The Prince Rupert Rampage won two games in a row on the weekend of Jan. 20, beating out eastern division rivals the Williams Lake Stampeders and the Quesnel Kangaroos.
As the Rampage edge ever-closer to the end of the CIHL regular season, the two home wins put them one point off league leaders the Terrace River Kings, though the River Kings have a game in hand.
It was a tight affair at the Jim Ciccone Arena on Jan. 20, when the Rampage faced off against east division front-runners the Stampeders. The Rampage stormed into a 3-0 lead in the first period, with goals from Brody Hemrich, Hunter Johnson and Austin Weir.
Johnson slotted his second goal of the game halfway through the second period to seemingly put the game out of reach for the Stampeders.
However, the game was turned on its head in the third period, with the Stampeders scoring three goals in the first 10 minutes, giving the Rampage a mighty scare. The Rampage held on for a 4-3 win, keeping an impressive home record intact.
The following day, the Rampage faced off against the Kangaroos, easily dispatching the Quesnel team 4-0.
A first-period goal from tough guy Tyler Halliday was followed by three second-period tallies scored by Johnson, captain Kory Movold and Thomas Robinson. Meanwhile goalie Kieran Sharpe recorded his first shutout of the season.
The Rampage travel to the Bulkley Valley on Jan. 27 to play the Smithers Steelheads, before facing the Steelheads again at home on Feb. 3 to close out the regular season.
It is a tight race for the western division title with just two points separating Terrace and the third-place Hazelton Wolverines with Terrace at 24 points, Prince Rupert at 23 and Hazelton 22. The River Kings have three games remaining while the Wolverines have four.
Ultimately it could come down to the second to final game of the season for the league when Terrace and Hazelton have to face each other Feb. 3 in Terrace.