Approaching the midway point of league play, the Courtenay Mazda Peewee Chiefs are beginning to find their game, wrapping up two successful weekends that saw them win three straight league games to bring their league record to 3-2.
The Nov. 16 game against Victoria Racquet Club Kings was a tight affair, with the Kings out-shooting and out-chancing the Chiefs in the early part of the game. Goaltender Matthias Smith was in fine form between the pipes, making several key saves to allow his teammates the time to find their legs and the structure necessary to stem the tide.
The team tightened up defensively and took advantage of some penalties by the Kings to rally and tie the score late in the third period. Centre Aimee Brucker capped off the comeback by intercepting a pass in the neutral zone and driving the net for a nifty forehand-backhand deke that went top shelf and provided the 5-4 margin of victory.
This past weekend, the Chiefs were home for both games and got off to a good start on Saturday with a convincing 6-1 win over the Peninsula squad from Sidney. The Chiefs started a little slowly, but improved their play throughout the contest, limiting the Eagles chances in the latter portion of game and getting balanced scoring from their forwards.
Jackson Dyke moved up from defence to forward for the game and brought some spark and a scoring touch, while the Chiefs' four-man defensive rotation and Smith’s goaltending held things in check on the back end.
Sunday brought a much anticipated rematch with Campbell River, who had beaten the Chiefs in three previous games during tiering and exhibition play earlier this year.
The Tyees got out to a quick start, scoring on their first shift to put the Chiefs back on their heels. The Chiefs bounced back but still trailed 4-2 at the midway ice clean. They came out with a stronger forecheck following the break and managed to get the more physical Campbell River team into penalty trouble.
A couple of power-play goals brought the game to a 5-5 tie midway through the third, and two tip-in deflection goals by centre Gabe Schovanek put the Chiefs ahead 7-5 with a few minutes to play. The Tyees closed the gap to 7-6, but goalie Keegan Rivett made the save of the game with an across-the-crease stop with the paddle of his goalie stick late in game to preserve the victory.
The successive wins put the Chiefs into third place in Div. 1 for the time being, with an important game coming up this weekend against the Nanaimo Clippers who are only a point behind with a game in hand.
If you have a Facebook account, support the Courtenay Mazda Chiefs' effort to win a contest supporting minor hockey put on by Stagg Chili by checking out this site: http://www.staggchili.ca/2013-vote/. Find the picture of the Comox Valley Chiefs and vote. We need about 1,500 votes to stand a chance.
The Chiefs also encourage their fans to support the “Movember” Fight Prostate Cancer campaign by donating to a friend or family member who is sporting a moustache this month.
– Courtenay Mazda PeeWee Chiefs