A double loss weekend has the Fernie Ghostriders back to the drawing board, just one week before playoffs begin.
On Friday, the Riders fell to the Grand Forks Border Bruins in a tough 3-1 loss, which was followed by another loss to the Nelson Leafs in Nelson Saturday.
Head Coach Jeff Wagner attributed the defeat to a lack of effort.
“It was a disappointing effort by our group honestly. I thought that we didn’t put in a consistent 60 minute effort in either game,” he said.
“So we lost both games but it was more how we lost both games, rather than who we lost the games against.”
The Ghostriders led the scoring in their Friday match against Grand Forks, but couldn’t hold onto the lead. After a quick goal by Jordon Kromm and Simon Bergsagel in the second period, Grand Forks retaliated with one of their own.
Grand Forks dominated the ice in the third period, scoring two more before the end of the game.
“In the third period we were back to what we were in the first; we were pretty flat, we weren’t winning puck battles, there just wasn’t a whole lot of energy,” said Wagner.
Nelson’s game was an improvement on the night before, however, another flat first period diminished any chances of the Ghostriders taking the lead. After no scoring in the first, Nelson came out swinging, scoring two back-to-back goals in the first half of the second period.
Fernie retaliated with two more of their own goals, tying the game going into the third period. In the last period, Fernie scored one but it wasn’t enough to out-match Nelson’s two.
“You look at those starts, both games being pretty flat, as missed opportunities, for sure,” said Wagner.
With 57 points, the Ghostriders sit in fifth spot in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, 13 points behind their closest rival, Nelson.
From here, Wagner says the team will be going back to what made them successful; increasing the intensity in practices and ensuring every player is prepared for any situation they might face on the ice.
On the bright side, Wagner said that this is the first weekend in a long time where they have seen back-to-back losses.
“We can take some pride in that but at the same time, it’s (all about) a quick turnaround and making sure that this doesn’t become a habit at the latter end of the season here,” he said.
The Ghostriders host the Columbia Valley Rockies in Fernie on Friday, February 22 and will play them again in Invermere the following night.
Next Tuesday night, February 26, marks the official start to playoffs. Wagner predicts that the Ghostriders will most likely host the Rockies for the first round.
The Fernie Ghostriders are encouraging fans to attend the first round of playoffs next Tuesday and wear white in support of the home team.
