Things started out promising for the home side, Cody Cringen brought the crowd to its feet at the 9 minute mark of the opening frame converting a Jared Meers pass to collect the first goal of the season for Prince Rupert.
That opening marker was followed seven minutes later as Kory Movold showcased the form that made him one of the prominent scorers of seasons past, Movold putting the wrap on a scoring play that saw Cole Atchison and Cody Cringen gain assists for Movold's debut goal for 2017-18.
The first period also saw the Ice Demons Ryan Green assessed a boarding penalty and a misconduct for a dangerous hit along the boards, setting the scene for some occasionally chippy play throughout the game.
Kitimat didn't allow the first period deficit to weigh too heavy on them, bouncing back in period two with Jeremy Brady scoring what would be the first of three goals on the night at 11:34, followed by another second period goal just before intermission.
Period three saw both teams trade chances, with emotions on the ice boiling over at times as the Rampage and Ice Demons battled to regain the momentum on the night.
The Ice Demons struck first with Zack Carrita putting Kitimat ahead before two minutes had expired in the final period, Kory Movold evened the teams up again six minutes later with Jared Meers assisting on the goal.
The teams tightened up their defensive play towards the final minutes of the third, the rough play increasing as they did, as both goaltenders held off any would be final flourishes for full time.Overtime delivered the Ice Demons the winning marker four minutes in, with Jeremy Brady once again pivotal to the play, scoring a controversial OT goal, that had Rampage goaltender Brett Roth signalling for an interference call, a theme not shared with the officiating crew.
The goal for the Ice Demons, was much more than just a successful trip up the highway for the Kitimat squad. Considering how they had struggled significantly last season, their hard fought battle through the night provides some reassurance for the folks back home in the Aluminum city that the Ice Demons will be a much more competitive squad this year.
The finally stats package on the night highlights just how tight the game was, in the Rampage nets Brett Roth faced 23 shots on the night, while Kitimat's Nick Almeida was tested by 21 Rampage attempts.
The Ice Demons were assessed the bulk of the penalty time on the night serving 28 minutes on 10 infractions, while the Ramapge served four penalties on the night for a total of eight minutes.
Close to six hundred of the Rampage faithful were in attendance on what was a busy Saturday night in Prince Rupert.
The full summary on the night is available here.
Other scores on the weekend found the Terrace River Kings off to a strong start for the season, claiming two victories from their Cariboo road trip, the River Kings opened the season in Quesnel wit 2-1 victory over the Kangaroos, the were off to Williams Lake where they topped the Stampeders 5 to 4 on Sunday
With the first week under their belts, the Rampage now get a bye week over the Thanksgiving weekend, when they return the team will be boarding the bus for the first lengthy road excursion of the season.
The first of the two game series in the Cariboo finds the Rampage in Williams Lake on Saturday the 14th. Prince Rupert the heads to Quesnel on Sunday the 15th, that game offers a chance to explore and experience the atmosphere of the new arena that the Kangaroos play out of.
Rampage fans can follow the team's latest notes through their Facebook page here.
Items of interest from around the league can be reviewed on our CIHL News archive here, while our Rampage Results page provides the latest scores and stats notes for the Rampage through the year.
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