Castlegar Rebels on a roll
By Kyra Hoggan
The Castlegar Rebels are on a roll, raking in two wins over the weekend and nailing second place in their KIJHL division in winning percentages.
Saturday saw an exciting weekend for Rebels fans at the Complex, as Castlegar proved pink is rough-and-tumble colour, pummelling the Columbia Valley Rockies 11-1.
“It’s called the Pink Power Play night, and all proceeds go to support breast cancer research,” said Rebels general manager and head coach Brent Heaven. “The guys wore pink laces and used pink tape – and it didn’t seem to slow them down any.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure, as an organization, that we’re doing our part.”
He said it was a terrific night to bring home such a blow-out win.
“I would say we completely dominated that game,” he said. “We outshot them 71 – 17.”
The Rebels then hit the road Sunday, heading to Spokane for the second time, to take home their second win on Braves’ ice with a final score of 6-3.
“But it was a closer game than what the score shows,” said Heaven. “We were able to get a four-minute power play with about four-and-a-half minutes left in the game – that’s what made the score so dramatic.
“(Goalie) Andrew Walton palyed well this weekend,” he added. “And I think kids like Spencer Brodt (#21), a new addition to the team, really showed what they can do – Brodt scored five goals over the weekend. Same goes for Rebel rookie Ryan Aynsley (#19), with four goals and two assists, not to mention veteran Rebel Eric Wentzel, with three goals and an assist in his first game back with the Rebels.”
Heaven said the league championship is hardly in the bag at this point, but he’s happy about the direction the Rebels are taking.
“There’s obviously a lot of work left to do, but we’re playing good, solid hockey,” he said. “Of the eight games we played, we’ve only been outshot once, and last weekend, we scored 17 goals and only had four scored against us.”
He said he’s now gearing up for this weekend, with three games slated for Complex ice.
“Sicamous (Friday) and Fernie (Saturday) are both strong teams, and Spokane (Tuesday) isn’t a push-over anywhere,” he said. “We’re getting ready for a challenging weekend.”
The puck drops at the Complex for all three games at 7:30 p.m.
For more information, visit www.castlegarrebels.com
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