The Langley Rivermen continue to have an affinity for wanting to play past 60 minutes.
In eight junior A hockey games so far this BCHL season, the Rivermen have gone past regulation in four of those contests. And while they have yet to win a game beyond 60 minutes, the team continues piling up the ‘loser’ point after dropping a pair of 4-3 decisions over the weekend on Vancouver Island.
The Rivermen lost to the Victoria Grizzlies on Saturday night and then the Alberni Valley Bulldogs the following afternoon.
The results leave the Rivermen with a 3-1-4-0 record, good for second spot in the BCHL’s Mainland Division as the season enters its second month.
Both games saw Langley losing 3-1 after 40 minutes only to rally and force overtime.
In the first contest, the Rivermen looked as if they were heading towards a regulation loss but Alec Capstick and Nicholas Ponak — with his second of the game — scored in the final 96 seconds to force overtime.
Unfortunately, Victoria’s Marty Westhaver would pot the winner 1:22 into four-on-four hockey.
Braedon Fleming finished with 26 saves.
After falling behind 2-0 to the Bulldogs in the second period, Ponak potted his team-leading seventh goal but another Alberni Valley goal had the home side up 3-1 after two. Trevor Ayre and Ethan Leyh pulled the Rivermen even by the midway point of the third.
Brandon Bergado notched the winner at 2:53 of overtime.
Chad Cromar made 39 saves in the defeat.
Up next for the Rivermen is a home-and-home with the Coquitlam Express.
The teams play in Coquitlam on Friday and then hit the ice at the George Preston Recreation Centre on Saturday. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
sports@langleytimes.com