Houston Luckies take advantage of late power plays to edge Ice Demons in game 1 of finals

The Houston Luckies, on a three game winning streak, took advantage of third period power plays to score three times, the last one into an empty net, to beat the Kitimat Ice Demons 6-4 in game one of the best of three CIHL final series in Houston Saturday. Demons seemed to have the better of the play overall in the first two periods and carried a 4-3 lead into the third, in what was a very exciting game, with the teams tied at 19 shots apiece and each team with six minutes in penalties. But the Ice Demons ran into a flurry of penalty problems in the third, amassing 10 minutes in the box and seeing its coach, Mike Steponavicius, first take a two minute bench minor and then get ejected from the game with just over five minutes to play. Kitimat took advantage of its speed and furious fore check in the first, and went two up on the Luckies on two goals by Daniel Mayer, assisted on the first, a power play goal, by Jeff Mildenberger and Geoff Morgan, with Houston captain, Alonzo Slaney in the box for high sticking. The goal was scored 19 second after the penalty call, with 11.37 left in the period. Four minutes later Mayer got his second, again assisted by Geoff Morgan. It looked as if the Demons were rolling, but with Kitimat defenseman Jeff Baker in the box for hooking, Derek Dinelle finished off a passing play from Jon Marren and Jason Bassani, to get the Luckies’ noisy crowd back into the game. Luckies then tied the game on Blair Dinelle’s first of two in the game, an even sided goal, at the 16.16 mark of the period. Assists went to Derek Dinelle and Marren. Shots in the period were Demons 10, Luckies 8 and each team served two two-minute penalties. In the second period Demon’s centre Darren Webb, regained the lead for Kitimat, just over two minutes into the period, assisted by Jeff Mildenberger and Geoff Morgan, his third assist in a row. That too was a power play goal, with Noah Bell sitting for two minutes for a slash. But Blair LeFebvre got that one back five minutes later, with assists to Skyler Hassell and Kyle Amonson. Demon defenseman, Jeff Mildenberger, playing an exceptional game, restored the Demons’ one goal lead two minutes later, assisted by Darren Webb. The two teams went to the dressing room for the second intermission with Demons holding the 4-3 lead. Things began to unravel for the Ice Demons in the third period when Blair Dinelle tied the game at 4-4 on the power play, with Demons two men short, with Ian Coleman in the box for hooking, along with Colt Stavos, who got two for kneeing. Coach Steponavicius attracted the attention of the referee after the Dinelle goal and earned the Demons a two minute bench penalty with 7.57 remaining in the game. And after Chris Vilness was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct (diving) penalty along with Colin Lloyd’s tripping penalty just two minutes later, the Demons’ coach was ejected. On the subsequent power play Blair LeFebvre put the puck behind Brett Vilness to give the Luckies its first lead of the game, assisted by Don McQueen and Glen Kelley. Down 5-4, assistant coach Barry Boudreault pulled goaltender Vilness for an extra attacker with a minute left, but Brandon Ophus (Blair LeFebvre and Jason Bassani) steered the puck into the Demons’ empty net with only .46 second remaining to give the Luckies a 6-4 one-game lead in the series. Shots in the third period were Ice Demons 6, Houston Luckies 10. But Demons had 10 minutes in penalties to the Luckies four minutes. The series returns to Kitimat for game two on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 8.00 p.m. and again on Sunday, if necessary, at 1.00 p.m. The Ice Demons dropped their opening game of the divisional championship series to the Smithers Steelheads but rebounded for two straight wins on home ice to challenge in the finals.