The Heat Junior Hockey Team and Society extend their best wishes to all for the Christmas season, and hope for a 2013 that results in your hopes and dreams being met.
The team also hopes that if you receive an overabundance of those good things, that you donate some back to your hockey team to help us both on and off the ice.
The support received over the past year has been phenomenal and has greatly helped in the development of the overall product.
Hockey insiders are telling us that now we have built a good, competitive team, we can move forward with success. Recent results speak otherwise, but we all know that a bit of adversity makes for challenges that this group of players are prepared to overcome.
While the closest teams in the standings are having troubles of their own, the Heat has the talent and ability to use that to their advantage in pursuit of a playoff spot.
The boys are getting a nine-day break over the holiday season, which enables them to get reacquainted with their families and friends back home. The billet families also get a reprieve from their duties as home-away-from-home parents.
This past week, the locals took on the Knights from Armstrong on the fifth and, after two overtime periods, came away with a 3–3 draw for a single point in the standings.
Dom Hodges potted two with Connor Venne getting a single. Assists went to Marc MacKenzie, Shelby Kostyshen and Kurtis Johnson. Hodges and Jake Mattes were two of the three stars.
Saturday, Dec. 8 the boys travelled to Osoyoos for a tilt versus the Coyotes.
In spite of the 6–3 loss, it was considered by many to be the best effort of the season. Kostyshen, MacKenzie and Venne scored, with Mattes, stopping 42 of 45 shots.
Sunday the 9th saw a battle against the Penticton Lakers, with the result being a 7–1 loss.
Johnson picked up the lone marker, with Mattes having a rough start and Devan Pearson taking over between the pipes. This contest got ugly early, assisted by the on-ice officials, and didn’t let up until the final whistle. Injuries and suspensions will see some regulars out of action when the boys take on the Sicamous Eagles at home on Friday the 14th.
