Nearly 800 fans in the stands made for a hot hockey game on Friday between the Williams Lake Stampeders and the Lac La Hache Tomahawks, with a final tie-breaking shoot-out score of 4-3 for the Tomahawks.
Wilf Robbins scored the first goal for the Tomahawks in the first 23 seconds of the game.
“He has the hands of a surgeon and is a very good hockey player,” said Tomahawks coach Al Navrot.
The Stampeders tied it up at the end of the first period, but the Hawks carried a 3-1 lead in the third period. The Stampeders scored two fast goals in the final minutes of play, resulting in a tie game and six shoot-outs, with Robin Gilbert scoring the goal that won the game for the Tomahawks.
“There’s a lot of passion in these players—a big number of First Nations athletes and this game really showed how much community support they have,” Navrot stated. “I’ve been a coach for more than 20 years, including with the Stamps and have been the Tomahawks coach since the beginning and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
He said that a number of the Tomahawks used to play with the Stampeders, and went with that team when they won the Coy Cup.
“The Stampeders are a good team with good coaches and both these teams are great competitors,” he continued. “These are working class teams and this comes from the heart.”
After Friday’s game, the Hawks are at 6-1-1, holding first place in the division, and the Stamps improved to 5-2-1.
The next home game for the Stampeders is Friday, Nov. 30 when they face off against the Quesnel Kangaroos.
