First game for Steel Kings

The Tumbler Ridge Steel Kings played their first game of the season on November 4 against fellow expansion team Kitimat Saax.

After the entire season was delayed a few weeks as teams struggled to get all the logistics in place, the game suffered another delay, this time about an hour, as heavy snows in the Pine Pass and generally treacherous driving conditions delayed the Kitimat bus.

At 7:30 pm, when the game was supposed to start, the first Steel King players headed onto the ice to warm up, five players and a goalie. Then a sixth showed up. Then seven. Then eight.

15 minutes after the official start, there were nine skaters and one goalie. This is the team, not quite two full lines.

The stands also started to fill up, though nowhere near full.

As people waited, team owner Lauren Barr came out onto the ice to address the crowd.

“It hasn’t been an easy road to get here, but we did it.” She said. “We have a team and a coach. Next week, we will have double the amount of players.”

She said the team still only had one billet family, and is renting two houses, and things like the season’s passes for season pass holders still aren’t ready. “But next weekend we will have a full roster,” she said. “This has been a labour of love and I thank you so much for your support.”

Kitimat showed up about half an hour later and the game finally began. The visitors got the first shot on net, an easy wrist shot from back at the blue line about a minute into the game. A few minutes later, a Tumbler player breaks away from the pack, but the puck gets away from him.

With 16:48 left in the first, Kavaye Cardinal gets the first goal of the game, of the season, and of the franchise on another breakaway, a quick snap up and over the goalie’s shoulder.

A minute later, a Kitimat goal is waved off, and the home team manages to hold onto it’s lead.

Tumbler Ridge has a good chance as a Kitimat player gets a four minute penalty for pushing, but Kitimat does a good job of keeping the Steel Kings from organizing any offence by the simple expediency of shooting the puck all the way down the ice any time they get control.

At eight minutes in, the game is tied and with four minutes left in the first, Kitimat goes up 2-1.

Neither team is in peak form. Both have had to find additional players for this game, but Kitimat has had more time together, and indeed, have already played Mackenzie last weekend.

They also have an extra skater and it shows.

Kitimat gets their third goal nine minutes into the second period. Then they score again. And again. Finally with 1:18 left in the second, Dakota Opikakew (who will be playing for Mackenzie this season) scores from just inside the blue line. The game is 6-2 after two.

Tumbler Ridge’s third and final goal in the third period is scored by Trenton Okemow, but it is too little, too late, and at the final buzzer, the score is 3-9, with Kitimat putting the puck in the net for the last time with less than a second on the clock.

Crowd reactions to the loss was fairly unanimous. “Being a new team just learning to find their footing with one another they definitely show potential. Great to see so many members of the community out to support them,” said one. “As this is their first-time playing together, there is potential, but they need to work on the team development aspect. It was still a great game, and fantastic to see so many from the community there to support them,” said another. “It’s nice to get out to watch a hockey game and see support from the community,” said a third.

Despite loosing by six, most people watching the game agree it would have been worse if the goalie had not been so sharp. That’s potentially a problem for the team as Shawn Davis plays for the Slave Lake Ice Dogs—another team owned by Barr—and was only in town for the one game.

Despite the delay, the game, when it occurred went off mostly without a hitch.

There are still larger issues. According to the GMHL West website, Tumbler Ridge was scheduled to play the Burns Lake Timbermen.

Meanwhile the Tumbler Ridge Steel Kings page has them playing the Saax, but on Saturday, Nov 5, not Friday November 4.

Barr says she’s proud of how the team did. “I took over the team on September 23 with no funds, no coach, no players and grieving for my dear friend, Andre. The pant shells couldn’t make it in the car. Everyone looked great, except for Dakota in his red pants.”

She says some ticket holders are upset because the ticket prices were lowered; “I promised to give refunds, but honest-to-God, right now I don’t even know who the season ticket holders are. I just wanted to make sure we had a game.”

She says that will be dealt with, but life is a moving target right now. The day after the game, she had to drive the goalie back to Slave Lake and another player—Dakota Opikakew—to Canoe Lake where he is starting a new job after playing one game in Mackenzie and one in Tumbler with a total of one goal and three assists in his short career.

The schedule is still in a state of flux, but everyone is pretty sure that Tumbler Ridge will be playing against Mackenzie next weekend. One game in Mackenzie, one in Tumbler Ridge. If what is posted is to be believed, they will be playing in Tumbler Ridge on Saturday. Check the website at https://www.tumblerridgejuniora.com for information.