The 100 Mile House Wranglers have run into determined resistance from the Williams Lake Mustangs during the opening round of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League playoffs.
The Wranglers, who won both the Cariboo Cup and the Doug Birks Division during the regular season, faced off against divisional rivals the Mustangs twice in 100 Mile House and twice in Williams Lake last week. While the Wranglers started the series off strong with a close 2-1 victory on Friday, Feb. 28 at the South Cariboo Rec Centre the Mustangs came back for a 4-3 victory on Saturday, March 1 to tie them followed a decisive 3-1 victory on Monday, March 3 at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex. The Wranglers rallied on Tuesday, March 4, however, with a dramatic 1-0 overtime victory.
Wranglers head coach Levi Stuart said his team has had a few tough losses and needs to find ways to score greasy goals. That, aside he praised his players for their grit, especially on their overtime victory in Williams Lake.
"It was a very tight game, good hard playoff hockey. We played through a ton of adversity with guys getting hurt and killing penalties," Stuart remarked.
From the initial puck drop on Friday night, it was clear both teams were ready to give it their all. The first period proved to be an intense and exciting game with both the Mustangs and Wranglers getting chances to score, including a brief double power play for the Mustangs the Wranglers succeeded in shutting down.
Shortly after that power play opportunity the Wranglers' Nelson Webster found a hole in the Mustangs' defence and scored. Despite this, the Mustangs seemed unshaken and came at the hometown team again in the second period where neither team were able to score, despite both making several shots on net.
During the third period, the Wranglers widened their lead within the first five minutes as Jayden Ruznak chipped the puck in, much to the crowd's delight. The Mustangs kept up the pressure, however, with several penalties being issued to both teams for scuffles between plays. In the dying seconds of a double power play, Asher Lucas scored a goal for the Mustangs putting them on the board.
The Wranglers' defence held firm for the rest of the game and even the Mustangs' gamble of pulling their goalie near the end was unable to tie the game.
Saturday night the Wranglers looked to have the edge over the Mustangs initially with Riley Langille scoring the first goal of the night around two minutes into the first period, slipping it past Mustang goalie Alex Jessey. Throughout the rest of the period, there were penalties given out to both teams, though the Mustangs seemed to be taking control of the game.
Around three minutes into the second period, the Mustangs evened up the score with Noah Peers scoring on the home team's net. Following up on this momentum a few minutes later Lucas scored an unassisted goal, putting Williams Lake ahead. The Wranglers answered this goal with Rusznak scoring his second playoff goal on a power play.
During the third period, the Mustangs once more seized the initiative with Declan Pocock scoring early to claim the lead. A few minutes later the Wranglers responded with a goal of their own with Everett Boutcher tying the match. However, when the Mustangs got a power play opportunity they seized the advantage with Logan Haulk scoring the game-winning goal, leaving the score 4-3.
In Williams Lake, on Monday, March 3 the Williams Lake Mustangs took advantage of being on home ice to take the lead in the series. During the first period, neither team was able to score, however, in the second period the game kicked into high gear.
The Mustangs' Haulk scored five minutes into the period with Wranglers' captain Ethan Davey answering for 100 Mile House a few minutes later. However, the game soon turned physical with several fights and scuffles breaking out that saw several Wranglers penalized. Ultimately, Lucas was able to put the Mustangs in the lead once more going into the third period.
During the final period, there were fewer penalties as both teams seemed to play more carefully. Lucas once more scored another goal for the Mustangs with the Wranglers proving unable to score, despite making 47 shots on net during the game.
On Tuesday night the 100 Mile House Wranglers came with a chip on their shoulders. Stuart praised both the Mustangs goalie and his own Tyson Endall, noting both goalies stood on their heads. The Wranglers took over 57 shots on net throughout the game with Davey ultimately scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.
"A huge win Tuesday night," Stuart remarked after the game.
The 100 Mile House Wrangles return to home ice on Friday, March 7 for the fifth game of the series with the puck dropping at 7 p.m.
With files from Misha Mustaqeem.
