On Saturday evening I watched the Warriors
and the Jwrlor Smokies go at it at the arena and it
was a real ding-dong battle from start to finish.
Trail jwnped off to a 3-0 lead in the early going and
it looked bad for the home side. But it lasted for just
one period as the Warriors went on, as you probably
heard, to go up in the final couple of minutes with
two goals to take a 6-5 win away from their Trail
rivals.
It was definitely all Trail in the early going but
as time went on one could sense the home team
starting to find ways to get the puck to the Trail zone
and then move it around before unloading it into the
net. Both netminders played well with the Warrior
custodian reaching his peak at the right time. I am
beginning to pick out the boys whom I think will be
right up there in the scoring race this season. I have
my eye on several Warriors, and one or two of the
Smokies, who look as though they will be definite
assets along this line before the season is much
older. One player who I always like to watch on the
Warrior team was Gordie Stanton. He was missing
on Saturday night. I called to find out why and he
tells me he has been battling the flu bug for a little
while and it not yet back in shape but hopes to be
back soon.
One thing I enjoyed on Saturday night was the
work of the officials were really on top of their
game. Not like the previous week when I thought the
officials of that exhibition game were pretty lax in
the way they handled things. The guys this Saturday
were right on top of everything and the infractions
waere kept to a minimwn. This sort of officiating
will keep the fans happy. But I've noticed in the past
when one team takes lots of penalties that team's
fans tend to get on the officials be they right or
wrong. H they go by the book and call them the way
they see them I'm going to be happy anyway. it ain't
everything but it helps anyway.
This year the league has gotten back two teams
who were absent for various reasons last season.
Elk Valley Raiders in the East division and the
Border Bruins from Grand Forks in the west make
it a ten-team circuit. Each team will play 42 games,
21 at home and 21 away. Rossland will play homeand-home series with the East teams and four
games at home and four games way with teams in
the West. It should make for a very good schedule.
Warriors' only East opponent away from hoem in
October is Cranbrook and the month of December
sees them play Elk Valley, Colwnbia Valley and
Spokane away, between Dec. 5 and 20 and Kimberley on Jan. 8, 1988. Colwnbia Valley comes here
in November as does Kimberley. Cranbrook is a
December visitor while Elk Valley visits in January
and Spokane is the last, coming on Feb. 2, 1988. As I
said, it looks like a pretty evenly spaced schedule,
except for those Eastern visitors in December.
It seems they have a good Christmas-New Year
break, playing their last before the holiday on the
20th in Spokane and the first one back after the
holiday Jan 1, 1988 in Trail.
Meanwhile, preparations will soon get moving
to get our Retirees curling underway. I understand
a meeting is going to be held by our body as soon as
president Dan Burnett returns from the c.oast. We
now have all the information from the association
meeting so we know just about where we stand now
with regard to opening dates (approximate) and all
we need to do is preP,are, maybe add a few new
members.
The club has decided that since the time we
would have at the upper course would hardly make
it worth our while and I heard yesterday one of our
m~m~rs' dau~ters is going to take over the ·ob.

one period as the Warriors went on, as you pro~bly
heard, to go up in the final couple of minutes with
two goals to take a 6-5 win away from their Trail
rivals.
It was definitely all Trail in the early going but
as time went on one could sense the home team
starting to find ways to get the puck to the Trail zone
and then move it around before unloading it into the
net. Both netminders played well with the Warrior
custodian reaching his peak at the right time. I am
beginning to pick out the boys whom I think will be
right up there in the scoring race this season. I have
my eye on several Warriors, and one or two of the
Smokies, who look as though they will be definite
assets along this line before the season is much
older. One player who I always like to watch on the
Warrior team was Gordie Stanton. He was missing
on Saturday night. I called to find out why and he
tells me he has been battling the flu bug for a little
while and it not yet back in shape but hopes to be
back soon.
One thing I enjoyed on Saturday night was the
work of the officials were really on top of their
game. Not like the previous week when I thought the
officials of that exhibition game were pretty lax in
the way they handled things. The guys this Saturday
were right on top of everything and the infractions
waere kept to a minimum. This sort of officiating
will keep the fans happy. But I've noticed in the past
when one team takes lots of penalties that team's
fans tend to get on the officials be they right or
wrong. H they go by the book and call them the way
they see them I'm going to be happy anyway. it ain't
everything but it helps anyway.
This year the league has gotten back two teams
who were absent for various reasons last season.
Elk Valley Raiders in the East division and the
Border Bruins from Grand Forks in the west make
it a ten-team circuit. Each team will play 42 games,
21 at home and 21 away. Rossland will play homeand-home series with the East teams and four
games at home and four games way with teams in
the West. It should make for a very good schedule.
Warriors' only East opponent away from hoem in
October is Cranbrook and the month of December
sees them play Elk Valley, Columbia Valley and
Spokane away, between Dec. 5 and 20 and Kimberley on Jan. 8, 1988. Columbia Valley comes here
in November as does Kimberley. Cranbrook is a
December visitor while Elk Valley visits in January
and Spokane is the last, coming on Feb. 2, 1988. As I
said, it looks like a pretty evenly spaced schedule,
except for those Eastern visitors in December.
It seems they have a good Christmas-New Year
break, playing their last before the holiday on the
20th in Spokane and the first one back after the
holiday Jan 1, 1988 in Trail.
Meanwhile, preparations will soon get moving
to get our Retirees curling underway. I understand
a meeting is going to be held by our body as soon as
president Dan Burnett returns from the c.oast. We
now have all the information from the association
meeting so we know just about where we stand now
with regard to opening dates (approximate) and all
we need to do is preJ¥lre, maybe add a few new
members.
The club has decided that since the time we
would have at the upper course would hardly make
it worth our while and I heard yesterday one of our
members' daughters is going to take over the job.
"Good luck, Cookie! "
Yesterday, Sunday, Sam Manson organized a
Retirees' pool tourney and we had a good turnout,
the resurfacing job on the two tables at Branch 14
certainly made an improvement, I heard a lot of
comment on this suring the afternoon, so I guess it
was money well spent.
And now I think I will leave you with this, my
Rossland friends, get out and support the Warriors.
It's the least you can do.
And so, with that, I'll say,
'Til next time, then!

I

1,

I --------------------