It’s over.
After 72 games marking another WHL campaign, the Kootenay Ice wrapped up their season on a high note with a 5-0 win over the Red Deer Rebels.
It’s a bittersweet way to close the year by winning with a convincing effort over a team that bypassed them in the WHL standings to claim the final playoff spot in the Central Division.
So it goes.
The Ice united their graduating 20-year-old veterans of Colton Kroeker, Colton Veloso and Alec Baer on the top line and they all collected points, earning the nods for the three stars of the game.
“It was a real good way to end for our players to go home…for our departing veterans who have finished their WHL career all contributing in a big way and to have a great feeling, so I think it was real special for them,” said Ice head coach James Patrick.
Cameron Hausinger also had a huge night, scoring twice to end the season with 21 goals.
“Cam Hausinger got rewarded like he did all year,” Patrick continued. “He went to the front of the net and he’s been so consistent with that and he’s an example to our other guys. When we can’t score, I’m saying we got to get pucks and bodies to the blue paint and he’s one guy who’s always come through doing that.”
Goaltender Duncan McGovern wasn’t tested too frequently with only 19 shots, but he made a couple 10-bell saves that looked to be sure-fire goals.
“He was outstanding,” said Patrick. “We got up 2-0 and we gave up two two-on-ones where he made some great saves. We were guilty of getting a little careless, guilty of being on the offensive side of the puck — young guys trying to get points, I thought we had a little bit of that — but he bailed us out a couple times.”
On the other end of the ice, Rebels netminder Ethan Anders had his hands full facing 46 shots for 41 saves.
After a pregame ceremony to hand out team awards and acknowledge the graduating overage players, the game got underway.
Both teams rang shots off the iron before Kootenay struck first, and of course it came from the work of the veterans in Kroeker and Veloso, the latter who slammed home a ridiculous cross ice feed in front of the net.
With less than 30 seconds to go in the opening period, Hausinger collected his first goal of the night, poking a loose puck inside the crease across the goal line.
McGovern made one of his highlight reel saves early in the second period, absolutely stonewalling Reece Johnson in front of the crease.
Halfway through the period, Keenan and Kaeden Taphorn activated their twin powers for a shorthanded goal.
Kaeden took a pass from his brother and skated into Rebels territory for an odd man rush, attempting to feed the puck across the slot, however, it hit the stick of a Rebels defender and slipped through Anders’ five-hole.
Kootenay kept the offensive output going in the third period as Hausinger tallied his second of the night off a draw with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
However, the highlight of the night belonged to Alec Baer.
The overage forward took the puck into the Rebels’ zone, got trapped in the corner, but walked out dangled across the crease and stuffed the puck past Anders’ leg for his 30th goal of the year.
It was the second of back-to-backs against Red Deer, as Kootenay picked up a 6-2 win over the Rebels on Friday night in Alberta.
The Ice finish the season with a 27-38-5-2 record, almost doubling their win column from last year. The end of the regular season was characterized by a desperate attempt to hold onto their playoff spot, however, an 11-game losing streak sunk their chances, while the Rebels got hot and won 10 of 13 games in February.
Kootenay Ice Team Awards
Most Improved Player: Cameron Hausinger
Most Underrated Player: Colton Veloso
Rookie of the Year: Peyton Krebs
Top Defenceman: Martin Bodak
Community Relations Award: Dallas Hines
Player’s Award: Alec Baer
Most Valuable Player: Brett Davis/Colton Kroeker
Ice chips: The Rebels were without their top three point producers in Mason McCarty, Brandon Hagel and Kristian Reichel, who did not make the trek to Cranbrook. Peyton Krebs finishes the season as the WHL’s top rookie scorer with 54 points (17G & 37A in 67GP). Lethbridge Hurricanes F Dylan Cozens made it a race by only one point at 53 (22G & 31A in 57 GP).
