Sunday 30 October 2011

Much Better Effort from Rivermen

In the last 2 games the effort level has been much better for the Rivermen.  Unfortunately the Rivermen were not able to get a 'W' this weekend.

On Saturday, Langley hosted Nanaimo.  Langley came out of the gates hard, but for there efforts they were only able to find the back of the net once.  The Rivermen were able to muster more shots on net which is what they will need to sustain if Langley is going to continue their good work ethic.  Langley would drop this game by a score of 4-1.

On Sunday,  the Rivermen would have to put the tough loss from the night prior behind them as they made the ferry trip over to the island for the day with a afternoon date with the Victoria Grizzlies.  This game was the best team effort of the season for both squads.  The goaltender duel was unbelievable as both goalies made great save after great save to try their best to keep their respective team in it.  But after 2 scoreless periods of play the Grizzlies would tally the first of the game and not look back.  Penalties played a factor as Langley had 10 on the night which took away most of the flow for the visiting Rivermen.  Victoria would add a empty net goal a win this game by a score of 2-0.  Once again the Rivermen could not get the puck to ripple the netting even after they put up another 34 shots.

On a side note, Saturdays game had a great turn out as it was our trick or suites night and pink at the rink night.  The kids were out in full force with their great costumes.  Lots of fun and games.

As for now your up to date.  See you at the rink.

Friday 28 October 2011

Inconsistency a Factor for Rivermen

Inconsistency has been the biggest monkey on the back for the Langley Rivermen this season.  One night Langley is far and beyond the better team with their work ethic and other nights it's like they left the work boots at home.

Last night was one of those nights.  After a beautiful start to the game with a very nice goal by Tyler Hanzlik the Rivermen work train came off the rails.  Alberni would score 7 unanswered goals and displayed their work ethic as of late as they captured their third straight win defeating the Langley Rivermen by a score of 7-1.  Yan Kalashnikov had a outstanding night with 3 goals and 1 helper earning him the games first star.

The Rivermen will look to right the ship on Saturday as they host the Nanaimo Clippers.  This is also Langley's Pink at the Rink night and Trick or Suites night as well.  Should be a great night for all.  Make sure you get your tickets by calling Brandon Astle @ (604)455-8832.  Puck drop is 7pm.  Kids make sure you get there early as the first 150 kids get a special trick or treat bag.  Just a reminder that all kids in costume will have the chance to go up the the suite floor in the first intermission and go door to door and do some early trick or treating.  I can't wait to see all the great costumes.

As for now your up to date.  See you at the rink.

Thursday 27 October 2011

Langley Rivermen Vs. Alberni Valley Bull Dogs

Tonight the Langley Rivermen host the Alberni Valley Bull Dogs @ 7pm at the LEC.  Here is a preview video for tonights game.  Make sure you get your tickets for the game by contacting Brandon Astle @ (604)455-8832.  See you tonight.

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Another First's for the Rivermen

The Langley Rivermen went into Saturdays contest with the Powell River Kings looking to get their first winning streak of the season.

The team was coming off a very good showing on Friday with a come from behind win over the Nanaimo Clippers.  It didn't take long in Saturdays contest to open up the scoring from a goal from newcomer Scott Moyer @ the 11:48 mark of the first period.  Moyers goal would be the only one the Rivermen would need to secure the win as they defeat the Powell River Kings by a score of 1-0.  The game winning goal from Moyer was his second straight game winning goal as he also had the winner versus the Clippers the night prior.  Goaltender Jim Kruger would turn away all 37 shots he faced and secure his first BCHL shutout.  The shutout was the first for the young club and the Rivermen go into this weeks games looking to extend their 2 game winning streak.

On Thursday Langley will host the Alberni Valley Bull Dogs who are 5-5-1 and only 1 point ahead of Langley in the standings for 5th spot in the Coastal Conference.  Puck drop is 7pm @ the LEC.  It will be interesting to see if Langley can continue their groove against a Bull Dogs team that the Rivermen defeated 7-1 the last time these 2 teams met 2 weeks ago.  On Saturday the Nanaimo Clippers stroll into town and you can bet they will be looking for some redemption after giving up the 2 goal lead they had against the Rivermen the week prior.  Puck drop for this game is also 7pm.  On Sunday the Rivermen make another boat trip to Victoria for a match with Victoria Grizzlies.  The last time these 2 teams met Victoria handed the Rivermen a 7-1 drubbing.  The Rivermen will have to figure out some way to shut down the big line of Ten Van Holt, Myron and Murphy if they are to have any kind of success against a Grizzlies team that seems to be coming into their own early on in the season.

On Saturday night it is Pink at the Rink night.  This event is always popular and it is for a great cause.  The 50/50 draw will be hosted by the Canadian Cancer Society's Langley Chapter for the Relay for Life.  Also that night is our Trick or Suites night.  Kids dressed up in costume will have the opportunity to visit the luxury suites and do some Trick or Treating during the first intermission.  You are not going to want to miss this night as it will be fun for the whole family.  Once again the puck drop is 7pm.  See you there.

As for now your up to date.  See you at the rink.

Saturday 22 October 2011

Rivermen Look to Make History

After struggling out of the gate this season, the Langley Rivermen are looking to make history tonight as they try once again to make it 2 in a row in the win column.  Langley hosts Powell River tonight as they get set to play their third game in as many days.

This week was mostly a travel week, having played 2 of the 3 on the Island.  The Rivermen come away with the split on the Island losing 7-1 to Victoria on Thursday night but mending the wounds Friday defeating the Nanaimo Clippers by a score of 4-3.

Tonight's game is the fourth meeting for these 2 teams.  Powell River has a very impressive defense core.  The Kings come into the contest with a record of 7-3-1 which is good for First Place in the Coastal Conference Standings.  After the win last night, the Rivermen improve their record to 4-7 and are only one point behind Alberni Valley and Nanaimo for the 6th spot.  

Also, fans tonight the Rivermen welcome two special guests, as Mr.Hockey Gordie Howe and Mr. Goalie Glenn Hall will drop the ceremonial face off.  Also, 10 lucky fans have a chance to meet and greet both Mr. Hockey and Mr. Goalie, so make sure to get your tickets because you are not going to want to miss this.  Game time tonight is 7:30pm.

As for now your up to date.  See you at the rink.

Sunday 16 October 2011

Great Bounce Back Game for the Rivermen

Less than 24 hours from losing to the Victoria Grizzlies in probably the worst offensive performance of the year so far, the Rivermen played host to the Alberni Valley Bull Dogs on Saturday night.

Alberni was coming off their 5th staright loss against Surrey the night before.  It took a little bit for the scoring to start but when it did it came in droves.  Darnell Dyck would open the scoring with his second of the year with just 29 seconds left in the first period and head to the locker room up 1-0.  In the second, Valik Chichkin would get his first BCHL career goal and Tyler Hanzlik would get his second of the year and send the Rivermen into the third period with a 3 goal lead leading 3-0.  Just like the previous 2 periods the Rivermen came out of the gate with more offensive prowl than ever before this season potting three more goals and leading this game 6-0.  Finally with 8:41 left, the Dogs would find an answer for Michael Barr and net their first of the game with a goal from Tryg Strand.  Once again with the minutes ticking down, Darnell Dyck would put this game away with his second of the night and win 7-1.  The Rivermen would hand the Dogs their 6th straight loss and move within one of the Bull Dogs for the 6th spot in the Coastal Conference Standings.

Other notes, Darnell Dyck would finish the weekends performance with a 3rd star nod on Friday and a 2nd star nod on Saturdays game.  Dyck is also on a 4 game point streak.  Michael Barr had his first career win, stopping 41 of 42 shots and was also handed the games 1st star on Saturday night.

Kids, something new this year is the launch of our Langley Rivermen Kids Club and Sign making station.  It's great to see all the creativity from all of you.  Make sure you check out the kids club/sign making table and sign up.

As for now you're up to date.  See you at the rink.

Saturday 15 October 2011

Rivermen Take it On the Chin


The Langley Rivermen had a tough go last night as they hosted the Victoria Grizzlies.  Penalties and a hot goalie at the other end definitely played a factor in this game.  Langley will look to bounce back tonight as they face the Alberni Valley Bull Dogs who are 3-4-1-0 on the season so far.  Game time is 7pm.  Come out and support your team.  As for now here is a clip from Brandon Astle, Play by Play Voice of the Rivermen with his post game wrap up.

Friday 14 October 2011

Rivermen Looking for Another Good Showing Tonight

That's right Rivermen fans.  It's Langley Rivermen game day.  Tonight the Rivermen take on the Victoria Grizzlies @ the LEC at 7pm.  Like the Rivermen,  the Grizz have also started the season off to a slow start.

The Grizzlies come into the contest just wrapping up a wonderful come from behind victory on Wednesday night when they defeated the Nanaimo Clippers 5-4 in OT.  In this game the Clippers had a 4-0 lead going into the 3rd period only to take their foot off the gas pedal and allow Victoria to storm back and tie it up 4-4 sending it to overtime.  The Grizz would make good and get the extra time marker.

If Langley is going to successful and maintain their 7th position in the standings and pull closer to the 6th spot in the standings, then they are going to have to play the full 60 minutes.  Just like they did against the Powell River Kings last Saturday.

The Rivermen will have to do their best to stay out of the penalty box as Victoria has a remarkable 10 Power Play goals on the season thus far, which is tied for first in the Coastal Conference with Surrey.

All in all tonight the Langley Rivermen need you there to make as much noise as possible and send those Grizzles hibernating.

Kids, make sure you visit our sign making station and make your extremely colorful signs.  Lets show the support out there. Go Rivermen Go!!!!!!!!

See you at the rink.

Sunday 9 October 2011

Rivermen Showed Signs of Coming Together

The weekend started off with a visit to the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex as the Rivermen took on another rival, the Coquitlam Express.  Just like the Rivermen, the Express are also a young team this year, so we knew that this was going to be a great match up.  Once again the Rivermen wasted no time flying out of the gate and would tally the first goal of the game off the stick of Mario Puskarich.  The teams would end the opening frame notched at 1-1.  In the second the teams would trade power play goals but Coquitlam would pot the extra goal of this frame and lead the Rivermen 4-3 after 40 minutes.  Early in the 3rd period the Rivermen would get into a little penalty trouble as Ryan Bakken would be given a 5 minute major for Cross Checking Coquitlam's Alex Kerfoot after Kerfoot propelled his body in to goaltender Jim Kruger which went undetected.  On the ensuing power play the Express would score 2 and not look back as they would win this game by a score of 6-3.

On Saturday the Rivermen would host their second ever home game against the Powell River Kings.  I would be lying if I said that I liked the Rivermen's chances going into this game.  The Kings came into the contest with a very impressive 6-0 record.  Now I know I am starting to sound like a broken record but once again the Langley squad came out of the gates flying and once again Mario Puskarich would tally the games first goal just 4:05 into the game.  Powell River would take the lead with 2 quick goals and lead the Rivermen after 20 minutes by a score of 2-1.  The Rivermen would come back to even in the second with a goal from Matt Esposito with a wonderful goal line pass from Mike Tebbutt to record his first ever BCHL goal.  The party would be temporarily short lived as the Kings would net another goal.  But with just 34 seconds left in the period, Mario Puskarich would pot his second goal of the game and the teams would head to the locker room by a score of 3-3.  In the 3rd period the Rivermen came out like a team possessed and a goal from Sebastien Pare and a empty net goal from Mario Puskarich for his third of the game would seal the deal and the Langley Rivermen would hand the Powell River Kings their first loss of the season by a final score of 5-3.  All in all it was nice to see the team scoring more goals.  It was also nice to see some scoring from a few more individuals.  If the Rivermen played to the potential that they played on Saturday, then teams are going to find it very hard to defeat this very hard working crew.

Also on Saturday, the Rivermen were at the Cranberry Festival in Fort Langley.  This was a great turn out as there was close to about 8000-9000 people at any given time while we were down there.  I must have taken about 300 pictures.  Just a reminder fans, that when we are at these events you can purchase tickets for the next upcoming game.

Next weekend we are at it again as we welcome the Victoria Grizzlies on Friday and the Alberni Valley Bull Dogs on Saturday.  Both games the puck drop is 7pm.  Hope to see you there.

As for now your up to date.  See you at the rink.

Monday 3 October 2011

Rough Weekend for Rivermen

This weekends test's proved to be too much for the young Langley Rivermen squad.  The Rivermen played 3 games in 3 nights this weekend, wrapping up a 3 game series with Surrey and starting a new 3 out of 4 games set with the Powell River Kings.

First on Friday the Langley Rivermen made there way to the South Surrey arena to face the Eagles in their last contest until November.  Langley came out strong in the first period.  But for their efforts the game remained scoreless until the second period when Brandon Morley, on a bad turnover on the PP, took the puck and completely undressed goaltender Jim Kruger for the games first goal.  Sean McGovern would give the Eagles a 2 goal cushion late in the second.  In the third it was Langley's turn to pot one in as Derek Sutliffe, on a turnover at center, went in all alone and scored one of the nicest goals I have seen in a while. With Just 3.8 seconds left and the face-off deep in the Eagles zone Austin Plevy let a hard wrist shot go and rung it off the crossbar as time expired handing the Eagles their second victory of the season.

On Saturday the Rivermen made the trip out to Powell River's Hap Parker Arena for the first of 2 games this weekend.  Langley once again came out strong but were not rewarded for their efforts as this game was scoreless after the first period of play.  In the second, Powell River's Jarryd Leung potted his first ever BCHL goal and gave the Kings a 1-0 lead going into the final frame.  In the third, it seemed that Leung's goal took the Rivermen out of the game and the Kings would score 4 more in the period and cruise to a 5-0 win.  Goaltender Jamie Phillips recorded his first shut out of the season and the first shut out of the BCHL this season thus far.

On Sunday, The Rivermen were looking to put the previous game behind them with a stronger effort.  And although the Langley squad played better the Kings seemed to be too much for the team to handle as Powell River posted a 3-0 win, the second shut out in as many games.  If you are going to take something positive out of this weekends action is that the Rivermen had many scoring chances they just couldn't seem to get the puck past these very good goaltenders.  I would expect the Rivermen to work on turnovers and shooting the puck a lot this week in practice.

This weekend the Rivermen pay a visit out to Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre when they face off against the Coquitlam Express.  Then on Saturday, Langley makes their way back home to face the Powell River Kings. Puck drops at 7pm @ the LEC.

On Saturday I will be out at the Cranberry Festval in Fort Langley.  This event draws 15000 - 20000 a year so come on out for food, fun and games.  I would love to see you all there.  Bring your cameras and get a picture with me.

As for now you are up to date.  See you at the rink.