Fifteen Golden Rockets players made it onto the scoreboard this weekend with a disappointing Friday night loss, and a Sunday afternoon massacre.
The Beaver Valley Nitehawks, currently ranked second in the league, came to town on Friday night to faceoff against the Rockets. The hometown boys had a strong first period with goals from Lane Erickson and Lyndon McBryan, and only letting in one from Nitehawk Ryan Edwards on a power play.
The game started to unravel in the second, however, after two Beaver Valley goals less than one minute into play.
“I was disappointed with our game on Friday night,” said Head Coach Ty Davidson. “Granted, we played a very strong game… but for whatever reason, after that first intermission we came out very flat. They got two quick goals on us, and we continued to watch them play for the next 12 minutes or so before we got our bearings and started playing and competing again.”
The Nitehawks scored three more in the second, and one in the third bringing the final tally to 7-2.
The team was determined to put the loss behind them, and hit the ice on Sunday mentally prepared for a new game.
“Even though negative things may happen to you, failures may happen, you have to keep competing, forget about those last failures, and get on with life,” said Davidson.
And get on with life they did, as they took on the Grand Forks Border Bruins, fresh off their first win of the season against the Columbia Valley Rockies on Friday night.
The Rockets opened up the scoring in the first period three minutes in with a goal from Connor Beauchemin, his first of three that game.
They continued to dominate with five more unanswered goals from Carson George, Erickson (who also got a hat trick and six points against the Border Bruins), two from Keith Wake, and a second from Beauchemin with less than a minute remaining.
The effort didn’t waver in the second period, as the Rockets kept chipping away at what would become the team’s highest scoring game of the season so far.
Five goals came from Erickson, Brandon Shirley, Brad Orr with his first of the season, and two from Captain Darren Andre, ending a recent scoring drought.
The teams traded goals in the third with two from Grand Forks’ Joseph O’Hara and Carson McCuloch, and three Golden goals from Brett DeFrias, Beauchemin and Erickson, ending the game with 14-3 score.
“With the exception of a lapse here and there, which is bound to happen in a game like that, I thought we carried the play and dominated them,” said Davidson.
“It’s a real mental thing with our group. I think we have the physical attributes to compete with anyone in our league. We have a high level of skill throughout our lineups, but for me, it’s the mental aspect, being ready to compete shift in and shift out, period to period every game.”
The next four games for the Rockets will be on the road, but they will be back home in Golden on Friday Dec. 9 playing the Columbia Valley Rockies, Saturday Dec. 10 playing the Creston Valley Thundercats.
