It was a spirited affair in a come-from behind win for the Kodiaks over a team they hadn’t beaten in two previous tries. Exactly the kind of effort Kodiak fans were hoping to see after a disappointing loss the previous night at home.

Only one goal in the first period as Dawson Rodin and the Sockeyes Quinten Paille both stood tall in their respective nets. It was the Kodiaks who struck first. Shortly after killing a penalty, Josh Pollock found the puck behind the Sockeyes net. He slipped a perfect pass to Nate Washington who converted his 6th of the year with just under seven minutes left in the opening period.

Shots 12-8 Sockeyes.

The home side tied it up thanks to a Brett Gelz tip of a Trevor Lima point shot 2:11 in.

The Sockeyes grabbed their first and only lead up two-men for 1:23. Nicholas Wick dangled his way to the front of the net and fired a lazer over Rodin’s glove midway through the second.

Cue the comeback!

The teams continued marching players into the penalty box. That led to a 4-on-4 situation. Cameron Davitt provided a gorgeous feed to Davin Padgham, who snuck up from the point to bury a quick shot past Paille. His 6th, Josh Poitras the other assist at 12:10.

Wyatt Versluis made an impact in his return after sitting out the game before. He layed out Spencer Berry with a thunderous, clean hit with 6:30 remaining.

The winner was scored with the Bears up a man. Terrific puck movement and determination led to Spencer Unger banging home his 9th with just 22 seconds left. Davitt and Padgham the helpers, although Eric Callegari had as much to do with the build up through his puck distribution. 3-2 after 40. Shots 15-8 Aldergrove.

No goals in the 3rd, but both teams made it an interesting finish. The Sockeyes took a penalty with 4 minutes left, only to have the Kodiaks return the favour some 30 seconds later. Rodin and the defense shut the door, as he made 10 saves. Paille would face 13.

Shots finished 36-30 Kodiaks.

The Kodiaks will get some much needed rest after a big chunk of the team and staff battled the flu bug this week. Another big game on Wednesday, as the Bears host the Abbotsford Pilots. The Kodiaks trail the Pilots by 6 points after 33 games, and now lead the Ridge Meadow Flames by 9 points in the race for 3rd, with Ridge holding 2 games in hand.

Article By: Warren Andrews