Goldie's hat trick gives S'Kings a win
Cleve Dheensaw, Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, November 01, 2007

Forget Halloween. This is really spooky. Especially for opponents of the Victoria Salmon Kings and the Goldie brothers. Ash Goldie completed the hat-trick with just 12 seconds remaining in the game to give the Salmon Kings a dramatic 3-2 ECHL victory over the Bakersfield Condors last night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

Brother Wes Goldie recorded a hat-trick in Victoria's previous game on Saturday, a 4-3 win over the Las Vegas Wranglers at the Memorial Centre.

"I don't know how it went in, but it went in," said Ash Goldie, of the strange bounce that saw the puck go into the net off his body for yesterday's winner with the clock clicking down.

It is moments like this that the Save-on-Foods centre needs a video scoreboard. Most people in the building were puzzled as to how Victoria's winning goal went in and there was no way to watch a replay of it. But the 3,601 fans were happy just the same to see their club move to 3-2 while the Condors fell to 3-2-1. This is exactly the type of late goal that would have gone against the Salmon Kings in seasons past.

"It wasn't the best game. But a win is a win and there's a buzz around here now. It's a good feeling," said Ash Goldie.

After the game, mom Shani, got her two boys together for a picture on the ice before they went into the locker-room.

"She hasn't done that since we were last on the same team together [in London, Ont.] when Wes was eight and I was six," said Ash.

Goldies and goals. This is something S-Kings fans can get used to. Wes had 41 with Victoria and Ash 39 with Long Beach last season and both have four goals in five games this season.

"They like to find the net," said Victoria head coach Mark Morrison.

"Tonight it was Ash's turn. That's what they do. They score goals."

You've heard of down and dirty road wins. This was the home equivalnet for the Salmon Kings.

"A win is a win. It could have gone either way. We were sloppy and not as good as we have been," said Morrison.

"It was good to get the win because it wasn't our best performance."

Bakersfield opened scoring at 12:20 of the first period with a shorthanded goal by Erin Sonnenberg on a Victoria power play that started ugly and didn't get any better. Victoria's made its next power play count with Milan Gajic making a tremendous strength move, off a lead pass by defenceman Dylan Yeo, to assist Ash Goldie's goal at 15:55 of the first. The first period ended 1-1 but not before Bakersfield goaltender Jamie Hodson robbed Victoria captain Kiel McLeod at the buzzer.

Kevin Truelson, with a rocket launcher of a shot at 2:01 of the second period, made it 2-1 for Bakersfield off an assist from Victoria hockey product Spencer Carbery. Hodson then stopped McLeod and Gajic on clear breakaways, as he had also done with Ryan Wade in the first period.

Victoria finally converted, on yet another breakaway, when Ash Goldie made no mistake. But the former Brandon Wheat Kings junior Hodson was back to his old tricks, allowing Gajic no treat on yet another clear Victoria opportunity in a second period which ended deadlocked 2-2.

Victoria goalie Julien Ellis saved defenceman Darren Deschamps' skin, and maybe the game, with a point blank save in the third period after Deschamps had coughed up the puck.

ICE CHIPS: Craig Heisinger, GM of the AHL Manitoba Moose, was scouting the game. . . . The Salmon Kings announced highly-regarded former S-Kings defenceman Steve Lingren has been hired as part-time assistant coach.