For the sake of not sounding like a broken record, the Langley Rivermen were put through the test against some very good Island Division teams this past weekend.The Rivermen ran into a hot goaltender on Friday night as Victoria Grizzlies Matthew Galajda was the biggest reason that Langley did not come out of this game with the victory. Galajda turned aside 37 of 39 shots and Victoria handed the Rivermen a 3-2 loss.
Saturday, Langley picked up where they left off the previous night with a good 60 minute plus overtime effort against the Cowichan Valley Capitals. Cam Ginnetti would tie things up late in the 2nd period and it was enough to send the game to overtime.4 on 4 solved nothing between the 2 hockey clubs but midway through the 3 on 3, Capitals forward Max Newton would find the back of the net past Langley net minder Braedon Fleming and take the 4-3 win.
The 3 game tour would end on Sunday afternoon as the Rivermen would pay their only visit to the Hap Parker Arena in Powell River against the Kings. The trip over to the Sunshine Coast is never easy for any opponent and that is evident for Langley as over the past 6 seasons wins have become few and far between and the struggles would continue. Langley would find themselves behind the 8 ball early it seemed as they trailed 3-0 after the opening 20 minutes. The Kings would add one more in the middle frame and take a 4-0 lead into the final 20 minutes of regulation. The 2 teams would exchange a goal apiece and the Rivermen would drop this one by a final score of 5-1.
It will be a busy week of practice as the guys get ready to host the Surrey Eagles at the Lodge on Saturday night. Surrey sits just 2 points behind the Rivermen in the Mainland Division Standings and Langley would like to get some separation.You can get your tickets ahead of time by getting them online at tickets.langleyrivermen.com. Game time Saturday is 6 PM.
