It’s been a while and during the away time 5 games were played.
For the 3 contests prior to the Christmas break we will be brief, which should make many readers happy. Game 1 on the 13th was a face off with the Revelstoke Grizzlies. To this point in the season the Heat had won both earlier games between the foes. Although outshot 45 to 20 by the bears, this 3 period piece of entertainment went down to the wire. Captain Trevor Kennedy got the ball rolling from Mikkel Hrechka and Bryan Fraser in the 1st. In the 2nd the visitors fought back with a pair, but Kieran Armitage unassisted tied it at 2-2. The Heat ran out of gas in the 3rd and the Mad Mountain Bears tallied for a 3-2 loss for our Heat. Glimpses of skill stymied by Revelstoke, Meyer Gaume’s star shone in thisone with accolades to Armitage for his spunk.
Next up the Heat motored up the Cariboo trail on the 16th to face the 100 Mile House Wranglers. No scoring in the 1st, the Wranglers scored once in each of the next two stanzas. Outshot 41-29 the star again was Gaume as he kept his teammates in a game they lacked hard work and energy in.
It’s a little bit funny at this point as the Heat played game 3 at home versus the Sicamous Eagles on the 17th, and allowed 40 plus shots again. Again Gaume starred, including stopping a penalty shot. Tired after sleeping through the game the night before a great deal of the game was spent resting in the penalty box while hoping Gaume would stop everything. This one concluded 6-2 for the visitors, with Kaleb Preymak from Hudson Ketsa and Carter Spring scoring in the 2nd. In the 3rd Braeden Huth from Tyson Tokarz scored the Heat 2nd goal.
On December 30th and 31st the Heat and the Revelstoke Grizzlies played a home and away pair of games. The 1st contest was at the Art Holding Memorial Arena.The first 15 minutes showcased Heat hustle and hardwork, and inspite of the Mad Bears scoring once it was a solid period versus the big dogs in the Doug Birks Division. In the 2nd 3 penalties in a row hurt the Heat as they were back on their heels scrambling around. The Stoke shooters scored on the man advantage and a second time on an errant pass up the middle. Even Gaume couldn’t perform his magic with his teammates getting 1 shot on goal in the period. In the 3rd the visitors popped in a pair for a 5-0 victory while outshooting the home side 42-15. The entire team starred in the first 15 minutes of this game, but the player that worked the hardest gets the star again, Meyer Gaume.
Saving the best for last, everything tastes better when there is a little bit of icing on top. It turned out to be “May Day” on New Years Eve as the Heat met the Grizzlies at the sold out Forum in the Mountain Mecca. Lots of physicality early, the hosts get the only goal in the 1st. Hudson Ketsa displayed a lot of hustle getting two denied scoring opportunities. In the 2nd Ketsa went to the dirty area
in the blue paint surrounded by grumpy bears and bashed a counter home. The game is tied and from that point on Roderic May between the pipes made an array of stunning stops. Later in the 2nd Kieran Armitage was hauled down on a breakaway and the result was a penalty shot. The Heat bench staff gambled and sent out Kennedy for the opportunity and he didn’t miss popping in the game winner. In the 3rd the Heat killed off a 5 minute major penalty, a big assist in the victory as well as the game long control of the faceoff circles. First star in this one May stopping 46 of 47, with hats off to Ketsa and Kennedy as well. A 2-1 win to put an exclamation mark on 2022.
Next up in 2023 Friday January 6th the Nelson Leafs make their way to our Chilly Arena. On Saturday the 7th the boys head to Kamloops to face the Storm. The following weekend the Heat are in the East Kootenays for a clash or two. Stay safe, healthy and happy in the New Year.
