The Score - Ice/Warriors

The Score – Kootenay 3 – Moose Jaw 1

What Happened – Kootenay outplayed a road-weary Moose Jaw club in the first period and held off the Warriors the rest of the way.

The Goaltender – Former Ice netminder Thomas Heemskerk put on a clinic in the first period, stopping 21 of 23 shots. This could’ve been over in a hurry if not for Heemskerk’s heroics.

The Goaltender Part II – Ice back goaltender Brett Teskey got the start against a tough Warrior club just three points back of the Ice in the Eastern Conference standings in a bit of an eyebrow-raising decision by Coach Kris Knoblauch. The coach must’ve played a hunch though as Teskey was solid to finish the game with his 8th win of the season. Though, to be honest, the hunch could’ve also been the 10 goals that got by Lieuwen in the two previous outings against the Jaw, both loses in the Saskatchewan city. So we’ll drop the ‘showcase’ theory for Teskey’s start against the Warriors. He wasn’t tested much in the first but held his ground and was solid in the last two periods to get the win.

Fraser – The Ice 20-year-old left during the warm-up after taking a puck in the wrist and missed the entire first period. He returned to score the empty-netter.

The Change – With 30 seconds left in the second Heemskerk was pulled by Warrior coach Dave Hunchak in a move more to get a defacto ‘time-out’ as his club started a five-on-three. After stopping 26 shots to that point the former Ice tender wasn’t getting pulled for his performance, to be sure.

The Turning Point – The aforementioned two-man advantage continued on to the start of the third period but the road-weary Warriors couldn’t convert. Teskey was there when called upon and when he wasn’t his D-men clogged lanes and blocked shots.

The Interference – Yes, Heemskerk was front and center on this night. When he wasn’t stopping pucks with some great saves Friday he was getting contacted by some former teammates in his crease. Three times he drew goaltender interference penalties. Only once did he join his former teammate (or a designate did) in the box for embellishment, the last of which sent Ice forward Drew Czerwonka nearly over the edge – who was fingered twice for the infraction.

The Crowd – 2399 – the holidays are over and, so it seems, are the bigger crowds. Really, would the addition of a Schenn or an Eakin as the trade deadline nears – superstars to bolster the line-up in a WHL championship run – make a difference in the crowds? I don’t know the answer to that question.

The Skinny – Kootenay improves to 27-11-1-2 and have won three straight, good for 57 points and second in the Eastern Conference behind Saskatoon, the WHL and first in the Central. They got help last night with the Rebels losing in a shootout to Regina and the Tigers getting smoked in Swift Current 5-0.

Up Next – The Rebels, no doubt in a surly mood after last night’s loss, make their way here Saturday night.

Rec Plex Three Stars
1. Kevin King – Wicked shot was the game-winner
2. Thomas Heemskerk – If not for him this one is over fast.
3. Luke Paulsen – Notched first goal and is quickly moving up the depth chart on the Ice blueline

Warriors 1 @ Ice 3

CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Kootenay Ice. January 7, 2011;

Kevin King scored the eventual game-winner with 8 seconds left in the first period as the Kootenay Ice defeated the Moose Jaw Warriors 3-1 in WHL action Friday night.
The Ice opened the scoring on the power play when Luke Paulsen ripped his third of the season past former Ice goaltender Thomas Heemskerk to give the Ice a 1-0 lead. With the Warriors on the power play Joe Antilla intercepted an errant Warrior pass, fed King who skated the length of the ice and ripped his 18th of the year past Heemskerk.
The Warriors got back in the game playing four-on-four in the second when Spencer Edwards notched his 19th of the year 8:31 into the period.
Matt Fraser got the empty-net goal with 14 seconds left to seal the Ice win.
Brett Teskey stopped 24 of 25 shots to get the win while Thomas Heemskerk, who kept his team in the game with 21 saves in the first period alone, stopped 35 of 37 shots in taking the loss.

First Period
1. Kootenay, Paulsen 3 (Ismond, Antilla) 17:30 (pp)
2. Kootenay, King 18 (Antilla) 19:22 (sh)

Penalties -- McNabb Ktn (tripping) 1:55, Montgomery Ktn (boarding) 8:03, Honesjsek MJ (holding) 10:08, Hood MJ (slashing) 14:27, Kornelsen MJ (hooking) 17:14, Edwards MJ Ismond Ktn (fighting) 18:07, Hurley Ktn (goaltender interference) 19:18.

Second Period
3. Moose Jaw, Edwards 19 (McIlrath, Edmundson) 8:31

Penalties -- Czerwonka Ktn (goaltender interference) Heemskerk MJ (unsportsmanlike - diving; served by Grant) 8:14, Howden MJ (roughing) 8:50, Paulsen Ktn (hooking) 18:48, King Ktn (roughing) 19:31.

Third Period
4. Kootenay, Fraser 18 (Ismond, Czerwonka) 19:46 (en)

Penalties -- Paradis MJ (holding) 2:31, Beach MJ (unsportsmanlike - diving) 6:52, Czerwonka Ktn (goaltender interference) 7:51, Wyton MJ (dbl spearing, fighting) Benoit Ktn (slashing, fighting) 19:51.


Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 23 5 10 - 38
Moose Jaw: 4 14 7 - 25

Goal -- Kootenay: Brett Teskey (W, 8-2) Moose Jaw: Thomas Heemskerk (Stone - 19:30 of second; Heemskerk 20:00 of 3rd; L, 22-13-0-2).

Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 1-7
Moose Jaw: 0-6

Referee -- Ryan Thompson, Chris Crich. Linesman -- Jeff Jobson, Sean Donnelly.

Attendance -- 2399 (4264)

Scratches --
Kootenay: John Niebrandt (healthy), Steele Boomer (leg - day-to-day).
Moose Jaw: Mackenzie Royer, Spencer Morse, Dallas Ehrhardt, Michal Hlinka,

Summary courtesy Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman