The Riders pull a Rip Van Winkle, but wake in time.

The Ghostriders pull a Rip Van Winkle, but wake up in time. They play tonight at 7:30 in the next round of the payoffs against the Nelson Leafs.

Here’s what happened to get them here.

Game Two of the Series against the Kamloops Storm opened with a flurry of goals by the Fenrie Ghostriders. The Storm could not skate to their name. The Storm’s coach clearly discussed the issue of passing and not just holding on to the puck since the first game. It was too late. Trying to pass just threw the Storm off their power game and they invariably lost the puck to the smaller faster Ghostriders. The first period was a Ghostrider puck fest ending up three zip Riders.

In the second period, the Storm still tried to pass around a bit and finally made a goal. Five minutes later the Riders slid one in themselves in retaliation. In the last game, a loose puck was fought over meter by meter. In this game, the Storm seemed to back-off from fighting so furiously for the puck and remained content to steal in the middle rather than in the corners and behind the net.

At one point, the Storm held a two-man advantage in the power play with the Ghostriders only having three men on the ice. All to no avail, the play ended with the score still four to one.

With 1:12 left the Riders popped another one in the Storm goal and the second period ended five to one Ghostriders on top.

In the locker room between periods, the Storm must have been roused and revived by their coach. The Ghostriders took a nap and barely woke up in time to save the game.

The third period opened with a Storm goal and a fight in the first minute. A couple minutes later the Storm scored their second goal of the period, pulling to within two goals of the Ghostriders. The Riders skated lack lusterly, lost the puck, drove down to get it back and lost it again.

With less than 8 minutes left the Storm scored again pulling to within one. The skating took on a decidedly different tenor. The Storm driving time and time toward the Ghostrider goal only to be stopped by Smith’s great reflexes. With two minutes remaining, they drove again. Passing, actually keeping the puck and sliding it by the Riders. The puck ended up under a pile in front of the goal saving the Ghostriders one more time.

With time running out, the passing game actually appearing to work, the Storm coach took a calculated risk. Pulling the goalie, he put six offensive payers on the ices and drove again to the Fernie goal. After almost a minute of furious passing skating and checking, the Ghostriders came up with the puck, passing and skating fast, scored in the empty goal.

With that, the coach put the goalie back in and they played the last minute of the game. The Ghostriders won six to four.

The next game in the best of five series would be played in Kamloops.

It appeared the bus ride to Kamloops lulled the Ghostriders to sleep again. In the first period Kamloops scored two unanswered goals. While the Zamboni swung around the rink, the teams retired to the locker rooms.

With the game and the series literally on the line, the Ghostriders woke up and played their usual skate-like-smoke pass it around hockey. Shutting out the Storm in the last two periods, they scored four unanswered goals to win the game four to two and clinch the series in anther sweep.

Next will be the Top Dog in the region. The Nelson Leafs. Nelson finished at the top of the division with 82 points, only two points ahead of the Ghostriders with 80.

It should be a great series coming up. Head on down.

The Ghostriders woke up and are playing hockey again.