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Written by TED CLARKE, Citizen staff
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Monday, 01 December 2008 |
The kids were waiting at ice level with their skates on and shovels in hand.
The people in the stands at Vanderhoof Arena were ready to toss their teddy bears, but the Smithers Steelheads were having no part of the fun.
They were doing everything in their power to prevent the fur from flying, an act sure to come as soon as the BID Group Omineca Ice scored their first goal in Saturday’s Central Interior (Senior) Hockey League game. It almost didn’t happen in an 8-1 loss to the Steelheads.
“We came out a little flat -- a lot flat -- and didn’t get any breaks in the Teddy Bear Toss, Saturday night,” said Ice head coach Marty Floris. “We did manage to get one goal (David Boon scored halfway through the third period) but we didn’t do ourselves any favours in an 8-1 loss. My kids (on the minor hockey team he coaches) had to wait 2 1/2 periods with their skates on to collect the teddy bears.”
Dave Gordin and Derek Baker each scored two goals for Omenica in an 8-7 loss to Smithers on Sunday.
The seven-team CIHL is now in its fourth season. Other teams include the Houston Luckies, Hazelton Wolverines, Terrace River Kings, Williams Lake Stampeders, Kitimat Ice Demons and Prince Rupert Rampage. The teams will be playing for the Coy Cup senior double-A provincial title in March.
“I played for the (Fort St. James) Stars a few years ago when we won two Coy Cups in three years and the league is pretty comparable,” said Floris. “Lots of teams get a chance to practice and we don’t. We have guys from Quesnel, Prince George, Fraser Lake and (Vanderhoof).
“The only practice time we get is the 15-minute warm-up. But guys continue to hang around because they want to play at as high a level as they can.”
Names on the Ice roster familiar to Prince George fans include former Spruce Kings defenceman Ryan Hill and forward Shaun Fomenoff; goaltender Paul Simoes, who played last season for the Cariboo Cougars; former Prince George midget forward Cam Kilbreath, and BCHL veteran forwards Paul Girodat, Darryl Gagnon and Joel Boyetchko.
The Steelheads have several players with Prince George ties, including former Spruce Kings forward Darryl Young, former Prince George Cougar centre Randal Groot, and ex-Prince George midget forwards Michael Verticchio and Darnell Calfa.
But the biggest name on the Steelheads roster is also their biggest player physically -- six-foot-two, 220-pound defenceman Mike Wall. Yes, he’s that Mike Wall, the former Spruce Kings/Cougars/Everett Silvertips goaltender who played four games for the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07 after signing as a free agent in 2005. Wall was traded to Colorado in 2007 and returned to Smithers after 33 games in the AHL last season for the Lake Erie Monsters.
Wall did not make the trip to Vanderhoof.
The Ice travels to Smithers for games Saturday and Sunday. The Steelheads (5-2-0) are tied with Omineca (5-4-0) for third place, two points behind Houston in the East Division race, but have three games in hand over the Luckies. Kitimat (9-2-1) leads the West Division, eight points ahead of Terrace.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 01 December 2008 )
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