Mustangs vs River Rush preseason game shows Cariboo rivalry didn’t take a break

It was as though the Cariboo KIJHL teams’ rivalry didn’t lose a single hit during the off-season.

The preseason match-up between the Quesnel River Rush and Williams Lake Mustangs on Wednesday, September 10, was a physical one. Between the two teams, there were over 60 hits recorded, with 11 penalties, and the River Rush’s Toren Fron leading the charts in both the hits and penalty minutes categories. It’s like Cariboo KIJHL hockey never left. The game drew in a crowd of 359 to the West Fraser Centre in Quesnel.

The game went down to the wire, with Quesnel winning 5 – 4 in a shootout.

The River Rush opened the scoring with two goals within the opening three minutes. Quesnel’s first goal came from Max Kinnee, assisted by Simon Hamilton and Gavyn Schaufele, on the first power play of the game. Toren Fron scored the Rush’s second goal during the second time the Mustangs were short-handed in the opening period. Jacob McBurnie and Gage Parrell assisted Fron on the second goal.

The Rush controlled most of the first period of the game, but the Mustangs took a big step forward in the second. The Mustangs took over and punched back at Quesnel, scoring the sole goal of the second period, from Brendan Roberts, off assists from Chaz Lucas and Alberto Kellgren. Though the River Rush still outshot the Mustangs during the second period.

Colby Challan for the Rush extended their lead with an unassisted goal while the Rush were short-handed early in the third period. Williams Lake then scored three back-to-back-to-back goals. Chaz Lucas and Sam Bogle both scored off power plays. Then Tate Rigel scored just before the halfway point in the third.

The River Rush put their new big defenseman to the test after the Mustang’s third unanswered goal. The Rush slowed their pace down and took the openings as they could before putting pressure back on in the last quarter of the game. The rush’s number 12, Teigen Kelley, nearly scored on a pseudo-breakaway, which left the home crowd and Kelley himself a bit frustrated. It was Max Kinnee, the goal-scoring starter, who managed to tie the game in the last 40 seconds, to send it to overtime.

A rather uneventful overtime ensued, with neither team registering a single shot on goal, forcing the shootout. Kelley got his redemption as the Rush’s final selected shooter, scoring the game-winner.

Overall, both teams played well. The game was physical as it always seems to be when the Cariboo teams face each other. Both teams skated well for an opening game, and with only 11 penalties recorded, the game’s flow wasn’t bogged down as badly as games in the past. The organizations will have a tough time finalizing their teams’ rosters.

What stood out on both teams the most was goaltending. Quesnel’s Kaleb Miller, from Prince George, and Williams Lake’s Nathen Wilson faced 33 and 32 shots on goal, respectively, and each saved 28 during regulation time.

The next preseason games will take place over the weekend. Williams Lake is on the road to face the 100 Mile House Wranglers on Saturday, September 13, at the South Cariboo Rec Center.

Quesnel had to change their preseason game against the Merritt Centennials tonight due to bus trouble. The Rush will host the Wranglers on Sunday, September 14, at home. The Rush will face the Wranglers again, but on the road in 100 Mile House on Tuesday, September 16.