Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Eddie Mountain Kootenay Conference Division has been very competitive this year and the Ghostriders, who had a decent 17-8-5 record when this was written, were only in fourth place. The team has struggled with consistency over the first half but won two important games in a row over the division leading Golden Rockets last weekend.

Rider Coach Will Verner “ This was a very important weekend for our team as we found a way to win both games without giving up any points to Golden. We are now 2 pts back of Golden and 4 pts back of Creston for the division lead. I feel we played better as the weekend went on and our 3rd period of the Saturday night game was real strong and very disciplined. This is good news as playoff hockey the teams that get better throughout the series tend to be the teams that move on to the next round. We need to maintain focus on our own situation and build off our weekend and continue to win games as the Dynamiters are surging and are unbeaten in 7 games with a record of 6-0-1 in their last 7 games.”

The Ghostriders top scorer is the dynamic twenty year old Dave McIvor who is now in his third year with the team. Last year McIvor was the top scorer and so far this year Dave has racked up 19 goals, has 45 points and has been picked as a game star in several games. Needless to say he is a fan favorite and a favorite of this writer.

Coach Verner on McIvor last weekend. “ Dave McIvor had a great weekend against Golden as he recorded 3 goals and 3 assists in the 2 game set. Along with the important goals and assists the most important play Dave made was a blocked shot late in Friday’s game where Dave looked like a Vezna winning road hockey goalie. McIvor skated well all weekend and was consistently a threat to score each time he was on the ice. It is great to see consistency in our top players and the determination they have to win each and every night.” -photo Dave McIvor-

In Golden last Friday super goon Cody Sutherland hit Karl Weberg from behind and Travis Harrad (who had just got back into the lineup after an injury) stepped up and fought him…Sutherland is 6’1” 205 with 518 PIM last year… Harrad who is only 5’7” and 140 pounds is making a pretty good case for himself to be one of the four 20 year olds on the team next year.

Will Verner. “Travis Harrad returned to the line-up briefly Friday night as his game came to an early end with a fight against Golden’s enforcer Cody Sutherland. Travis responded to a hit from behind that was followed by two cross checks to the fallen Karl Weberg. It is great to see teammates stick up for each other and even when they might be mismatched. Saturday Travis had a real good game and was instrumental in our 3rd period success as he is such a disciplined player. –photo-Travis Harrad-

This weekend the Ghostriders hook up with the hated Kimberley Dynamiters for the first time this year. The Riders and Nitros, have played a million spirited games against each other in several different leagues (five leagues that this writer has witnessed) over the last thirty five years or so and no matter what league they have played in it’s been a war with battles all over the rink. The best part is that the fans go to each others rinks and make a lot of noise and money for the clubs.

Will Verner had this to say about the upcoming series. “ We play our first of eight games against Kimberley Friday at home and it will be a good test as the Dynamiters are a fast, skilled team. Kimberley has made several changes and returned some key players back to their line-up that were out due to injury. The acquisition of Justin Talsma from the OPJHL has been a huge help to their back end and the play of Tory Caldwell has definitely helped their turn around. Leo Keefer is having an outstanding year and it looks like some of the veterans including Jesse Felske and Andrew Green are starting to play real good hockey. Our team will be ready Friday and we assume it will be a playoff atmosphere in our rink as more and more fans are coming out each weekend.

Odds and ends
The Riders scored 8 goals last weekend and Dave McIvor with 3 goals and 3 assists was in on six… Captain Scotty Traverse who was the Ghostriders nominee as the KIJHL Player of the Month for November had 2 goals and 2 assists and Karl Weberg had a goal and 3 helpers… So far Jimmy Carter has a point in all six games he has played…and scored the game winner last Saturday… Brock Tailfeathers had 2 assists last Saturday… Jason Greenwell was the 1st star Friday ,McIvor Saturday…..Gilbert Bilodeau was a game star Saturday.

-Photo- KIJHL Player of the Month Nominee Scott Traverse–

And finally : Thursday December 18 the Riders play Spokane. Bring a non perishable food item to the game and get a dollar off the ticket price.
And on Friday the 18th vs Summerland it’s Teddy Bear Toss night.