Facing maybe the best and worst teams in their league, the Ridge Meadows Flames enjoyed a blowout on Thursday, then the next night got blown out.
The Flames handed the winless Surrey Knights (0-21-0-01) an 8-0 drubbing on Thursday, but then on Friday hosted the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s first-place team, the Aldergrove Kodiaks, and suffered a 6-1 loss.
Coach Bayne Ryshak said his team faced “easily the worst team in the league” one night, and “easily the best team in the league” the next. The Flames weren’t able to elevate their play in time to give the Kodiaks a good game.
Defenceman Ryan Wellburn had three assists to lead the Thursday night point parade, while fellow blueliner Geoffrey So scored his first two goals of the season. Team captain Andrew Strelezki scored twice, Brandon Galbraith and Ryan MacDonald each had a goal and an assist, and Quenton Magnuson and affiliate player Jayden Genberg both scored.
Goalie Paul Tucek made 27 saves for his second shutout of the year.
On Friday, the Kodiaks took a 2-0 lead after the first period and controlled the game the rest of the way in a 6-1 win.
Zachary McKee, an 18-year-old out of Abbotsford, played his first game and scored the only Maple Ridge goal on the power play.
He joins the Flames by trade, after starting the season with the Junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies, where he had five points in 16 games.
Ryshak describes him as a solid two-way centre with good offensive upside.
This Friday’s game is the Flames annual teddy bear toss event, where fans can throw a new stuffed animal or toy onto the ice, to be donated to the children’s Christmas charities. Game time is 7:30 p.m. against Mission.