Saturday night provided a dramatic end to the Cranbrook Bucks’ latest venture to the Fraser Valley.
The Bucks managed to outlast the Langley Rivermen to take a 4-3 shootout win in their first-ever visit to the George Preston Recreation Centre, giving them a 1-1 split to show for their two-game road trip.
The first period was more of a feeling-out process for the two unfamiliar franchises in their first-ever meeting. The Bucks outshot Langley 9-8 in the opening frame, but neither team was able to find the scoreboard.
The Rivermen opened things up with a goal from Chase Sandhu at 5:04 in the second period. Cranbrook responded with a power-play goal from Tyson Dyck to tie the game 1-1, but Langley needed just thirty-eight seconds to restore their lead at 2-1 thanks to Owen Kim’s fifth goal of the season.
The third period saw more back-and-forth action. Cranbrook tied the game 2-2 at the four-minute mark with AJ Vasko’s first goal of the season. The Rivermen got a nice goal from a slick-mitted Riley Wallack at 14:26 to restore their one-goal lead at 3-2, but the road team still had some gas in the tank. Tyson Dyck’s second goal of the night tied the game 3-3, forcing overtime.
Cranbrook’s first foray into overtime this season produced some exciting moments on both ends of the rink. The two teams would go the distance in the extra five-minute 3-on-3 overtime period, forcing a shootout to give the Bucks a chance to salvage two points for their road trip.
A Liam Hansson goal on Cranbrook’s first shootout and some stellar saves from goalie Evan Gartner provided the punch the Bucks needed to procure the hard-fought 4-3 shootout win.
The final shots count was 38-30 in favour of the Bucks. Cranbrook also pitched a perfect game on special teams; they finished 2/2 on the power play and 2/2 on the penalty kill.
Cranbrook’s record improves to 6-4 with Saturday’s win. Langley remains atop the Coastal Conference standings despite the loss at 7-1-1-2. The shootout loss put an end to the Rivermen’s four-game winning streak
The Bucks are back at Western Financial Place on Friday, November 12 for their first-ever encounter with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
Buck Tracks:
- Saturday’s game was the first time this season the Cranbrook Bucks have played past regulation time.
- Forward AJ Vasko scored his first goal of the season.
- Forward Tyson Dyck had 3 points (2g, 1a), his 14 points leads the team and is 11th overall in the BCHL.
- Cranbrook’s victory Saturday night was their first road win of the season (1-3).
- The Bucks are 3-1 versus Coastal Conference teams.
