Stamps and Demons clinch first place in East and West. Next two weeks will sort out season's play-off pairings

With each team winning both of their week-end matches the Williams Lake Stampeders and the Kitimat Ice Demons respectively clinched their first place standings in the East and West Divisions of the Central Interior Hockey League. The Stampeders came though the toughest test, taking both ends of the double-header against the Omenica Ice in Vanderhoof, 7-6 Saturday and 5-1 Sunday. Demons did the same in Kitimat, winning two fairly easy games against the west's last-place team, the Hazelton Wolverines. Demon s took the Saturday game 12-2 ands the Sunday game 6-2. Coming off a disappointing pair of home games which saw the Stampeders take only one point against a determined Omineca Ice squad, the Stampeders headed north to do battle once again with that very same Omineca Ice club. With most prognosticators feeling it would be a very fortunate Stampeder team to even garner a single point on the road, the Stamps ventured into hostile territory looking to prove they indeed belong atop the Central Interior Hockey League standings. Saturday's affair, played in Vanderhoof, saw the two teams play a similar hard hitting and goal and penalty-filled game as was played the week previous in Williams Lake. This time however, it would be the visiting Stampeders that would take a close 7-6 victory. William Louie, ordinarily a defensive forwarded for the Stamps, proved he had some offensive skill as well, in notching a hat-trick to lead the Stamps to victory. Willie Sellars continued his undefeated record in the Williams Lake net as he upped his league leading win/loss record to 11-0-1. Sunday's game, would be played in Fraser Lake, and expectations were for a fired up Omineca Ice squad needing to take home a weekend split. Such would not be the case as the visitors up-ended the home town Ice, and walked away with a 5-1 decision and the weekend sweep. Scorers for the Stampeders included, Nathan Zurak, his brother Aaron Zurak, as well as Wilfred Robbins, Francis Johnson and Ryan Fehler, who had a productive weekend as he also notched a goal in the Saturday game. Mike Taylor played perhaps his best game of the season in back-stopping the victory. With the 2 wins, the Stampeders now sit at 15-2-1, and 31 points to lead the CIHL. The victories also clinched top spot in the Eastern Division for the Stamps who now have a couple weeks off prior to finishing out the regular season at home against the 100 Mile House Bears. Those games will be played January 27 & 28th in Williams Lake. Should the Stamps win both they will clinch top spot overall in the Central Interior Hockey League, and with that, home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Despite a Saturday night 12-2 blowout by the Kitimat Ice Demons, on Saturday night, in Tamitik Arena, the Hazelton Wolverines, added a couple of players Sunday, changed goalies and showed why they have picked up some points in the CIHL western division, despite losing 6-2, at the end of what turned out to be a decent hockey game. The Wolverines came ready to make up for the Saturday loss, and despite getting out of the first period, scoreless, the Demons prevailed late in the game for the full four points from the weekend. Kitimat found their lines were a bit shuffled due to shift work Sunday and quickly lost another two players to early-game injuries. causing coach Mike Steponavicius to go with three rotating centers. Kitimat wasn't totally on its game, and Hazelton, with at least two additional players, Skye Jones and Kirby Muldoe, seemed determined to be better than Saturday night. Hazelton, with Cody Smith in net, (he gave up only a single goal in replacing Cory Croft at the 11-1 stage in the Saturday game) maintaining a great game, he showed that a hot goaltender can keep you in contention. Smith made numerous good saves in the scoreless first period as Demons out shot the Wolverines 15-10 in the first. It was 2-1 for Demons at the end of the second as Hazelton played smart hockey blocking shots and clearing the puck relentlessly out of their own end. Smith kept up the great work in goal but with just 2.10 gone in the period, Jeremy Brady scored on a great shot to the corner behind Smith, with assists going to Ian Coleman and Mildenberger. Hazelton seemed to wait patiently for chances and a coughed-up puck by Demons in their own end opened the door for Amadee Marshall to equalize with nine minutes gone in the second, with assists to Stu Barnes and Mitch Marshall. Blaine Markwart got that one back from Ian Coleman and Brad Owen, after Craig Hewitson liberated the puck in the corner. Demons out shot the Wolverines 14-9 to illustrate how well Smith was performing in net. Demons got their game going in the third and goals by Craig Hewitson (Blaine Markwart, Jeff Mildenberger) extended the lead to 3-1 before Blaine Markwart made it 4-1 from Ian Coleman and Chris Vilness. With 12 minutes remaining Larry Skulsh put a nice one high into the top corner past Jamie Moran, to make it 4-2. Assists went to Al Tolmie and Mitch Hobensheid. But that was it for the Wolverines' heroics, although Smith made several spectacular saves, he was beaten twice more by Ian Coleman (Jeff Mildenberger, Chris Vilness and Gerard Baldo, (Craig Hewitson, Jeff Mildenberger) for the 6-2 loss. Overall shots were Demons 49, Wolverines 31 and penalties were Demons, 4 minutes, and Wolverines, 24 minutes, including a 10 minute misconduct and a two minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to Amadee Marshall, after he shot a puck at a Demon player after the play was whistled dead. These occurred in the middle period and didn't really impact on the result of the game, as the Demons eventually wore down the Wolverines' defense. On Saturday night, a curious crowd of about 900, turned out for the first meeting between the Ice Demons, last year's CIHL champions and Coy Cup provincial champions and the newest team in the CIHL West Division, the Hazelton Wolverines. Demons won the game in a rout, 12-2. Any suggestion that the Demons might be taking the Wolverines lightly was dispelled in the first period when the Demon started cautiously and didn't get a shot in the first five minutes. The Wolverines, with only 14 skaters and two goalies, started well but quickly lost their legs on the big ice surface at Tamitik and were thoroughly out played throughout the Saturday game. However, they didn't give up and kept working in an under-manned situation, as Demons kept rolling over four lines to keep fresh legs on the ice. But when the scoring started, Demons used speed and the width of the big ice to keep the short-handed Wolverines off balance, finishing the first period 6-0. Centre Alex Krekic, playing in only his fourth game for the Demons scored the first goal of the night, with just over six minutes passed, banging home a crossing play from Terry Whelan and Jeff Mildenberger, after goaltender Cory Croft made a couple of good stops. Croft heard the iron ring on a point shot from Paul Plante before Daniel Mayer, Demons' leading goal scorer, got his first of two on the night, assisted by Jeremy Brady and Gerard Baldo. Just 40 second later, Brady scored again, finishing off a similar passing play, with assists to Mayer and Baldo. Demons kept pressing and the Wolverines were looking uncomfortable with the speed and the extra size of the ice. Blaine Markwart (Ian Coleman, Paul Plante) made the score 4-0 at the 14.20 mark of the period and then on his next shift Markwart set up Craig Hewitson for the first of his hat-trick in the game. With 2.40 left in the period. The two combined again in under 35 seconds when Markwart sent Hewitson off from his own blue line, with a short pass from in front of the Demons crease and he went through the whole team for a goal that gave Croft no chance to stop. Demons out-skated and out-shot the Wolverines by a margin of 13-9, although Brett Vilness in the Demons' net was forced to make a couple of good grab saves from Amadee Marshall, Mitch Marshall and Mitch Hobenschied. The Demons added five more goals in the second period from Chris Vilness ((Alex Krekic, Terry Whelan), Ian Coleman (Blaine Markwart), Craig Hewitson (Blaine Markwart) and Gerard Baldo (Daniel Mayer), while Mitch Marshall spoiled Brett Vilness's shut-out effort at the 13.50 mark of the period, batting home and Amadee Marshall rebound. The score at the end of the second period was 11-1 Demons, with the Demons out-shooting the Wolverines by 19-6. Demons added a goal in the third, by Terry Whelan (Daniel Mayer) and Amadee Marshall got his second point of the night with a goal five minutes into the period, assisted by Stu Barnes. Wolverines put on a better effort in the third, and forced the Demons into numerous turnovers, one of which resulted in the Marshall goal. But shots were 15-6 for the Demons, resulting in a 47 to 21. It was a tame game with regards to hitting, although Demon's Scott McGregor was ejected from the game for hitting from behind on Al Tolmie, who reacted after the whistle and earned a roughing penalty to negate the advantage for the Wolverines. Total penalties called were 30 minutes to the Demons and 16 for the Wolverines. Brad Owen took a four minute penalty for an accidental high stick that cut Amadee Marshall while Ryan Muldoe sat for four minutes for spearing on Jeff Mildenberger. Demons now travel to Hazelton's smaller arena this weekend for two more games against the Wolverines. The Smithers Steelheads fell 4-2 to the Terrace River Kings, a result that could hurt their playoff chances, although Williams Lake's two wins gave the Steelheads a bit of a reprieve. Three games this coming weekend in Burns Lake and Houston will tell the playoff tale. On Friday Luckies take on the Omenica Ice in Burns Lake in one of two make-up games scheduled for the weekend. On Saturday the Luckies host the Steelheads in their second- last regular season game between the two and on Sunday, Luckies will play their third game in three nights, again taking on the Ice in a makeup game. Steelheads and Houston may well settle their final playoff positions on the last game of the season in Smithers, Jan. 27, while the Ice have a double header against the Mackenzie Moose at home. So the Luckies, the Steelheads and the Ice have their own fates in their own hands over the wind-down games of the season.