East and West Division leaders to clash for the Kal-Tire Cup

It will be the west division champion Kitimat Ice Demons against east division winners, the Williams Lake Stampeders for the Kal-Tire Cup, emblematic of the Central Interior Hockey League championship in 2007. Both teams won games on home ice this past weekend, the Stamps ousting the stubborn Omenica Ice 4-3 (in two games,) with a second overtime goal, and Demons taking two games, 6-4 Saturday and 5-3 Sunday, over the Houston Luckies. Demons needed all three games to dispose of the Luckies after Houston took the opener in Houston, 4-3 last week. The best-of-three CIHL finals will open in Kitimat on Saturday, Feb. 17 after the two teams tied for the league lead, with 33 points, but Williams Lake took the home ice advantage on the basis of one extra win. The series will continue on Feb. 24 in Williams Lake, and again on Stampeders Ice on Sunday, if needed. For the Ice Demons, the series will present an opportunity to take the Kal Tire Cup for the third year in succession - so the Stamps will be anxious to prove the improved performance in the 2006-007 season is well justified. Both teams have qualified to take part in the Coy Cup senior AA provincial championship in Rossland, March 6-10. Here's how the game was seen in Williams Lake… "In one of the most exciting games in recent Williams Lake Stampeder history, Senior AA hockey club defeated visiting Omineca Ice 4-3, and swept the Central Interior Hockey League first round playoff series, two games to none. The 400 plus fans in attendance erupted when former Williams Lake Timber Wolves player, Nathan Zurak, grabbed an offensive zone loose puck and fired a shot past the Omineca goaltender with just over 3 minutes remaining in the second overtime period to win the game, and the series. Although undermanned with just 12 players, the Omineca Ice team came to play, and were determined to tie up the series and force a third and deciding game in the series. In fact the hard working Ice built a 2-0 lead on goals from Rodney Funk and Brent McIsaac, and looked to be heading into the third period with the comfortable lead. However, with just 44 seconds remaining in the middle frame, and the Stampeders desperate for some offence, Robin Gilbert fed the Stampeders' top gun, Francis Johnson, who did not disappoint putting a bullet past the Omineca goaltender. The two teams went to the dressing room with the Ice up by a score of 2-1, and the Stampeders with some needed momentum. The Stamps continued to press the visiting Ice, but were met by a stone wall called, Brent Williams, who made save after save, frustrating the Stampeder offence. It wasn't until half-way through the final period, that the duo of Johnson and Gilbert clicked again, but this time it would be Robin Gilbert who found the back of the net knotting the game at 2-2. With time running out, it seemed the game was heading to overtime, but the plucky Ices were determined to have no part of it. With just under six minutes to play, and errant Stampeder clearing pass was met at the blue-line by an Omineca defender who fired a shot at the Stampeder net. The shot somehow eluded Willie Sellars, and the jubilant Ice thought for sure they were taking this series to another game. That is when the heroics on the afternoon began for the Stampeders. In the dying seconds of the game, a long clearing pass by the Ice was called for icing -- setting up a crucial face-off in the Omineca zone. With only 3.5 seconds remaining on the clock there was just enough time for one shot on net. Once again the Johnson, Gilbert combination clicked as Robin Gilbert took the feed from the face-off and fired a shot past a startled Brent Williams sending the Stampeder faithful into a frenzy. The first 10 minute overtime period, past quickly with both Sellars and Williams making key saves to keep the contest deadlocked. The final 20 minute overtime period found the visitors tiring, with the Stampeder dominating most of the play. It was only the heroics of Brent Williams who faced a game total of 78 Stampeder shots that kept the visitors in the match. With a shoot-out imminent, that is when Nathan Zurak performed his magic and settled the game and series once and for all. The Stamps now await the winner of the Houston Luckies, Kitimat Ice Demons series. The Luckies took game one 4-3, with the Demons recording a 6-4 home victory to equalize the series. The Kal-Tire Cup Championship final will begin on the road for the Stamps next weekend, with games 2 and 3 to be played back in Williams Lake on February 24 and 25. The game was also part of the "Hockey Day in Williams Lake promotion, in conjunction with the Williams Lake TimberWolves and Williams Lake Minor Hockey. Meanwhile, in Kitimat on Sunday, in what was dubbed the best "two way game of the season, the Kitimat Ice Demons fought off the determined Houston Luckies to win 5-3 in the third game of the CIHL first round playoff series. In Kitimat…. In what was dubbed the best "two way game of the season, the Kitimat Ice Demons fought off the determined Houston Luckies to win 5-3 in the third game of the CIHL first round playoff series. Houston had set the scene with a 4-3 win on home ice of Feb. 3, but Demons cancelled that out Saturday with a 6-4 win and worked hard to carry the series Sunday. The Luckies had not come this far to quit and showed how determined they were to put the Demons away with a goal in the first minute of the game, by Blair Lefebvre, who was a thorn for Demons in all three games. Steve Little and Derek Dinelle, assisted on the goal with only 21 seconds gone in the game. But it only took the Demons one minute and 10 seconds to get that goal back with Jeff Mildenberger scoring with a "seeing eye" shot down the middle that Luckies goaltender, Don Kenzel, likely never saw. Assists went to Terry Whelan and Ian Coleman. That was all the scoring in the first, as the teams settled in for a hard battle with some big hits and some hard skating. This was the game the fans had waited for and the roared support for their Demons throughout. Demons took the only two penalties of the period, two minutes to Craig Hewitson for hooking on the back-check and two for holding to Trent Bosssence. Houston out-shot the Demons 13-7, but Jamie Moran was having his best game of the season, after the first minute goal. Two goals by the Demons in the second period allowed Kitimat to take a 3-2 margin to the locker room at the end of the second. Demons regained the lead after three minutes on a nice backhander by captain Chris Vilness, assisted by Trent Bossence and Terry Whelan. Blair Lefebvre, with his fifth goal of the double-header, shown as unassisted, with a big crowd in Jamie Moran's crease and the goalie screened by big Dave Wilejto. The Ice Demons got that one back on a power play as Blaine Markwart and Craig Hewitson combined to set up Jeff Mildenberger for his second goal of the game down the middle. It hit someone and eluded Kenzel and the-in-the crease crosschecks that followed sent Ian Coleman for the Demons and Luckies David Gordon to the box for roughing. Again Houston out-shot the Demons 15-10 in the period, where Demons took three penalties and the Luckies four. In the third Demons added two goals, one a shorthanded breakaway by Blaine Markwart, after Craig Hewitson cleared the puck up-ice on the penalty kill. Markwart buried his patented top corner bullet and Demons were up 4-2. Markwart combined with Jeff Mildenberger to give the Demons the insurance goal they needed. Although Alonzo Slaney, who played a gritty game, with a hip injury scored a power play goal, with three minutes remaining (Blair Dinelle and Jeff Lloyd), with Craig Hewitson in the box for a questionable holding call on Blair Lefebvre. But, the Luckies were tiring and Demons just played the puck around to limit shots as they eked out the rest of the time before pouring on to the ice to congratulate Jamie Moran, who stopped 15 of 16 Luckies shots in the third, many of them on their two late power plays. On Saturday night the game itself turned out much as anticipated as the Ice Demons used speed and a hard fore-check to force the Luckies into errors. mark, on a power play, with. After referee Steve Bell waved off what looked like the first Kitimat goal by Blaine Markwart, Daniel Mayer was rewarded for the continuous Demon pressure on the Luckies' goal, when he snapped a shot behind Kenzel, with Luckies ' James Mackowichuk in the box. Assists went to Geoff Morgan and Jeff Mildenberger. But it only took about a minute before Luckies tied the score on a rare first period foray up the ice and Blair Lefebvre, to the left of goaltender Brett Vilness, converted along the ice on a nice fore-check puck recovery play by captain Alonzo Slaney. It was the Luckies third shot on goal, with Demons having had 16 at the other end. Demons went back to applying the pressure off the ensuing face off and Daniel Mayer sent Derek Wakita in alone on Kenzel and he backhanded a quick one to restore the Demons' lead within 46 seconds Luckies came right back and a defensive turnover right at the blue line allowed Lefebvre to flip and spinning puck at Vilness, who wasn't expecting it and saw it drop into the net behind him, Demons came right back, with three minutes remaining, when Ian Coleman snapped home a pass from Blaine Markwart that gave Kenzel no chance to make a save. An assist went to Craig Hewitson on the tic-tac-toe play. Just 23 seconds later Blair Lefebvre was awarded a penalty shot after being tripped coming in alone on Vilness. The goaltender made up for missing the flip shot from the blue line by stopping Lefebvre cleanly…but just when it looked like Demons were going to take a 3-2 lead out of the period, the fast-skating Lefebvre again got behind the defense and put a shot into Vilness's pads. The goalie, sliding backwards into the net took the puck with him, with only one second to go to the buzzer. Demons out-shot the Houston 18 to 7 in the period and Kitimat took eight minutes in penalties and Luckies 10. So the teams started the second period tied at 3-3 and while the Luckies stepped up the pace a bit, they were still being outworked, with Demons picking up two goals by Blaine Markwart (unassisted) after Markwart, Coleman and Hewitson came in hard on goal three times on one fast shift. Demons made it 5-3 a minute later when Terry Whelan got a clean high shot behind Kenzel after being sent in by Doug Wilson. Wilson was having a big game and energized by the goal, he scored one of his own nine minutes later carrying the puck down the right wing and coming out from the corner to put the rebound on his first shot behind Kenzel. Jeff Baker earned an assist on the play. Luckies got that one back, on another fast goal, less than half a minute later, by Glen Kelly who finished off a good passing play by Jon Marren and Blair Dinelle with a shot that beat Vilness cleanly. The two teams went to the locker rooms at the end of the period with the Demons up 6-4. Demons had 14 shots and Houston 15, while both teams seemed to have settled down to play hockey, with Demons taking two minors in the period and the Luckies, just one. The third period produced some exciting hockey, but no scoring although the Luckies pulled out all the stops, as well as goaltender Kenzel for the last minute, but Vilness made up for his shaky first period with 13 good stops and Kenzel, at the other end gave his team the chance to get back in with a strong performance between the pipes stopping 14 more Demons shots.