Quick start by Rampage negated by strong push back by home side Stampeders in CIHL Playoff opener

Tyler Ostrom set the pace for the Prince Rupert Rampage within the first minute of play, but it was the response from the Williams Lake Stampeders that wrote the story of opening night in the Best of Three CIHL playoff series.

Ostrom put the Rhinos on the board at the fifty eight second mark of Game Number one, with Randal Groot claiming the helper on the play, but the quick jump out of the gate for the visitors would bring short lived excitement, as the Stamps steadied themselves and then provided for three consecutive goals in the first period, taking a 3-1 lead into the dressing room.

Period Two once again saw the Rampage first to the score sheet, with Jared Meers collecting the goal on a play that had assists from Tyler Ostrom and Kory Movold, but again within three minutes the Stampeders quelled any thoughts of a second period comeback for the Prince Rupert squad, as they put another three goals in the net, providing for a 6-2 score after forty minutes of play.

The third period saw the Stamps take the opening goal of the final frame followed by two markers for the Rampage, with Randal Groot scoring at 3:02 with an assist to Tyler Ostrom making for his third point on the night.

The final Rampage goal on the evening came off the stick of Cole Morris with Jean Luc Fournier collecting the assist on the play.

The Stampeders put their final tally on the score sheet at 8:04 of the third, making the final 8-4 for the Cariboo team.

Brett Roth faced the onslaught of Stampeder scoring chances, with 49 shots recorded on the Rampage goaltender on the night, at the Williams Lake end of the rink the Rampage directed 36 shots at the Stampeders Justin Foote.

Considering the tension of an opening round playoff game, the penalty totals were rather limited on the night, with the Rampage assessed 10 minutes on five infractions, while Williams Lake players served 12 minutes in the box on six infractions.

The full score sheet from Saturday's play can be reviewed here.

The win gives Williams Lake a 1 game to none lead in the Best of three series, which means that the Prince Rupert lads will need to win on Saturday night and again on Sunday, if they hope to move forward in this years CIHL Playoffs.

Game Two is set for a puck drop of 7 PM this Saturday at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre, should they have success on Saturday, the third and final game of the Best of Three series would go on Sunday afternoon at 1 PM.

The Prince Rupert McDonald's is getting behind the playoff push on the North Coast, offering Rampage fans a chance to win a Fifty Dollar McDonalds Gift Certificate for those who drop off their entry coupons at the Rampage games Saturday or Sunday.

The Rampage are also looking to their loyal fan base at Prince Rupert schools to lend a hand in rocking the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre this weekend.

With the team taking to their social media streams over the weekend, letting fans know that if they make posters for Friday night's game, the favourite players will be standing by to offer up autographs for the creations.

Updates leading up to the weekend series can be found from the Rampage Facebook page, twitter feed and website.

You can find more items of note about the Rampage and the CIHL from our archive page here.


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