Down 2-0 after 20 minutes, the 100 Mile House Wranglers reconvened at intermission, dusted themselves off, got back on the ice and for the next 40 minutes took it to the horse that bucked them off.
“The resilience of this crew, I am so impressed,” says coach Dale Hladun, following the Wranglers’ 8-2 dismantling of the Eagles in Sicamous on Oct. 17.
The local Kootenay International Junior Hockey League club has won five straight games heading into this weekend’s road trip: Golden (Oct. 23), Kimberley (Oct. 24) and Kamloops (Oct. 25).
The Wranglers beat the Osoyoos Coyotes 3-2 at the South Cariboo Rec. Centre on Oct. 16 and improved to 8-3-0-1 on the season, third in the Doug Birks Division with 17 points, behind Kamloops (25 points) and Chase (18).
Some new additions to the club contributed well. Goalie Adam Derochie stopped 27 shots in Sicamous for the win. Newly added defencemen Todd Bredo (from Prince George) and Shawn Rowe (Red Deere) played big and tough and moved the puck well, Hladun says.
“We picked up some good defencemen.”
However, Hladun also describes the new 23 man roster has a “gift and curse”; for now he has to scratch a few healthy skaters every game. It’s something he’ll be discussing with the team in the week ahead, talking about commitment, sacrifice for the greater good, letting the boys know that sitting out a game here or there is not a bad thing.
“Our depth has to win a title, not our top end.”
Brett Harris scored two goals in the second period to even things with the Eagles on Oct. 17. Cole Zimmerman followed him up with one, before Justin Bond, Bredo, Ryan Friesen (2) and Alex Meeker poured it on more in the third. Stephen Egan (2), Tavis Roch, Kolten Carpenter, Bredo, Bond, Harris, Jaydon Gilding, Friesen (3) and Rowe picked up assists.
Bredo scored a shorthanded goal to even things up in a back and forth game against the Osoyoos Coyotes in 100 Mile House on Oct. 16.
Tyler Povelofskie scored the winner for the Wranglers. Alex Meeker scored the second goal. Egan, Alex Hanson, Nick McCabe, Harris and Friesen assisted on the plays.
Zane Steeves stopped 32 shots and won star of the game for 100 Mile House.
