LAC LA BICHE - Thirteen of the top-50 points leaders in the U18 Tier 4 division of the North Eastern Alberta Hockey League are from the Lac La Biche Clippers — including the division's top points-earner Kaden Cardinal.
Averaging five points a game in the first five tilts of the U18 season, Cardinal, the team captain who wears the #10 jersey, again lead the way in last week's 7-2 win over the visiting Wainwright Bisons and Saturday's 9-4 win over the Bonnyville Pontiacs. Cardinal scored four of the Clippers seven goals in the 7-2 win, and six (including a natural hat-trick) of the nine goals in Saturday's home ice win.
The big points streak — an average of six points a game with 20 goals and 10 assists in those five games — isn't just because of the third-year player's solo efforts.
"Honestly, it's teamwork and our hustle out there that is helping to make it happen," Cardinal, told LakelandToday.ca, sharing the credit with his teammates.
When asked if he feels any difference playing this season than the previous two years he has been on the U18 team, Cardinal said the COVID-interrupted season last year might have affected the motivation for some skaters ... but not him.
"I think the COVID break — we only played two games last season — might have slowed some guys down. People might not be ready to hustle yet, they aren't used to getting back to the high-intensity ... but we are ready. We've started a good season so far and out team is pushing pretty good," he said.
Clippers coach George Berland says the team has shown a lot of determination, coming back after the long COVID break.
"I couldn’t ask to work with a better bunch of young athletes, just good kids all around with great attitudes that don’t mind a little hard work," said Berland who shares the bench with coach Aaron Hayward and manager Bonnie McDonald. "Things are looking great for the season ahead of us ... With being off for so long the team just wants to play hockey, so that makes our job easier."
B'ville re-match
The Clippers now have a record of four wins and one loss going into this weekend's re-match against the Pontiacs. The home game starts at 5 pm on Saturday at the Bold Center.
Going into the weekend, the second place points leader in the division is Onion Lake Border Chiefs' forward Taden Horse. Horse has scored 12 goals and 11 assists in his first five games. Another impressive leader-board statistic from the Lac La Biche Clippers team is the nine goals and six assists earned in just four games by forward Andrew Bailey. In the recent win against Wainwright, where Cardinal notched his four goals, Bailey scored two, and Reese Berland got the other. In Saturday's win against Bonnyville, the Clippers' remaining three goals were scored by Warren Durette, Vavila Kusnetsov and Wyatt Rutledge. The Bonnyville game also saw a hat-trick earned by the Pontiacs' Brody Tkachuk. The Pontiacs' forward is in third place in the division's points race with 17 goals and four assists in seven games this season.
Tough games
Although the Clippers have had a good start, it has come with some tough breaks as well. In the recent game against Wainwright, two players were injured — one with a broken collar bone and the other with a fractured wrist. Both players will be off the roster indefinitely.