The Courtenay Whalers played their second game of the season on Saturday September 28th against another great rivalry from Port Alberni. The meetings between the two teams have always been some of the most anticipated and quite animated ones but this first of the year was quite different. There was a presence in the building that kept the Whalers in line.
The home team came out strong in the first few minutes, bombarding the out of towner net-minder with a number of shots, coming from all angles. Alberni reciprocated eventually before the end of the first period with a few blasts toward Whalers keeper Taylor Buell. Buell stood firm in front of home camp and denied the opposition any attempt at taking the lead.
Whalers had multiple unsuccessful breakaway attempts in the first period but the second period was something else. Within 2 minutes of the puck drop, Briana Forsberg dodged around the enemy line and went straight to the goal once again to deliver another blow. But then a voice came on. The Whalers bench fell this omniscient presence and many held their breath, not wanting to miss any important words of wisdom. The sound came loud yet soft and assertive yet gentle, almost with a touch of an echo “Bert, ert, ert! Go , o, o to the net, et, et” . And right before our eyes, the plan was executed to perfection. The shot was taken, the rebound was given, and a lesson was given! Bert (Roberta Churchill) would not have dared to ignore the voice. She took the rebound like a pro and displayed a fantastique technique of “putting the puck in the back of the net“! The crowd was speechless as the voice had already vanished. It took the rest of the period for both team to refocus.
The first half of the third period saw a lot of action at the both ends without any rewarding moments. But by the force of the hockey gods, the voice wondrously came back and ordered Forsberg to use the same previously witnessed technique and to ” just put the puck in the net” ! Which she finally did without questioning! Thanks to Rachel Ducommun for pushing the puck her way! Alberni tried desperately to remain in the game with a late goal in literally the last minute, but too little too late, you lose!
Where was this voice from? Will it be back? Coach Sekulish, was it you?
Honorable mention to Ducommun, Abraham, Leck and Ralph for a great battle on the back line!
Disclaimer: The author of this article may not remember every single detail clearly. Remember this game was played almost a week ago. Please accept her apologies for any misrepresented information. The author may be going through peri menopause…Can it be? No!! Or is it. Can’t be, she still flippin plays hockey!!!
Next games will see the Whalers at the Nanaimo tournament on October 18th!
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