The Fort St. John Huskies began their NWJHL semi-final series at home Friday night with a 8-1 drubbing of Dawson Creek.
With 1,003 fans in the stands at North Peace Arena, the Huskies had the game in hand with a 4-0 lead after two periods. The Kodiaks were able to score one early into the third, but the Huskies quickly buried that with four more of their own.
Colby Busche, the team's Rookie of the Year, put a hat trick on the board as well as two assists, and was the home team's game star on the night.
Kurtis Lee, the NWJHL's top scorer last season, also scored twice, while Cayden Frenette, Sam Loewen, and Jackson MacDonald each put one in the net for the Huskies in the win.
Goalie Jackson Powers turned away 16 of the 17 shots he faced, while the Huskies fired 27 shots on Kodiak netminder Andrew Harrington.
Fort St. John leads the semi-final series 1-0, with game two scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Memorial Arena in Dawson Creek. Puck drops at 2:30 p.m.
Before Friday night's game, a trio of Huskies picked up their NWJHL season awards: Kurtis Lee, league’s MVP and Top Scorer; Jackson Powers, Top Goaltender; and Brandon Modde, Top Defenceman.
Todd Alexander was also named Coach of the Year and associate coach Gary Alexander received the Al Spence Award, given to someone who has played a key role in the development of the league and its teams.
The Huskies were honoured with six out of the eight awards from the league this year after posting a historic 38-3-1 record and 77 points in the regular season.
