The Chase Heat entertained the Grand Forks Border Bruins on Friday, Sept. 19 in their season home opener at Art Holding Memorial Arena.
They came out like gangbusters and scored two quick goals. The first on a beauty of a shot at 18:49 by Braden Hughes from Logan Mostat and Connor Venne.
Hughes arrived this week from a Junior A tryout with the AJHL Bonneyville Pontiacs.
Mostat followed on his heels in a trade with the North Okanagan Knights. He had just completed a tryout with the Junior A BCHL Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Two additions and immediate impact and results.
Two minutes later, Alex Durbeniuk from Jordan Passmore and Mostat made it 2-0. The Bruins scored on the powerplay prior to Venne popping one in from Brenden Zupp and Durbeniuk.
In the second, Chase got two: Cody Hodges from Passmore and Kaleb Boyle, and then Spencer Farstad from Dustin Vasil and Austin Willier.
The Bruins scored four times in the third with the Heat countering with three –Hughes with his second from Durbeniuk and Travis Beaubien, and Passmore from Mostat and Venne. Closing out scoring was Hodges with his second from Wesley Matsuda and Michael Byer.
A good size crowd and a good size 8-4 win to send the fans home happy!
Saturday night in Revelstoke versus the Grizzlies was a different story as the Heat were decimated with injuries to Boyle, Durbeniuk and Kolten Moore as well as illnesses to Mostat, Chase Anchikoski and head coach Brad Fox.
The Heat got on the board first with Passmore from Trevor Okino and Boyle.
Revelstoke got that back in the third and then with 1:14 left in double overtime scored to give the Heat a 2-1 loss.
Next up, the Posse from Princeton come to Chase for a 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28 contest. On Friday, Oct. 3, the squad will travel to the Kootenays for a three-game road trip.
