It was an eventful weekend to say the least, as the Langley Rivermen visited a couple of Interior Division opponents for some BCHL action out east. Veteran Brendan Budy and rookie goaltender Kristian Lyon put on a pair of strong performances throughout the weekend to help secure a victory over the Vernon Vipers and a tie with the Trail Smoke Eaters on the road.
Making their way out to Trail for the first matchup, the Riv found themselves down three goals early and into the first intermission. Once they came back onto the ice, the scoring committee made their presence known. Brian Scoville, Matthew Hubbarde, and Daniel O’Neill found the back of the net to bring the score back to even. League-leading scorer Kent Johnson managed to give Trail back the lead late in the second before Langley’s Tristan Fraser knotted it back up early on in the third. Around halfway through the final frame, a devastating injury occurred to a Smoke Eaters’ player, and the game was called. Lyon stopped 11 of the 12 shots he faced in relief of Braedon Fleming. The tie is a rare occurrence in today’s BCHL, as it is not usually listed as a result in league standings due to current overtime/shootout rules.
Looking to take three out of a possible four points on the weekend set, Langley finished off the trip in style with a visit to Vernon. Budy did what he does best, opening the scoring for the Rivermen in the first. Vernon’s Connor Sleeth kept the Vipers in the game with a tally of his own later on in the period. With overtime looming late in third, Riley Wallack gave the Riv the lead and Budy hit the empty net to seal the 3-1 victory. On top of his game once again, Lyon earned his first BCHL win by stopping 19 of 20 shots on goal.
The Riv will be back on the bus this weekend as they head up to Salmon Arm to face the Silverbacks on Friday night before making the trip down south to take on the Wenatchee Wild. They will be back at home on Tuesday, December 3rd to host the Merritt Centennials at the Lodge.
Tickets for home games can be purchased online at HappsNow.com, at the George Preston Recreation Centre “The Lodge” box office 45 minutes before puck drop, and by calling 604-229-2352 or emailing tickets@langleyrivermen.com.
