The Heat travelled to Sicamous Jan. 14 to compete against their division rivals from the east end of the Shuswap. At game’s end, the team from the west took home a 6-1 win to take over second place in the division.
Local 16-year-old Daniel Toews stopped 29 of 30 shots, some of them of the spectacular variety.
In the first, the Eagles got on the board with their one and only marker. Chase got that back with a powerplay goal from Austin Willier assisted by Cody Hodges and Kaleb Boyle. In the second a Trevor Okino goal from Hayden Orton, and Alex Durbeniuk from Zachary Fournier and Orton gave Chase a 3-1 lead. In the third, it was Tyler Mork from Travis Beaubien, Kaleb Boyle from Chad Wilde and Orton from Toews who finished off the victory.
Friday night, Jan. 16 found the Heat at the Revelstoke Forum for a match versus the Grizzlies. In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Chase crew earned a 3-2 win. Michael “Stretch” Byer was phenomenal between the pipes, stopping all but two of the 58 shots fired his way. In front of 100 or so “Crazy Aussies,” Kaleb Boyle showed why he is a classy record holder, scoring all three of the Heat goals to earn a hat trick. Boyle’s first in the first was assisted by Chad Wilde and Kyle Riley and his second by Okino and Hodges. In the second, the Grizzlies got one back. In the third, Boyle got his 44th power-play goal of his career, assisted once again by Okino and Hodges. Travis “Boom Boom” Beaubien won a tilt nine minutes into the third that had the crowd going a bit crazier than they already were.
On Saturday, Jan. 17, the Heat hosted the city slickers from Kam-loops. In the first, the Storm scored on their first shot 19 seconds in, and then Kolten Moore scored unassisted on a breakaway to tie things up. Then Kamloops scored and Okino got that one back assisted by Wilde and Boyle. By period’s end the Storm scored two more to hold a 4-2 edge. In the second, Kamloops scored three in a row prior to Boyle, on the powerplay, getting one from Hodges and Wilde (Boyle’s 45th all time). Kamloops was now up 7-3. In the third, Chase came charging back! Wilde scored shorthanded assisted by Mork and Wesley Matsuda, then Hodges scored shorthanded and unassisted. With 32 seconds left and Toews pulled for an extra skater, Okino scored assisted by Boyle and Wilde to make it close, 7-6 win for the visitors.
Next up is another home date for Chase on Friday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. versus the Storm, followed by a Saturday home date at 7 p.m. versus the Grizzlies. Then the Eagles hit town on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m.
One question: Where are all the fans? The young men are playing the best hockey seen in Chase in a long time and attendance is down. If you love the game and want the team, please support it!
