Perched on top of their conference and division the Chase Heat had a quirk in the schedule, a one-game weekend, against the rival Kamloops Storm in their historic old barn, Memorial Arena on Oct. 29. The heat looked to maintain momentum on the road against one of the perennial best teams in the entire KIJHL.
It was evident in the stands that the team faithful had made the short journey west to catch some quality entertainment.
Assistant captain Mason Palaga, unassisted, blasted a point shot past the Kamloops tender to get the trick-or-treating started. Team captain Spencer Farstad added to the goal, assisted by Kaden Black and Zach Fournier.
After 20 minutes, it was 2-0 for the little Shuswap squad.
Halfway through the second, Palaga fired in his second, assisted by Farstad and Black. Then assistant captain Pat Brady handily took on Hayden Dick in the only tilt of the contest.
The third period was “20 minutes of Josh Bourne,” as the talented twig twister displayed his shooting skills. The fine-tuned instrument in his hands played a troika of hip-hop diddedly bop to garner a hat trick, and a big treat for the fans.
The Storm managed a pair from Keaton Gordon and Nate Pelletier in a fruitless attempt to get back into the game. Nic Bruyere was stellar in goal, stopping 31 of 33 shot, keeping his foes at bay. This one sent the treated fans home after a 6-2 Heat victory.
