Media Update
Release date: Thursday, May 3, 2017
Game No. 9
Battlefords Keeps Season Alive In 3-0 Victory Over Chilliwack
By: Trevor Miller
PENTICTON, B.C. – The Battlefords North Stars needed a victory on Thursday afternoon against the Chilliwack Chiefs at the South Okanagan Events Centre and they got just that with a 3-0 win and their first of the Western Canada Cup.
Layne Young scored twice in what he hoped would not be his last Junior ‘A’ hockey game as the 20-year-old paced the North Stars offensively on the day while a 17-year-old in Joel Gryzbowski stopped all 22 shots he faced to give Battlefords their first ever WCC win and keep their season alive for at least a few more hours.
Battlefords opened the scoring in the late stages of the opening period off a nice deflection in the high slot from Layne Young, tipping home a slap pass off the stick of Cody Spagarud for a 1-0 lead at the 17:03 mark. The goal came on Chiefs goaltender Mathieu Caron, a 16-year-old AP who got the start on a day where the Chiefs scratched a handful of players in a game that would not move the Chilliwack up or down in the standings.
That was the only scoring in the first period as well as holding up as the only marker through 40 minutes as Battlefords pressed in the middle stanza but were stonewalled by the young AP netminder of the Chiefs, including a big save midway through the period on Coby Downs.
Chilliwack pushed for a tying goal throughout the course of the 3rd period, including a point in which they outshot the North Stars by a 7-0 margin, but Gryzbowski was up to the task, keeping the slim 1-0 lead intact for the SJHL champions.
The North Stars extended their lead to two goals thanks to a wrist shot off the stick of Keaton Holinaty as his shot from the high slot beat Caron over the glove side for his 3rd goal of the tournament and giving Battlefords a 2-0 advantage with just 2:26 to play in regulation.
Layne Young added his second goal of the game into the empty net with 38 seconds remaining to preserve a 3-0 victory for the North Stars, their first of the 2017 Western Canada Cup and keep their playoff hopes alive in search of a spot in the 3rd vs. 4th place game on Saturday afternoon.
Battlefords can move onto Saturday’s action, but they will need a little help, as the late game on Thursday night, and the final one of round robin play, will decide who moves onto Saturday. If either Penticton or Portage win in regulation in their game on Thursday night, the winning team will play Battlefords in the 3rd vs. 4th place game at 2:00 PM PST on Saturday. If the Penticton vs. Portage game goes into overtime, no matter the result, it will be the Vees and the Terriers on Saturday afternoon.
All Western Canada Cup contests will be streamed live online, or on demand, at HockeyTV.com.
