With Fernie now having 50 points and Kimberley only 38 the Ghostriders head into their last game before Christmas Friday night comfortably in first place. The Riders started the weekend with 45 points but after a little pre Christmas home and home against the second place Nitros and a Sunday night win vs the Golden Xtreme the Riders were able to extend their first place lead to twelve over the Nitros. The scores last week were Kimberley 6 Fernie 5 in O/T in Kimberley. Fernie 6 Kimberley 1 and Fernie 4 Golden 2 in Fernie.

With four goals in two games against Kimberley and an assist and several great chances vs Golden, nineteen year old Matt Becker was the Ghost with the most last weekend. At 6’1 190 pounds Becker is a power forward who has been steadily improving and working his way up in Ghostrider scoring. Becker came to Fernie about twelve games into the season from Olds Alberta and has 8 goals and 19 points in 22 games.

A few other notes from last week… Former Calgary Canuck and Royal Nevin Orr watched the team play a couple of weeks ago against Creston then jumped right into the fire and played his first two games as a Ghostrider against the second place Kimberley Dynamiters. Orr made his presence known with a goal and 3 assists and a first star against the Nitros then he gave the Riders a little insurance by scoring the fourth goal against Golden… With very little fanfare defensive defensemen Kiel Klapp and Thomas Walker are in the trenches every night on the Ghostrider blueline. Anyone who follows the team knows this and everyone who follows the team was jumping for joy when rookie Walker scored his first goal against Golden last Sunday. Walker’s goal was a beauty scored short handed and it turned out to be the game winner no less… A great way to get your first goal and Walker can thank Cody Steel for doing all the work on the goal and setting him up… Before setting up Walker Steel scored a goal of his own and it was the nicest goal of the weekend. We always knew Steel could shoot the puck, but those moves he made skating through the Golden defense show he can do it all….Goaltender Zak Smith stood tall in the third period vs. Golden and really saved the game, he was named the first star for his efforts…Cody Steel was the second star in that game… Who ever picked the stars has this writers blessing… Rider Top Scorer Keith Jones had a quiet weekend for him, Jones had goal and 2 assists as did Martin Croteau… Brent Caldwell had been quiet lately but had a goal and 3 assists Saturday… Steve Bilic scored 2 Saturday… Cory Davy won his game Saturday but fell awkwardly in an unusual goaltender fight that seemingly came out of know where… He didn’t win the award, but defenseman Cody Reinbold was the Rider’s KIJHL Player of the Month nominee… Chris Corrigan missed Sunday’s game after a referee didn’t bother to call an elbow to his head Saturday or a crosscheck to the head on Steel Sunday. That is just two of the many head shots we see to much of, we don’t know why they don’t call them. This is the only league apparently with out that rule.