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Sports: Regals ground Jets
Chris Clegg
for South Peace News
The good news is the High Prairie Regals have closed to within two points of the Fairview Kings for the last playoff berth in the North Peace Hockey League’s East Division after splitting two games last week.
The bad news is they face a killer schedule down the stretch.
The Regals whipped the visiting Valleyview Jets 9-3 for the second time in a week Jan. 14 but were pounded 9-1 in Grande Prairie Jan. 16 as they faced the Athletics with a very short bench.
The Regals (6-12-0-0) trail the Kings (6-10-2-0) by two points and depending on how you look at the race down the stretch, the glass is half full or half empty.
Each team has six games left. The good news is the Regals would win any tiebreaker based on total wins although the Kings swept the four-game season series against the Regals.
The bad news is, the Kings have an easier schedule. They play Valleyview, Falher and Lakeland home and home. The Regals play Falher home and home, at Peace River and Valleyview, and home to Hythe and Lakeland. Particularly interesting is the Regals play at home to Lakeland Feb. 4 and at Falher Feb. 6 to end the season. Both arch-rivals would love nothing more than to knock the Regals out of the playoffs.
But the bottom line is the Regals have to take care of business themselves and they began the week by doing exactly that with a 9-3 win over the Jets. The Regals led 3-1 after one period despite being outshot 19-14 and 8-1 after two.
Ira Glaude, Nick Anderson and Tim Cunningham gave the Regals a 3-0 lead before Ryan Reeves tallied for the Jets.
In the second period, Daniel Belcourt scored a natural hat trick to make it 6-1. Eli Cunningham and Gladue’s second of the night in the final five minutes made it 8-1.
The Jets scored twice to begin the third. After Frazier Caron’s goal, classy forward Tracy Stewart scored to make it 8-3. It was his 601st NPHL point having reached 600 last Saturday in Valleyview in an 8-6 home ice win over Peace River.
Nick Anderson’s second of the night completed the scoring.
Also enjoying good nights on the scoresheet were Eli Cunningham, Steven Thunder and the Regals’ leading scorer, Lloyd Ah-Kim-Nachie, who each had three assists.
The script was far different in Grande Prairie as the Regals side of the gamesheet had more whiteout than a January snowstorm. Only 12 players made the trip to the Coca-Cola Centre leading to a predictable blowout. Things got so bad the third period was played straight time with the A's ahead 6-1.
Brenan Jones led the way by scoring a natural hat trick in the first period and adding a fourth straight goal in the second. He also had two assists. Other goals for Grande Prairie were scored by Tyson Beaupre, Scott Taje, Shane Mudryk, Jordon Bombier and Mark Wallman. Taje, Bombier and Kelly McLeod all added three assists.
Eli Cunningham scored High Prairie’s only goal late in the second period.
Grande Prairie enjoyed period leads of 4-0 and 6-1 and outshot the Regals 57-21. Ian Chwok suffered the loss but still make 48 saves.
The Regals play twice this week in their efforts to make the playoffs. They travel to Peace River Jan. 21 to play the Stampeders before returning home Jan. 21 to play the Falher Pirates. Before the 8:30 p.m. tilt, the Oldtimers from both clubs play at 6 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to come watch the heroes of yesterday do battle one more time.
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High Prairie Regals goaltender Ian Chwok had a good night in net Jan. 14, allowing only three goals passed him. Above, he stops a shot by Jets player Ryan Reeves late in the first period. Regals player Chris Kruger stands at the right of the net.
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