Ice thriving on the role of spoiler, gain split against second place Cariboo Cougars
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The Kootenay Ice continues to play the role of spoiler in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.
Mitch Foyle of Fruitvale scored twice, including the winner in the third period, as the last-place Ice edge second-place Cariboo Cougars 4-3 Saturday in action at the Kinsman Arena in Prince George.
The win was the second in as many weeks for the Ice as the cellar dwellers, 2-1-1 in the last four games, keep the top teams honest.
Last week Kootenay took three of four points from fourth-place Greater Vancouver Canadians.
However, the Ice were quickly brought back down to earth during game two of the weekend set Sunday as Cariboo trounced Kootenay 10-2.
Saturday, Kootenay looked nothing like a team traveling 15-plus hours for the weekend set.
The Ice jumped to a 2-0 lead after one period on goals by Darren Medeiros of Castlegar and Trail’s Riley Brandt.
Foyle made it 3-0 in the second before the Cougars finally solved Brett Soles of Cranbrook in the Kootenay nets.
Nathan Craft and Hayden-James Berra scored before the period ended to cut the Ice lead to 3-2.
Foyle with his second of the game increased the margin to 4-1 before Berra scored his second of the game with 37 seconds remaining in the game.
Sunday, Kootenay rallied from an early 3-0 first-period deficit with two late goals by Foyle and Jeremy McGregor of Christina Lake.
But the Cougars showed why the club is second in the hotly competitive BCMMHL, scoring five times to head into the second intermission with an 8-2 advantage.
Berra and Eli Jarvis each scored twice to lead the Cougar attack.
Kootenay, 3-23-3 on the season, face the 10th place South Island Thunderbirds this weekend in Nelson at the NDCC Arena.
Game time Saturday is 6:30 p.m. Sunday puck drops at 10 a.m.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
