Being a hockey parent is a bit like delivering the mail: you have to carry your charges through sleet and ice and dread of night.

This weekend was no different as the parents of the Jasper Atom Bears braved the skating rink, also known as Highway 43, to take on the Fox Creek Bulldogs and the Mayerthorpe Vipers in a two-game road swing.

First up were the Fox Creek Bulldogs on Saturday. Jasper played the Bulldogs in the first game of the season back in October and it was a real down-home shootout with the Bears coming out on top 9-5. This time, the goalies showed up to play for both teams in a more modest-scoring affair. Fox Creek took advantage of Jasper’s frayed highway nerves by potting two quick goals past first half goaltender Duncan McLeod. McLeod settled in nicely after that, but it took the Bear’s goal scorers longer and the first period ended with Jasper down 2-0 to Fox Creek.

Until recently this would not have been a good omen for the Bears, but they are making a living at comebacks of late, a sure sign of a team that is maturing emotionally as players and as a group. Saturday’s hero was Nathan Howes, who scored Jasper’s first goal in the second period by poking in a rebound from a Magnus Stenlund slapper from the boards. Less than a minute later, Rhys Malcolm tied the game with a nice move to evade both the Fox Creek defence and backstop.

But the Bulldogs pulled ahead again half way through the period just before the goalie changeover and the second ended 3-2 in favour of the home team. 

In period three, second-half Jasper net minder Severin Golla stoned the Bulldogs, but he needed to sweep a puck off the goal-line to do so. Jasper kept the pressure on, but Fox Creek did not make it easy. Just when it seemed the game might end 3-2, Hyunki Kim charged up the ice in his trademark fashion and pounded the equalizer in past the surprised Fox Creek backstop. And not to be left out of the day’s heroics, Elvis Gorontzy-Slack found the mark late in the period for the first Jasper lead of the game. That’s how it ended, 4-3 Bears in a game with the nerves and excitement to match the drive up.

Sunday, the Bears slipped and slid their way to Mayerthorpe to face the Vipers for the fourth matchup between these two clubs in the season series. The teams tied in the first game in Mayerthorpe, and split the next two in Jasper. This game should have been equally as tight. These are two well matched clubs and the first period was like history repeating. Jasper netminder Golla failed to track down one Viper breakaway shot and Gorontzy-Slack scored for Jasper, knotting the teams at one apiece after one.

But for rest of the game Jasper put the hammer down, and kept it down. Gorontzy-Slack scored three more times, while Kim added two and Drew Tank scored once against one goal for Mayerthorpe that came midway in the second period. Second half Jasper goalie, McLeod, who took most of the shots in this game for Jasper, stood tall in the third and the game ended Jasper 7, Mayerthorpe 2.

This was a pretty good thumping, but you can be sure that Mayerthorpe will come back flying if Jasper face them again this season. It has happened before, and it can happen again.

Indeed, next weekend, the Bears are off to our home away from home, Edson, for one game and a chance to revenge the 7-2 loss Jasper suffered against the Canadians back in November.

Read all about how history and fate treats the Bears next week.