Familiar faces from past and present graced the ice at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex Saturday night for the Williams Lake Stampeders Alumni Charity Game.
And, sporting a roster housing many well-known, established former Stamps, the alumni managed to sneak one past the 2019/20 team during a four on four overtime frame to win 9-8 in what proved to be an entertaining, fun filled contest for fans and players, alike.
Goaltenders Justin Foote and Dwayne Wilton joined forwards Tyrel Lucas, Stu Sasges, Francis Johnson, Nathan Zurak, Bill McGinnis, Evan Fuller, Jared Kohlen, Michael Kohlen, Dan Huska, Derek Walters, Brady Fuller and Gerald Overton, plus defencemen Aaron Zurak, Terry Duff, Cliff Philpot, Dino Lecomte, Dan Cohen and Mike Young to round out the alumni roster.
The present Williams Lake Stampeders, however, jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with goals from Justin Bond and Dylan Richardson, on a penalty shot, before Jared Kohlen put the alumni on the board off a setup from Brady Fuller.
Tyrel Lucas evened it up at two a piece to end the opening frame for the alumni, however, the Stamps jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the second on a goal from Tye Moses.
Matt Lees then made it 4-2 Stamps, but Nathan Zurak quickly cut the deficit to one minutes later. Terry Duff then tied it up at 4-4 for the alumni, before Lees added his second in the seesaw battle.
The third period saw Stamps goals from Tristan Sailor and Kaleb Boyle, while Gerald Overton notched two, and Tyrel Lucas added a single to send the game into overtime.
There, Lucas potted the game winner, setup by brothers Aaron and Nathan Zurak to end the affair 9-8.
During the first intermission, Stampeders president Kelly Kohlen presented a cheque for $1,000 to the Society of St. Vincent De Paul.
The Williams Lake Stampeders will return to regular season action on Jan. 11 when they travel to Hazelton to take on the Wolverines, followed by a clash with the Smithers Steelheads on Jan. 12 in Smithers.
Williams Lake will return home to the CMRC on Jan. 18 when they host the Prince Rupert Rampage. Puck drop for the game is 7:30 p.m.