Losing twice in a weekend for just the second time this season, the Valley West Hawks have slipped into a tie for fifth place in the BC Hockey Major Midget League.
The Hawks were drubbed 6-2 by the Vancouver Chiefs Saturday evening in Coquitlam, then were blasted 7-2 by the same team Sunday afternoon at the Langley Events Centre.
Valley West went into the weekend series just four points back of the Chiefs with two games in hand, but are now eight points behind the league’s fourth-place team.
Saturday’s game was close for 40 minutes, with the two rivals tied 1-1 after the first period and the Chiefs leading 3-2 after two. Matthew Cox of White Rock scored both goals for the Hawks, each score coming on the power play to tie the game after the Chiefs took a one-goal lead.
Vancouver went ahead 3-2 with two minutes to go in the second period, then notched three unanswered goals in the third.
Four of the six Chiefs goals came while on the power play.
Vancouver was in control throughout Sunday’s match. They held a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes, and were ahead 4-2 as the game reached the second intermission. Spencer Unger got the first Hawks goal, the team’s third power play tally of the weekend. Mitch Newsome scored while shorthanded for Valley West’s third goal.
The Hawks are tied for fifth place with the Vancouver Canadians, both with 7-7-2 (won-lost-tied) records. Valley West will be looking to break the deadlock over the next three weekends, when they play three of the four teams at the bottom of the standings in the 11-team league.
They host the 6-9-1 North Island Silvertips Saturday at 7:15 p.m. and Sunday at 10:45 a.m. in the Langley Events Centre. They’re in Nelson for two games against the 2-13-1 Kootenay Ice before starting the second half of the schedule with a pair of games at the South Surrey Arena with the 1-15 Thompson Blazers.