After losing two games last weekend the Ghostriders went on the road and played games in Merritt, where they won 4-1 and in Kelowna where they lost 5-4 in overtime on a Chief’s power play. The result was they earned 3 of a possible 4 points on the weekend.
In Merritt the Centennials came into the weekend as the hottest team with a league best .900 win % and an 8-0-2 record in their last ten games. They are clearly the better of the three new KI teams.
Anyway, the Riders got off to a slow start and were down 1-0 after the first period, but in the second three smart passes set up three nice goals and that was all the Riders needed for the W.
The goals were off the sticks of Taylor Haggerty (Skarsen- Fournier), Riley Enns (Martin- Jack) and Gaege Johnson (Fellows- Desjarlais). Enns’ was the game winner. In the third Braeden Jack (Hale) scored into the empty net giving the Riders a 4-1 W. Nick Kunyk was in net and he made some really big saves plus was named as the first star.
The game was more physical than any of the other games and featured a Malachai North Peigan –Wyatt Ball fight …(as the fans screeched their approval), a lot more hits than usual, and a real cheap shot from behind on Eric Chenxi Jiang…that they called boarding instead of a 5 minute CFB or attempt to injure.
The refs didn’t consider North Peigan’s fight a staged fight until after the game when they decided it was… so North Peigan and Ball got three games each…but no instigator, with a 3-1 lead in the third MNP had no reason to start anything. And the Statler and Waldorf announcers should just shut-up with their staged fight hysterics …their guy got 3 G’s too… go figure.
In Kelowna the Riders had the edge in shots 51-39 and good scoring chances but went 0-7 on the power play, including 4 in a row in the third, then took a penalty of their own in OT to give Kelowna the edge they needed for the win.
The goal scorers were, Coden Fournier (2) Taylor Haggerty on a penalty shot that no one on this side of the Rockies could understand why it was awarded, a Ghostrider did step on and fall on another Riders stick behind the net… but whatever. In the third Taylor Haggerty (1st star) scored his second of the night from Ben Skarsen and the Riders had a 4-3 lead but couldn’t hold on to it.
Nick Kunyk started the game but was pulled after 12 minutes and three goals and Drew Cadenhead played the rest of the game.
That was Dave Whistle’s second game as Kelowna’s head coach after functional fitness champ Nick Deschenes left the team last week. Via email from Kelowna PxP “Best game we’ve had this year, Chiefs earned the win but the Riders are the better team for sure”.
Who’s Hot
Taylor Haggerty (27 pts) scored 3 goals on the weekend and has had at least a point in all but one game this season…In his last 5 games Coden Fournier (17 pts) has 3G and 4A…Eric Martin (22pts) is on a 7 game point streak.
The Malachai North Peigan suspension leaves a big hole as he is clearly the top defensive D man the Riders have. The boys will meet up with Creston next Friday, the T-Cats were also out in the middle of nowhere last weekend, they lost 6-0 in Princeton and 6-2 in Osoyoos. On Saturday Kimberley is here in Fernie. The Nitros’ lost 4-2 to the Rockies then won 9-1 against Golden in Kimberley.
And finally Happy Grey Cup I know some of you may have to check TSN tomorrow to find out who won
