Kitimat Ice Demons take CIHL final, game one, 8-6 - but Stamps persistent comeback offense show parity is alive

There's been a lot of debate all season about how much the schedule helped the Williams Lake Stampeders win the CIHL regular season. A lot of that debate went out the window as a persistent Williams Lake came back from 4-0, 5-1 and 7-4 deficits to force Demons into an 8-6 win via a critical empty net goal with less than half a minute left in what was a very entertaining game. The Ice Demons, defending CIHL champions, took advantage of Stampeders' bus legs after the 12 hour drive from Williams Lake running up a 2-0 lead in the first period on two goals by Blaine Markwart, the first after some good passing in front of Willie Sellars in the Stampeders net. Demons on the power play, with Stu Sasges in the box for slashing, moved the puck around the perimeter and had the fans shouting for a shot. Jeff Mildenberger let one go from the left point and Markwart changed its direction. A second assist went to Craig Hewitson who started the play in the corner. Ten minutes later, after the Demons had survived a strong power play by Williams Lake, with Chris Vilness serving two for holding-the-stick, on the basis of some good shot blocking and a couple of great saves by Jamie Moran in the Demons net, the prolific winger pounced on a third rebound from Sellars and finished the play in a hectic scrum in the Stampeders' crease. Craig Hewitson again assisted. Demons out-shot the Stamps 12-8 and the expected scenario was unfolding. The Stamps showed they were finding their legs in the second period and it was a turn-around against the run of play that allowed Gerard Baldo to make the score 3-0, set up nicely in front By Daniel Mayer. Baldo's rocket along the ice went through Sellars' legs. Derek Wakita also earned an assist. The persistent Stamps picked up the play and under pressure the Demons defense was fumbling the puck and it looked as if Williams Lake might get rewarded, when again the Markwart-Coleman-Hewitson line rebounded for Markwart's hat-trick goal with 11.20 left in the period. Coleman and Doug Wilson had assists. That's when the wheels fell off the Demons juggernaut and the Stamps dug down for an all-out comeback effort. Willie Sellars was pulled and Mike Taylor came into the game in goal for the Stampeders. They pressed and finally beat Jamie Moran with 9.11 left in the period on a pretty goal by Ryan Fehler who reached with his stick to change direction on a Wilf Robbins drive, giving Moran no chance. That energized the Demons, who took only 11 seconds to get the goal back as Trent Bossence flipped a shot over Taylor, the first shot he had faced after being sent into the crease by Terry Whelan. The Stampeders went back to the attack and about that time Demons were guilty of a couple of bad changes and a number of defensive giveaways that opened the door for two goals nine seconds apart by Gilbert Robbins and Francis Johnson. Energetic Robbins finished off a nice tic-tac-toe play with Ryan Fehler and Grant Johnson on a four-on-two as Demons forwards picked the wrong moment to change. Straight off the face off the Demons made another defensive error and a turnover sent Johnson in on Moran and a cross-crease pass from Wilf Robbins gave Johnson the chance to flip the puck behind the Demons goaltender Demons tried to slow the pace, but as the league's second leading scorer Wilf Robbins intercepted a clearing pass from Jeff Baker 15 feet in front of Jamie Moran. Robbins executed a perfect deke and the score was 5-4 and the Stampeders were forging a comeback with just 2.33 left in the period and a wide margin in shots on goal for the period in favor of the Stamps. They surged forward looking for more, but as always. Demons still has gas in the tank and Brent Mailloux, with 1.36 left in the period, halted the run of Williams Lake goals by bouncing a shot off a defender behind Taylor to restore the two goal lead and the teams went to the intermission with the score at 6-4. Assists went to Terry Whelan and Jeff Mildenberger. The Demons, shaken by the loss of the big lead, tightened u defensively in the third period and launched a blistering attack on the Stamps. Both goaltenders made some nice saves before Brent Mailloux got his second goal of the game to make the score 7-4 flipping another goal behind Taylor off a pass from Daniel Mayer. Never-say-die Stamps scored on their first shot of the third period, about two minutes later, with Anthony Robbins getting the goal (Stu Sasges, Nathan Zurak). A roughing call to Paul Plante led the way to a power play goal by Robin Gilbert after a furious all-out attack saw the Stamps put several shots on and around the net. Geoff Morgan blocked a shot in front of Moran and the rebound went to Gilbert who directed a shot behind Moran, with just1.08 left in the game. Sensing the possibility of a tie and an overtime opportunity the Stampeders pulled Taylor for an extra attacker and it came back to hurt them as Craig Hewitson won the draw, battled out of his own zone and sent Ian Coleman in on the empty net for an easy goal to clinch the game. Game two goes at 3.00 p.m. in Williams Lake next Saturday and with the close finish, the Stampeders have to like their chances with home ice…but Demons will go in needing one win out of a possible two games. If needed, the second game goes Sunday Feb. 25 at 1.00 p.m.

---