By Stephanie Stevens

A hockey game is the greatest show on earth … for hockey fans, anyway.

The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s (KIJHL) exhibition season wrapped up earlier this week with the 22 KIJHL Junior A teams hitting the ice to put into play what they have been working on heading into the season.

The Columbia Valley Rockies squared off with the Golden Rockets for their first game September 7 and took the contest 6-2 in the Golden barn.

First period scoring was opened up by Ryder Hammer (assist by Trayton Ditner), followed by Wyatt Wurtz (assists from Cooper Visser and Carter Krause), Ditner (assist from Krause), Jaxson Woodward (assists from Brayden Roe), Carter Tuplin (assists from Peter Godley and Johnny Lozeman). Caden Williams topped off a solo effort to make the final goal tally 6 for the Rockies. Goaltenders Garyn Guidi and Trigg Pimm shared net time, with Guidi stopping 12 of 13 shots on goal and Pimm seven of eight.

The Rockets got their’s back the following afternoon of September 8, beating the Rockies 3-2 in Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena.

Scoring opened up in the second with Chance Cole (assists from Cooper Barclay and Teo Fath) and the third period saw Godley get one more (assist from Paddy Donahue and Bryan Kim).

Ryan Bain was between the pipes for the full game, stopping 16 of 19 shots on goal.

Back in the Eddie September 13, the Rockies hosted the Revelstoke Grizzlies and took the game 5-3.

Owen Ditzel opened things up in the first (assists from Tuplin and Lukas Masters). Second period play saw Ethan Cerone (assist from Carter Velker), Tuplin (assists from Lukas Masters and Ditzel), and third period scoring was courtesy of Masters (assists from Godley and Kim) and finally Kim (assists from Godley and Velker). Pimm stopped 21 of 24 shots.

Returning player Wyatt Wurtz is looking ahead to a good season with the Rockies.
PHOTO STEPHANIE STEVENS

Back in Revelstoke September 14 saw a well-played back-and-forth game that ended 4-5 in overtime for the Grizz.

Ditzel opened up scoring in the first (assists from Velker and Tuplin), Kim potted another in the second (assists from Velker) and the third saw goals from Krause (assists from Hammer and Trae Lees) and Tuplin (assists from Velker and Kim). Bain stopped an impressive 44 of 49 shots on goal.

Head coach and General Manager Tayler Sincennes said he was “really happy” with what he saw in the pre-season games.

“I like the foundation of what we have built so far and we have a couple of new guys coming in for the opening weekend,” he said. “I’m very excited for the upcoming season … the group that’s shown up this year will be fun to watch for the fans and us as coaches.”

The first home game will be Friday Sept. 20 as the lads take on the Rockets in the Eddie.