The Chase Heat Junior Hockey Club completed its second season in the Kootenay International Hockey League with a trio of games this past week.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, the local side played host to the Sicamous Eagles. The visitors took a 3-1 victory home to the houseboat capital.
Goal scorer for Chase was Michael Keyes, with him and Jake Mattes getting two of the three stars.
Mattes faced 50 shots, stopping 47 – another busy night for the team’s most valuable player.
Saturday the 16th saw the same two teams in action in Sicamous.
The Eagles were vying for top seed in the division and skated to a 5 – 2 win.
Heat goals were by Marc MacKenzie and Connor Venne. Mattes faced 31 shots between the pipes.
Sunday afternoon, on Feb 17, the Heat were in Armstrong to finish out the 52-game season versus the North Okanagan Knights. The Armstrong crew captured first place in the division over the Eagles by one point with a 5–1 victory over Chase. Mattes faced 55 shots, with the Heat’s lone goal coming off the stick of Levi Chamberlain, the team’s most sportsmanlike player.
So no playoff battles for the Heat who are in their second year as a franchise in the KIJHL.
The top scorer award went to Shelby Kostyshen with 19 goals, 23 assists for 42 points, good for 54th in the league, along with 44 minutes in the sin bin.
The very young team fought through more than 52 games and came out with 11 wins, 35 losses, three ties and three overtime losses for 28 points, 17th in the 20 team league. A slight improvement over the first year, but an improvement all the same.
The Heat Jr. Hockey Society and Chase Heat Hockey Club thanks everyone in Chase and area for the excellent support and encouragement, as the team continues to build a successful franchise for years to come.
Early-bird season ticket packages will be on sale in May 2013.
