Township of Langley, BC (Sunday, January 11, 2015) – It took 42 regular season games, but the Langley Rivermen can finally say they’re atop the BCHL Mainland Division after a convincing 5-1 win over the Chilliwack Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at the Langley Events Centre.
A career night for Matthew Graham, who scored twice and added two assists while Zac Masson scored two goals to lead the way. The two teams finished their third games in as many days with the Rivermen winning the last two matchups to take four of six important divisional points this weekend.
“The puck were bouncing our way today,” said Graham. “It was a fun game to be a part of and it was nice to see our line rewarded for our efforts.”
“I’m happy with the way we played,” said Head Coach and General Manager Bobby Henderson. “We started strong, played a full 60 minutes and beat a good Chilliwack team.”
Langley was up 3-0 after the first period thanks to two goals by Graham and one by Marcus Vela. The teams traded goals in the second and Masson scored the lone goal of the third period in another heated game between these two rivals.
Tempers started to flare last night including some comments from the stands. Today saw more of the same on-ice physicality and after the whistle scrums, which escalated in the third period.
“In a game like that, it’s important not to lose your composure,” said Masson. “I thought we kept our cool and that’s one of the reasons we got the win.”
“This was a great test for us,” said Henderson. “We got to see what the boys were made out of and they took advantage of it.”
Bo Didur had another solid performance stopping 28 shots to pick up his 14th win of the season. With the win, Langley is in first place with 49 points, one ahead of the Chiefs, but Chilliwack has two games in hand. These two teams will meet again next Wednesday for the seventh time this season.
“It was like a mini-playoff series,” said Masson. “We found a good way to battle through and show that when the time comes, we’ll be able to go through those tough stretches.”
The Rivermen are on the road for their next two games. On Wednesday the team travels to Merritt for a date with the Centennials and return back to the Lower Mainland as they visit the Surrey Eagles on Friday night.
NOTES: Shots on Goal: LAN 29, CHW 29. Powerplay: LAN 0-3, CHW 0-5. Saves/Shots: LAN – Bo Didur 28/29 (W), CHW – Aidan Pelino 24/29 (L). Three Stars: 1st: LAN Matt Graham, 2nd: LAN Zac Masson, 3rd: LAN Bo Didur
For details visit www.LangleyRivermen.com
###
For More Information:
Kevin Berar, Langley Events Centre, 604.396.6633, kberar@langleyeventscentre.com
Taylor Henderson, Langley Rivermen, 604.455.8892, taylor@langleyrivermen.com
