The Williams Lake Stampeders took a strangle hold on the Central Interior Hockey League East Division on the weekend, stealing a 9-6 road win from the second-place Lac La Hache Tomahawks.
With the win Williams Lake now sits comfortably atop the East Division with just five games left in the regular season, six points ahead of Lac La Hache, with nine wins, three losses and one overtime loss.
Lac La Hache slipped to six wins, seven losses and one overtime loss following Saturday’s tilt at the Rolf Zeis Memorial Arena.
The Quesnel Kangaroos, the remaining team in the division, are 5-7-1 — two points back of the Tomahawks.
Scoring Saturday for Williams Lake in the win were Francis Johnson (2), David Gore (2), Tyrel Lucas (3) and Brent McIsaac (2). Lighting the lamp for the Tomahawks were Roy Nichol, Jordan Sellars, Robin Gilbert (3) and Drew Rose.
Williams Lake outshot its opponents 42-31 in the contest, with Stamps’ netminder Justin Foote making 25 saves in the winning effort. Willie Sellars stopped 33 of 42 for the Tomahawks.
The CIHL takes a short break through the holiday season, but picks up again Dec. 29 in Quesnel when the Stampeders take on the Kangaroos in a divisional matchup. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at the Quesnel Twin Ice Arenas.
