Smithers victories over Hazelton gives Steeleheads CIHL East Division playoff home advantage lead didn’t last much longer as Steven Little tied the game with eight minutes remaining on a nice one timer set up by Dinelle. Both teams had a few chances down the stretch, but failed to beat goalies ending the game at 3-3. Sunday saw a more determined effort from the Ice and they were rewarded with a 7-4 win against last year’s regular season champions in frigid Fraser Lake. Five minutes into the game Tyler Walsh stole a breakout pass and put a nice move on Wes Hart in goal for Luckies on Sunday to give the Ice a 1-0 lead. Jordan Campbell added to that lead when he faked a cross crease pass and then slipped his shot past Hart to put the Ice up 2-0 going into the second period. In similar fashion to Saturdays game the Luckies scored on a power play goal to get within one, before Philip Simoes scored his first of the season to regain the two goal lead for the Ice. However, once again the Luckies showed their never say die attitude and tied the score on goals by Jeff Lloyd and David Gordon knotting the game at three. But the home team would regained the lead just twelve seconds later when Tyler Walsh scored his second of the game, followed by Brent McIsaac's seventh of the season just a minute later giving the Ice a 5-3 lead heading into the break. In the third period the Ice would extend their lead to three goals when Philip Simoes scored his second of the game mid-way through the period seemingly putting the game out of reach. But with six minutes left, the Luckies made it interesting again when Derek Dinelle cut the lead to 6-4. A Jason Ruffel goal put the Ice up 7-4 with just under five minutes remaining ensuring the Ice of their first victory in four games. The Ice now prepare to host the winless 100 Mile House Bears for pair of games December 2nd and 3rd and will be hoping to extend their lead over the Mackenzie Moose. The Moose, idle this weekend, are on a three-game win streak and will be seeking this coming weekend to putting a stop to the Stampeders’ own winning streak. In an all Western Division match-up, Saturday and Sunday, the Smithers Steelheads took a four-point lead at the top of the division, winning two home-ice games against the other CIHL rookie team, the Hazelton Wolverines. The Steelheads showed some league experience and some sound hockey winning 7-3 Saturday and picked up the pace a little Sunday, with a winning margin of 8-4. It wasn’t all hockey in the cold confines of the Smithers arena Saturday, as Smithers Brendan Hutchinson and Wolverines’ Trevor Morrison tangled in a more heavyweight bout, which the Smithers crowd believed belonged to Hutchinson. Sunday Lou Parent Jr. and Steelheads Dallas Anderson participated in some extra-curricular fisticuffs and were obliged to leave the ice for the rest of the game. As a result of the weekend action, Smithers enjoys a four-point lead with 17 points, over the idle Kitimat Ice Demons in the West, while Williams Lake with its 11th win giving them 22 points have a 13 point lead over the second place Omenica Ice. The two teams meet for the first pair of four games, in the first weekend of January, so there will be plenty of time before the impact of the games can be assessed. This coming weekend, the Demons remain off the schedule, while the Terrace River Kings will face the Hazelton Wolverines in Terrace for a single match-up. Both teams will be desperate for points, so this one can be expected to be a barn-burner. The two teams don’t like each other – so expect fireworks, if not a lot of goals. Also on the agenda this coming weekend are a pair of games between the 100 Mile House Bears in Vanderhoof and a single meeting between the Houston Luckies and the Smithers Steelheads in Houston. The Steelheads will be anxious to stave off the Luckies, smarting from only a single-point from their trip to Vanderhoof.