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Chiefs suffer rare setback, but score Mac's trip

Their six-game win streak is kaput. But the Vancouver Northeast Chiefs are hungry to start a new winning run on the heels of a sobering loss and tie.
Quinton Hill
Vancouver Northeast Chiefs' leading scorer Quinton Hill drives the puck towards the net during a recent game. The team remains tied for second place after a recent six-game win streak, and has qualified to compete at the Mac's Midget tournament in Calgary next month.

Their six-game win streak is kaput.

But the Vancouver Northeast Chiefs are hungry to start a new winning run on the heels of a sobering loss and tie.

Despite a 5-2 setback Saturday to the 10th-place Valley West Giants, the local Chiefs still have a toehold on second place in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League standings, tied with the Okanagan Rockets with a 9-4-2-1 record.

Head coach Jeff Urekar said the recent run was a sign of how hard the players have worked.

“I think it’s related to two things, really,” said Urekar, in his first full season as team head coach. “We’ve gotten healthier and got all our players in the lineup (two weeks ago). It’s also attributed to all the work the players have put in over the past few months.”

They struggled against a lower ranked team on Saturday, surrendering two goals in the second period after sitting tied 1-1 after 20 minutes. Logan Kurki counted both goals for the Northeast squad, which draws its players from Burnaby, New West, the Tri-Cities and Ridge Meadows.

A day later, Burnaby netminder Michael Harroch helped the squad earn a tie, with Christian Lowe and Ryan Tattle supplying the offence.

Tattle has begun to connect with his linemates, recording five goals over his past five games.

“He’s making the adjustment as a first-year player at 17,” said the coach. “He spent the first couple of weeks trying to find some consistency and getting use to the physicality of the league. The work’s paying off.”

A key to the club’s recent string has been the balanced attack and stellar netminding, noted Urekar.

“We’ve got eight players who are at a point-a-game pace, and our goaltending has been just as strong as we thought it would, with both guys (Harroch and Logan Turness) as second-year players.”

Although none are among the league’s top-10 scorers, the squad has gotten plenty of offence from each line, led by Coquitlam’s Quinton Hill, with eight goals and 13 assists in 16 games. Sitting second in team scoring is New Westminster’s Dante Ballarin with six goals and 12 assists.

The Chiefs are motivated to stay within striking distance of first-place Fraser Valley, who lead by two points. The top-five teams in the league are only separated by five points.

“We’ve kind of set a first-half goal of qualifying for the (Calgary) Mac’s Invitational tournament, which means we have to finish top-four,” said Urekar. “We pride ourselves in starting strong and we emphasize the importance of practicing hard.”

Following their tie on Sunday, it was announced the Chiefs had qualified for the elite midget tournament, which takes place during the Christmas-New Year’s break.

The squad plays host to the Kootenay Ice this weekend, for games Saturday (4:30 p.m.) and Sunday (11:30 a.m.) at Burnaby 8-Rinks.