With their play-off chances dwindling, the Grand Forks Border Bruins had a chance of catching some ground in the division with a win over the Rebels in Castlegar.
Unfortunately, special teams and an inability to score doomed the Bruins as they fell 6-2 to Castlegar despite outshooting them 45-38.
Max Newton opened up scoring at 17:36 of the first period assisted by Lukas Peters. Veteran Rebel forward Kody Disher answered a few minutes later to tie the score 1-1.
Castlegar then scored two consecutive power play goals with Jeremy McNeil and Chase Reddin finding the net to put the home team up 3-1.
Kyle Dolly brought GF to within one at 6:02 of the second assisted by Tucker Brown.
Unfortunately, that was all the scoring the Bears would manage as they gave up three unanswered goals
and fell 6-2.
“I think we had a good first two periods but then the third period kind of got away from us with penalties and everything,” said veteran Bruins’ defenceman Nathan Cory. “The score didn’t really reflect on how we played. I would say we need to cut down on the penalties. When we were five on five we were dominating Castlegar. The penalties just take away our momentum and give it to them.
If we cut down there, we’ll be fine.”
Cory said the team is still hopeful that they will make the play-offs but that every game is crucial.
“Heading down the stretch, we have to win game after game,” he said. “We can’t be looking at what Castlegar or Spokane is doing. We just have to win the games.”
Despite the loss, the Bruins were out in force on Saturday afternoon for the Family Fun Day event in downtown Grand Forks. The players took on all challengers in street hockey on Market Avenue.
“We just came out and had some fun with some kids playing street hockey,” said Cory. “We’re just getting our faces out in the community and letting the little guys shoot on us and that kind of thing. It’s pretty cold out here, my feet are pretty frozen. The kids are smiling and we’re smiling, so it’s going very good.”
The Bruins and Rebels are at it again tonight, in Grand Forks this time.
GF is now eight points behind Spokane for the fourth and final play-off spot with only eight games left in the schedule.
