A weekend after having weathered three games in three days on an East Kootenay road trip, and notching but a single point, the Chase Heat were happy to be back in the friendly confines of the Art Holding Memorial Arena.
All Hallows Eve saw the locals matched up versus their division foes, the Revelstoke Grizzlies. With season ticket holders either handing out treats or trick or treating themselves, a smaller than usual crowd took in a barn burner of a contest.
In the 1st, Revelstoke gets on the board, in the 2nd Chase – Kolten Moore from Travis Beaubien and Spencer Farstad. So things are all tied up going into the 3rd where the Heat get one from Moore, again assisted by Alex Durbeniuk. But with 58 seconds left, the Grizzlies get the equalizer on the power play due to a brain-numbing, late-in-the-game boarding penalty. Off to four on four overtime where Michael Fidanza saves the day by scoring the winner from Durbeniuk and Mason Palaga. Nic Bruyere stood tall in net, stopping 42 of 44.
Sunday afternoon the 1st of November saw the battered and bruised Fernie Ghostriders come to Chase after beating Kamloops on Friday and then taking a thumping from the 100 Mile House Wranglers on Saturday night.
In the 1st it was back and forth with the Heat controlling the play, but no scoring. In the 2nd, the craziest one minute of hockey right off the hop as Fernie’s Cole Keebler scored at the 22nd second mark, 27 seconds later they take a penalty and at the 58-second mark Logan Mostat scores on the power play from Fidanza and Braden Hughes. Fernie gets two more prior to Zach Fournier getting within one from Fidanza and Hughes. On to the 3rd and Fernie gets three and Chase gets two and this one is over and done, a 6-4 loss at home. The Heat fired 54 shots at the Ghostrider goalie to come up short.
Next up are the North Okanagan Knights Friday the 6th at 7 p.m. in Chase.
Ice Chips: Jacob Longmore from Port Coquitlam was signed to a tryout and got into both games on the weekend. Tommy Brown and Austin Willier are both out with injuries to their upper or lower bodies – code for we aren’t telling you whats wrong!
Rookie Michael Fidanza is quickly becoming a crowd favourite with his skills and hockey sense.
The Pink Breast Cancer fundraiser jerseys were auctioned off at the Saturday game and the collaboration between Team Chase and the Heat raised some decent funds for a very worthwhile cause.
