd to bring BV back square with Summerland where it stayed until the penalty fiasco reared its ugly head and BV netted 2 ppgs from Derochie and Baines within a 1:10 span just past the midpoint of the period. Josh Spence, thankfully, scored 2 minutes later which defused an ugly fan situation in which I was in the center of (could have been ugly). Summerland pushed hard the last few minutes but were unable to get the puck to the net for the tying goal and BV held on for the win.
Game Stars:
BV - Craig Martin 1G 4A
SS - Gerry Hol 2G 1A
BV - Tyler Collins 1G 1A
The win aside, there was not many positives in this game. I had brought a close family member with me tonight who resides in Kelowna. I often speak to her about how well the Nitehawks are doing and how proud I am of the accomplishments they achieve on a nightly basis. While they managed to hold their composure at the end of the game and keep out of the box, they did not play like the team that hold court on any given night and deem their opponents unworthy.
I had the opportunity to speak with BV Head Coach Terry Jones after the game, and when asked about the officiating, he commented:" It was interesting! They(Summerland) deserved to win this game. I feel they outplayed us but in the end, they lost their composure , we didnt, and that had a big impact on the outcome."
Out of the line-up for tonights game, Dallas Calvin will be returning for tomorrows game against the Kelowna Chiefs in Kelowna.
If the last game was the best I had seen, this was inexplicably the worst! I have seen bad officiating in my very short tenure on the KIJHL scene and come to regard this as a norm around the league and have been validated on many occasions with fans and coaches alike. This game took the cake and then ate it in front of everyone. While the penalty that WERE called were clearly penalties, it was what was allowed to go on long before the third rolled around, that set the tone. Many, many non-calls(both sides, but mainly on BV) were witnessed by the crowd which got the animosity started in the stands. If anyone has ever been to an emotional game, you will know that fan mood can effect player mood, especially if its frustrated and somewhat negative. This is what happened tonight and while BV managed to hold their composure, Summerland did not. This loss of composure led to several 10 minute misconducts for 'beaking' at the refs during breaks in play. The thing that made the whole fiasco more important was the fact that it was a CLOSE game! If it had have been a blow-out, then things could have been different. Enough....on to the game story....
Like I said, it was the worst game i have seen. And this time not from an officiating standpoint, but a gameplay one. BV was blatantly being outplayed by Summerland. I figured it was going to be just the first period jitters after a long drive, but it was game-long. The Steam deserved to win this game, hands down, but BV mustered just enough talent, combined with a shortened Summerland bench due to misconducts, to pull off the win.
The power play actually was a huge part of this game with BV going 4-for-11 and SS 3-for-6. 16-yr old phenom Craig Martin got things going with a ppg with just under 7 mins to go in the 1st. Not to be outdone, Gerry Hol pots 2 ppg's with under 4 mins left to give Summerland the 2-1 lead after one.
Nick Perez got one of the few regular strength goals at 5:01 of the 2nd to pull BV even at 2 and Tyler Collins got a ppg a minute and a half later to put the Nitehawks ahead. Ryan MacMurchy at 9:05 on the pp and Doug Chadwick at 17:39 regained the Steams lead before we are through 2.
Arie Postmus took just 18 seconds of the 3rd to bring BV back square with Summerland where it stayed until the penalty fiasco reared its ugly head and BV netted 2 ppgs from Derochie and Baines within a 1:10 span just past the midpoint of the period. Josh Spence, thankfully, scored 2 minutes later which defused an ugly fan situation in which I was in the center of (could have been ugly). Summerland pushed hard the last few minutes but were unable to get the puck to the net for the tying goal and BV held on for the win.
Game Stars:
BV - Craig Martin 1G 4A
SS - Gerry Hol 2G 1A
BV - Tyler Collins 1G 1A
The win aside, there was not many positives in this game. I had brought a close family member with me tonight who resides in Kelowna. I often speak to her about how well the Nitehawks are doing and how proud I am of the accomplishments they achieve on a nightly basis. While they managed to hold their composure at the end of the game and keep out of the box, they did not play like the team that hold court on any given night and deem their opponents unworthy.
I had the opportunity to speak with BV Head Coach Terry Jones after the game, and when asked about the officiating, he commented:" It was interesting! They(Summerland) deserved to win this game. I feel they outplayed us but in the end, they lost their composure , we didnt, and that had a big impact on the outcome."
Out of the line-up for tonights game, Dallas Calvin will be returning for tomorrows game against the Kelowna Chiefs in Kelowna.
Friday, 20 January 2012
Rivalrys Abound....
I figured I should maybe get back to the last home game and the 2nd of two as part of the Nitehawks 30th anniversary weekend.
Castlegar Rebels - 3
BV Nitehawks - 2
It was by far and away THE best game that I have witnessed so far in the KIJHL. And that includes last years playoffs!! CG held the edge in play for the most part of the game, but only slightly, even though BV lead 1-0 and 2-1 after the 1st and 2nd respectively on a ppg from Johnson and a very nice shorty by Derochie late in the 2nd. CG got the only goal of the third with 14.4 seconds remaining with an empty net for the extra attacker to send it to OT.
After a fairly penalty liberal 1st, the 2nd and 3rd were relatively penalty free-ish with the ref letting the boys play and fully putting the whistle on the shelf just after the 10 min mark of period 3. Which leads me to an extremely weak and poorly timed "hooking" call just 17 secs into OT. The play was called because a Rebel stepped onto a Nitehawk stick and went down. OK, a penalty, sure Ill admit it. BUT, when soooo much was allowed to transpire late in the third, why was this suddenly called? CG made it count, getting the winner 1 minute in to win their 4th in a row against BV this season.
Game Stars
CG - Eric Alden 1G
BV - Chris Derochie 1G
BV - Ryan Edwards 1A
Castlegar Rebels - 3
BV Nitehawks - 2
It was by far and away THE best game that I have witnessed so far in the KIJHL. And that includes last years playoffs!! CG held the edge in play for the most part of the game, but only slightly, even though BV lead 1-0 and 2-1 after the 1st and 2nd respectively on a ppg from Johnson and a very nice shorty by Derochie late in the 2nd. CG got the only goal of the third with 14.4 seconds remaining with an empty net for the extra attacker to send it to OT.
After a fairly penalty liberal 1st, the 2nd and 3rd were relatively penalty free-ish with the ref letting the boys play and fully putting the whistle on the shelf just after the 10 min mark of period 3. Which leads me to an extremely weak and poorly timed "hooking" call just 17 secs into OT. The play was called because a Rebel stepped onto a Nitehawk stick and went down. OK, a penalty, sure Ill admit it. BUT, when soooo much was allowed to transpire late in the third, why was this suddenly called? CG made it count, getting the winner 1 minute in to win their 4th in a row against BV this season.
Game Stars
CG - Eric Alden 1G
BV - Chris Derochie 1G
BV - Ryan Edwards 1A
Friday, 13 January 2012
Postgame: Dynamiters - 3 Nitehawks - 6
First of all, I would like to apologize to each and every one of my readers. I know, as well as you know, that it is spelled "Nitehawks", NOT "Nighthawks" like I have been in the last few blog entries. I would LIKE to blame it on the rain, but being the middle of winter, I dont think that will fly. What I really must do, is try and stop performing the late night posts. Ya right! Thats gonna happen!! Since we are here anyway..........
A HUGE win for the home squad tonight!! Facing down a Kimberley team that has been surging until recently, Beaver Valley came to play!!
Kimberley has a well coached and, for the first period at least, a very disciplined team. The task at hand for BV was to try and stifle a solid offense along with breaking down a stingy defense. While the Nitehawks had several good controlling shifts in the first, they managed only 8 shots to the Nitros 13. Big Mike Vlanich was the story of the night with a few NHL quality saves in which he was cleanly beaten but still somehow managed to smother the beachball Kimberley was tossing his way. Mason Spear, who played 36 games with Kimberley before being traded to Fernie and then BACK to BV last season, scored the only goal of the first with 45 seconds remaining.
Nitehawks took that lead into the second where Ryan Edwards stunned the Nitro bench with a goal just 11 seconds in. After having nearly flawless discipline in the first, Kimberley takes its first penalty just over a minute into period 2. Justin Niminiken made them pay for it netting BV's 3rd goal 21 secs into the pp and just 1:25 into the second had a 3 goal lead. But they weren't done. With just over 7 mins to play in the second, Kimberley would take their 2nd penalty of the game, and BV would capitalize once again. This time Niminiken would feed Spear for his 2nd of the game. Hot Hot Hot Christian Johnson(9G-4A-13pts in last 5 games), who I believe should get a "most improved player" award for this season, made it 5-0 Nitehawks with 47 seconds left in the second to give BV a huge lead heading into the third.
Either it was a coaching decision(doubtful) or just the thought of a 5 goal lead, but the Nitehawks came out and played a highly defensive game for the third. The defense was absolutely stellar all game so there should have been no need to fear. Given the potent offense of Kimberley, I would have thought a defensive game should be saved for the final 5 mins or so, NOT the entire period! On goals by NOW league scoring leader Senate Patton, Jordan Revie(ppg) and Taylor McDowell(ppg), Kimberley climbed back into the game with plenty of time to draw even. This is when the Nitehawk defense sealed the holes and Big Mike shut the door with more saves to frustrate the Nitro forwards. Kimberley sealed their fate when, taking a penalty with just over a minute remaining, they pulled their goalie. Craig Martin would pot the empty-netter to ice the cake and blow out the fuses as BV sends Kimberley packing.
In case any are wondering, yes, the ref missed several calls, and called some that were a bit wishy-washy. Overall, the calls were made fairly to both sides which is the way it should be.
Game Stars:
BV - Mason Spear 2G 1A
BV - Christian Johnson 1G 2A
KD - Rylan Duley 1A
Tonight was opening night of the "Catch The Fever" weekend celebrating 30 years in the KIJHL for the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. Crowd size wasnt what we had hoped for, but there is still tomorrow nights game against the Castlegar Rebels. Game time is again 7:30. Volunteers are asked to show up at least 1 hour early to help get set up.
A HUGE win for the home squad tonight!! Facing down a Kimberley team that has been surging until recently, Beaver Valley came to play!!
Kimberley has a well coached and, for the first period at least, a very disciplined team. The task at hand for BV was to try and stifle a solid offense along with breaking down a stingy defense. While the Nitehawks had several good controlling shifts in the first, they managed only 8 shots to the Nitros 13. Big Mike Vlanich was the story of the night with a few NHL quality saves in which he was cleanly beaten but still somehow managed to smother the beachball Kimberley was tossing his way. Mason Spear, who played 36 games with Kimberley before being traded to Fernie and then BACK to BV last season, scored the only goal of the first with 45 seconds remaining.
Nitehawks took that lead into the second where Ryan Edwards stunned the Nitro bench with a goal just 11 seconds in. After having nearly flawless discipline in the first, Kimberley takes its first penalty just over a minute into period 2. Justin Niminiken made them pay for it netting BV's 3rd goal 21 secs into the pp and just 1:25 into the second had a 3 goal lead. But they weren't done. With just over 7 mins to play in the second, Kimberley would take their 2nd penalty of the game, and BV would capitalize once again. This time Niminiken would feed Spear for his 2nd of the game. Hot Hot Hot Christian Johnson(9G-4A-13pts in last 5 games), who I believe should get a "most improved player" award for this season, made it 5-0 Nitehawks with 47 seconds left in the second to give BV a huge lead heading into the third.
Either it was a coaching decision(doubtful) or just the thought of a 5 goal lead, but the Nitehawks came out and played a highly defensive game for the third. The defense was absolutely stellar all game so there should have been no need to fear. Given the potent offense of Kimberley, I would have thought a defensive game should be saved for the final 5 mins or so, NOT the entire period! On goals by NOW league scoring leader Senate Patton, Jordan Revie(ppg) and Taylor McDowell(ppg), Kimberley climbed back into the game with plenty of time to draw even. This is when the Nitehawk defense sealed the holes and Big Mike shut the door with more saves to frustrate the Nitro forwards. Kimberley sealed their fate when, taking a penalty with just over a minute remaining, they pulled their goalie. Craig Martin would pot the empty-netter to ice the cake and blow out the fuses as BV sends Kimberley packing.
In case any are wondering, yes, the ref missed several calls, and called some that were a bit wishy-washy. Overall, the calls were made fairly to both sides which is the way it should be.
Game Stars:
BV - Mason Spear 2G 1A
BV - Christian Johnson 1G 2A
KD - Rylan Duley 1A
Tonight was opening night of the "Catch The Fever" weekend celebrating 30 years in the KIJHL for the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. Crowd size wasnt what we had hoped for, but there is still tomorrow nights game against the Castlegar Rebels. Game time is again 7:30. Volunteers are asked to show up at least 1 hour early to help get set up.
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