GFBB struggle on the road
By Gerry Foster
The Grand Forks Border Bruins embarked on their first road trip the Sept. 20th weekend and the results were vastly different from their previous three game set at home a week earlier.
They faced teams in the Doug Birks Division of the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference and first up were the Chase Heat. The Heat finished second last year in their division and would be a good test for the Bruins. As it turned out the Bears flunked the test, falling behind 5-1 after two periods, before showing some signs of life by splitting 6 goals in the final period.
Scoring for Grand Forks were Kevin Moreau, Max Newton, Matt Lucero and with his first of the season, defenceman Steele Anderson from Orem, Utah. In 2013-14 Anderson was the Defensive MVP of the National Junior Prospects Hockey League in the United States.
Next up were the Sicamous Eagles and the Border Bruins had a promising start in this one as they led 3-1 after the first stanza on goals by Matt Lucero, Brandon Savaia and Tucker Brown; for Brown and Savaia their first markers of the young season.
The Eagles found their wings and outscored the Bruins 5-2 the rest of the way. Lucero with his second of the game, and rookie Kyle Doak from The Pas, Manitoba completed the Bruins scoring.
For the second weekend in a row the Bruins had to play their third contest in less than 48 hours as they faced off against the Revelstoke Grizzlies in the battle of the bears. The host squad stunned the visitors with three unanswered power play goals in the first period. To their credit Grand Forks did not quit and outscored the Grizzlies 3-2 the rest of the way.
Coleton Dawson scored twice with the other counter going to Matt Lucero. Lucero notched four goals over the weekend and now leads the Border Bruins in goals with five; he has played in only four of his team`s six games. Last year in the KIJHL this North Vancouver native played 47 games for Revelstoke.
The team has little time to rest as they play Tuesday night in Nelson; the Leafs have played only four games to date with only one of them being on the road. Following this the Bruins are home to the Spokane Braves on Friday, September 26th at 7:00. At this game the first presentations of the Dairy Queen Bruins Star of the Week will be made – a new highlight this season.
