Kitimat Demons take three of four points off Steelheads to take over first place in the CIHL western division.

While the Williams Lake Stampeders were dispatching the 100 Mile House Bears 13-6 in the eastern division of the CIHL, the Kitimat Ice Demons on Saturday tied and then, on Sunday, defeated the Smithers Steelheads to take over first place in the western division. With the three points the Demons have a one point lead over Smithers, but have two games in hand, having only played 13 games, the least of all teams in the division, except the Hazelton Wolverines. Wolverines and Demons meet four times in January wit the Demons other three remaining games against Terrace, one at Terrace and two at home. The Steelheads rallied from a 4-2 deficit at the end of the second period on goals by Dan Dykens (Mitch Pederson and Eric Smith) and Tyler Pederson (Ian Smith) to snatch a single point from the Demons Saturday. Demons did not score in the third period either on Saturday or Sunday, but on Sunday it did not matter, because they took a 6-1 lead into the third after and explosive goal barrage in the second period and eventually won, 6-2. On Saturday, Demons got off to a fast start with a goal 51 seconds into the game by Daniel Mayer (Nick Markowsky and Doug Wilson). Steelhead tied the game in the first on a breakaway goal by Casey Torbohlm (Ian Smith, Tyler Pederson) but Demons regained the lead inside a minute on a score by Terry Whelan (Nick Markowsky, Daniel Mayer). In the second, Demons added goals by Brad Owen, (Nick Markowsky, Jeff Mildenberger) and Craig Hewitson (unassisted) with 2.29 left in the period. The Demons defense were fighting the puck all night, and on two turnovers in the third, the Steelheads scraped out a 4-4 tie on scores by Dan Dykens (Mitch Pederson, Eric Smith) and Tyler Pederson (Ian Smith). In Terrace, the River Kings kept hopes for a playoff spot pulsing with a 10-2 win over the traveling east division Mackenzie Moose, but the Kings lost propulsion Sunday when the Moose came back to win 6-3. The east division’s third place team, the Houston Luckies, hoping for some help from Smithers to play catch up to the Demons, beat the Hazelton Wolverines on Hazelton Ice 7-3 on Saturday, but were shocked when they had to score a late goal to earn a late 7-7 tie on Sunday, damaging their chances of making one of the two playoff spots in the division. In Williams Lake, with few penalties called, and the Bears playing with a short bench of some 14 players, it was more a game of “pond hockey.” The 100 Mile House team pounced first on a power play as Brad Stark found the net behind Stampeder tender, Mike Taylor. However, just 33 second later, the Stampeders equalized the score as Jason Hufty converted a Nathan Zurak pass. From that point on it was all Williams Lake, with an additional seven first period goals, to make the first intermission score 8-2. Mike Kohlen, Ian Gillespi, Robin Gilbert, (2 goals), Francis Johnson, (2 goals), and Jason Hufty with his second of the period built the insurmountable lead. Kevin Cranswick would be the only other Bear’s player to record a first period goal. Over the final two periods of the game, the teams basically traded goals as Williams Lake recorded five additional goals and the Bears finding the twine behind Mike Tayor a further four times. Stampeder defenceman, Ryan Bremner would notch two goals on the night with Aaron Zurak, Wilfred Robbins and Grant Johnson finalizing the Stampeder scoring. Former Stamps player Antoine Sargent had two goals for the Bears as did teammate Arthur Paul, with Paul’s goals coming in the final minute of play to make the score somewhat more respectable. Williams Lake now has the Christmas break off before they head back into action January 6 and 7 when the Omineca Ice, (currently second in the East Division, and among the league’s best teams), make their first visit this season to the Cariboo Memorial Complex.