After dispatching the Kamloops Storm in the first round best- of-seven in five games, the Chase Heat face an annual foe in Round 2.
The 100 Mile House Wranglers finished first in the regular season and earned home-ice advantage as a result.
In the first game in the South Cariboo Capital, the home team caught the Heat sleeping at the wheel to claim a 6-1 victory.
The play was not as bad as the score indicates, but Chase only scored once off the twig of Zach Fournier from Rylan Van Unen and Josh Bourne. Nic Bruyere and Daniel Toews shared time in the twine, facing 33 shots.
Game 2 was the next night, Saturday, March 5, and a marathon of epic proportions resulted. The Wranglers got on the board first, but Braden Hughes on the power play from Kolten Moore and Trevor Okino evened things up in the second.
The Wranglers got another one in the second, before Moore in the third from Tommy Brown and Hughes notched it at 2-2.
The first overtime period passed, the second overtime flew by, and in the third overtime, after 102 minutes of play, the Wranglers scored to claim win number two.
Bruyere went the distance stopping 41 of 44; unfortunately he suffered a serious upper body injury on a collision after the winning tally.
Game 3 was teed up on a non-traditional Monday night the 7th, where 371 anxious fans took in the contest.
At the Art Holding Memorial Arena, a page was taken from Game 2. 100 Mile stormed out in the first, scoring once. Chase came back hard in the second, evening things up, with Hughes from Moore and Michael Fidanza. In the nail-biting third, the Wranglers scored, but with 2:11 left, Michael Howlett on a beauty one-timer evened things from Travis Beaubien and Brown.
Off to overtime, back-and-forth action through the first with opportunities for both teams. In the second overtime, some furious action in the goal mouth saw Beaubien be the game hero as he slid in the winner from Bourne and Hughes.
Toews went the distance in net, denying 48 of 50 pucks fired at him for the huge victory.
The series after three games in the best-of-seven is 2-1 in favour of the Wranglers. Game 4 was after press time and was played on Tuesday the 8th, with Game 5 in 100 Mile House on Thursday the 10th.
Overtime: Solid defender Braden Hughes at this point leads all KIJHL playoff scoring with five goals and five assists for 10 points. Boom Boom Beaubien is third with four goals and five assists.
Aches and pains are rampant with both squads, as the crash, bash and slash of playoff hockey, night after night, takes its toil.
Watch social media sites for the latest updates on when games are, and don’t miss any of the action as the Heat represent the Shuswap versus the Cariboo!