Lac la Hache Tomahawks had a tough weekend on the road, suffering a pair of losses to Omineca Ice and Quesnel Kangaroos, Dec. 10-11.
The Ice left them out in the cold Saturday with an 11-2 thumping.
Hawks Wade Balbernie scored a second-period goal early in the second period to get them on the board. Jeremy Zelt added the other T-Hawks marker early in the third.
It didn’t help that the team was missing several of their key players, including Drew Rose, Tye Moses, Don Nicholas, as well as Ryan, Kyle and Cody Minnabarriet, but coach Al Navrot says it was probably just their turn for a rough ride.
“We struggled all the way through. Everything Omineca did worked and everything we did, didn’t.
“We just have to learn to play through adversity.”
The Tomahawks were back on the bus following the game and pulled into Quesnel at 2 a.m., hoping to get enough rest for Sunday’s 1 p.m. game with the Kangaroos.
They fared only slightly better, losing 13-6.
Robin Gilbert racked up four of the T-Hawks goals, with a hat trick scored in the third period.
“We regrouped and kept positive. You work hard, stay focused, the leaders come on strong in the dressing room and you keep working through it,” says Navrot.
According to the coach, the Kangaroos were successful in needling Wade Balbernie into a fighting, game misconduct position, and with a hole in the Hawks strongest line, it was tough to keep pace.
“That’s what Quesnel does. They go after your best players. That’s their style and they were successful in the second period.”
The Tomahawks have only four regular season games left before playoffs begin in the new year.
On Dec. 17, they host Smithers Steelheads at the Rolf Zeis Memorial Arena, and on Dec. 18, they’re on home ice against the Houston Luckies.
The Steelheads are the current leaders in the Central Interior Hockey League and Navrot is expecting a challenge. He anticipates a close game with the Luckies but says in both cases, it depends largely on who they can put on the ice for those games.
Looking back on the season, Navrot says he figures the Tomahawks have done well for a first-year team. “I’m satisfied. Success doesn’t come easy but we’ve got a lot of good people all the way through.
“Everyone contributes. Lots of people are surprised at how well we’ve done.”
