As the season enters its last quarter the Kitimat Ice Demons, with 10 wins, one loss and one shoot-out loss (both to Williams Lake) look in good shape to take the regular season title, overall, again. But the uneven schedule and two wins over the Stampeders by the Burns Lake Braves (8-5, Saturday and 4-2, Sunday) brought a big change to standings in the East Division.
Burns Lake earned a three point cushion over the Stamps, with 16 points and both teams having played 12 games. The Houston Luckies, however are just a point behind the Stampeders, with 12 points, but two games in hand on teams above them., The Luckies split a pair of weekend games with the West Division's Smithers Steelheads, as both lost at home, Smithers going down by a score of 5-3 in Smithers Friday and the Steelheads prevailing in Houston, 7-5 on Saturday.
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Terrace Captain Steve Cullis goes airborn over the Hazelton net with a little "friendly" assistance from a Hazelton player.
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The Ice Demons defeated the Prince Rupert Rampage 5-2 in a single game in Kitimat Saturday, dumping the Rampage into third place in the west, with 13 points from 12 games, three points behind the Steelheads who have played 13 games, but with a comfortable five-point lead over both the Hazelton Wolverines and the Terrace River Kings, tied for last with seven points each. Terrace pulled into a points tie with the Wolverines by courtesy of an empty net goal for an 8-5 win in a raucous affair in Terrace. The two teams meet again this weekend in the cramped quarters of the Hazelton Arena, so some team is going to be alone in last place by the weekend.
Other games this weekend include the Rampage in Smithers for a critical single West Division game, which could define playoff spots, while the Stampeders are back on the road, visiting the Houston Luckies in Saturday/Sunday tilts that in the absence of a split could mean a big change in East Division standings.
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