The Fernie Ghostriders won their second game in a row last weekend after playing away from home against the Beaver Valley Nitehawks.
After a few losses in a row, the Riders seem to have recovered and learned from their mistakes. Coach Craig Mohr says their recent 4-2 victory was a result of playing flat-out for 60-minutes straight.
Playing away from home always has its challenges, but Mohr believes those are elevated in Beaver Valley.
He knows from past experience that this team plays especially well at home, and that their arena possesses some unique characteristics, different than the ice in Fernie and Sparwood.
This is the first time in years that the Fernie Ghostriders have won in Beaver Valley.
“Any time you can get out of there with two points, you’re happy,” said Mohr.
Brendan Nemes was named home star for the Fernie Ghostriders after scoring three out of four goals.
The Riders were first to score, five minutes into the game, and they carried this momentum all the way through until the final buzzer blew. Out of seven power plays, the Riders cashed in on three of them, leaving with a 42.9 power play percentage, compared to Beaver Valley’s 16.7.
“We played a 60-minute game,” said the coach. “We came out and had lots of energy, got the lead and we weren’t going to let go of that lead.
“Every time they scored, we had a great push-back and got one right back,” he added.
Coach believes the key to winning games is to never give up.
“Thats what you’ve got to do to be a good teams, you can’t take periods off … I was super happy for the guys, they played 60 minutes,” he said.
Riders goalie, Broc Merkel also played a large role in securing the win for the away team, saving 38 of 36 shots during his 60-minute play time.
Fernie recently received Junior A player, Eric Welford, a defenseman from Medicine Hat, Alberta. Mohr believes this has strengthened Fernie’s defense and helped them create a more secure back line.
Currently, the Ghostriders are playing and practicing in Sparwood.
Coach Mohr sees some differences in the structure of the arena, but he believes they have found a good routine.
On Tuesday, the Ghostriders played against the Kimberley Dynamiters. For the full report on this, see our online edition.
Don’t miss their home game in Sparwood this Friday, November 10, against the Columbia Valley Rockies.
