A win and your in!
And that is exactly what the Falher Pirates did Jan. 23 as they defeated the visiting Fort St. John Flyers 5-2 to clinch a berth in the NPHL playoffs.
And they did it in dominant fashion leading 2-0 after one period and 3-0 after two before building a 5-0 lead in the third.
Walker Cote scored twice while Jayden Rothwell scored his first of the season. Matts Maisonneuve also scored as did Tyson Tokarz.
Todd Gunther and Adam Horst scored in the final 12 minutes for the Flyers to break the shutout bid of goaltender Chris Key who stopped 29 of 31 shots. Horst’s goal gave him the all-time scoring lead in Flyers NNPH history with 118 goals.
The Pirates currently sit in sixth place but can place anywhere from third to seventh as the league enters its final week. The Pirates will play either Dawson Creek, Manning, Grande Prairie, Spirit River, Valleyview or High Prairie in the playoffs.
The defending champion Pirates end the regular season this week with a home game vs Dawson Creek Jan. 30 before going to Grande Prairie Jan. 31.
Chris Clegg
South Peace News