Quesnel Crossfire defeated a skilled Prince George Stylers team by a score of 12-5 last Wednesday (May 30) at West Fraser Centre.
On the tail end of a couple difficult losses to the Bandits and Devils, they played a remarkably team-focused game, applying constant pressure on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Chase Ballendine and Bryston Waffle led the Crossfire, scoring with a hat trick apiece, but the game star went to Will Pagurut, who was playing in his first contest back after being sidelined for the last couple of weeks with a rib injury.
Pagurut and Keaton Reichert anchored a defensive squad that never left the Stylers creative scoring duo of Gage Prince and Cameron Prouse any space to manoeuvre and held the team as a whole to a miserly 21 shots for the game.
“It was unreal for chemistry,” Pagurut says of his team’s ability to protect their end of the arena.
“We just had way better communication this game.”
Of note was the squad’s ability to stay out of the box.
“Usually we’re chirping too much and getting out of our heads but we were pretty calm in this game,” he says.
Back-to-back sly stick fake goals by Waffle put the locals up 5-1 early, and they ended the first period up 7-2.
At times the Stylers’ goalie was looking to his bench longingly for a replacement, but one was never sent out.
The second period saw the Stylers, who were playing without top scorer Matt Rochon, come to life with a couple markers to get the score to 8-4 but that was as close as they would come.
In the third, the visiting team’s tempers got the best of them and several trips to the box allowed the Crossfire to run up the score.
Pagurut got the crowd going with one of his end-to-end rhinoceros charges that saw him send a Styler, foolish enough to get in his path, flying.
Crowd interaction intensified when some of the Stylers players began a back-and-forth with onlookers, but nothing came of the ribbing exchange.
Prouse, who led the visitors in scoring with a pair of goals, says the team needs to look themselves in the mirror after the game and refocus for the rest of the season.
“It’s tough to come into a rink like this with the crowd in it and they have a full bench,” he says.
“And some of the calls were pretty frustrating too,” he added.
The two teams will have a chance to duke it out again this Thursday (June 7) at the West Fraser Centre.
