A undermanned BC Major Midget Kootenay Ice team put in a solid effort on the weekend, and will wrap up their home season this coming weekend at the Cominco Arena.
The Ice lost their opening match against the tied-for-first-place Vancouver NE Chiefs on Saturday, 4-3, then fell to the Chiefs on Sunday, 5-1.
Trail Smoke Eater committed goaltender Logan Terness traded his Smoke Eaters jersey for his Major Midget League team Chiefs’ on Sunday, for the start against the Ice.
Since Smoke Eaters starter Adam Marcoux has been sidelined by injury, Terness has backed up Donovan Buskey over the past two weeks in the BCHL, and returned to the Vancouver NE crease when his Major Midget team travelled to Trail for a pair of weekend games.
On Sunday, Christian Lowe gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead early in the first period. However, Kootenay’s Joshua Austin tied it midway through the middle frame for his second tally of the season, with the assist to AP Ethan Smyth.
Terness closed the door from there, as Vancouver NE forwards Dante Berrettoni, Ben Fontaine, and Samuel Schofield scored in a five-minute span to put the game out of reach. Schofield added another in the third for the 5-1 final.
On Saturday night, Kootenay played the Chiefs tough through three periods, but with the game tied at three, Justin Scott broke in and scored with 2:47 remaining in regulation for a 4-3 Chiefs win.
Kootenay’s Noah Quinn scored twice while Ice d-man Anthony Williams picked up a goal and an assist in the match. Scott scored twice for the Chiefs, Jeremy Hanzel and Jack Steffens netted the other markers.
Kootenay has four games remaining and will host the eighth place Valley West Giants on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. at the Cominco Arena, before winding up their year the following week on the road against the Greater Vancouver Canadians.
The Ice will finish out of the playoffs this year, with the top eight teams advancing.