The St. Paul Canadiens kicked off 2015 on a positive note, picking up two big wins in NEAJBHL action over the weekend. They started things off with a decisive 18-0 victory over the Saddle Lake Warriors on Friday night, and pulled off a close 6-5 win on the road against the Onion Lake Border Chiefs on Saturday.
The puck dropped in St. Paul on Jan. 2 for a matchup between the Canadiens and the Warriors. St. Paul came out to a 2-0 lead in the first, with Mikael Beaudoin and Wes Thomspon finding the back of the net in the frame. But the home team was just getting started.
“It was just one of those periods where we were trying to get out legs back, and our timing,” deMoissac said of the opening period of play.
An explosion of scoring took place in the second, with all of the goals showing up on the Canadiens’ side of the scoreboard. St. Paul netted 12 unanswered scores in the frame, making the score 14-0 heading into the third. Mikael Beaudoin added two more goals in the period, as did Jalel Abougouche. Thompson, Bryton Beattie, Jamie Wozniak, Roddy MacDougall, Darrel Stranger, Matthew Boulianne, Pierre Beaudoin, and Spencer Kilbrei also got in on the scoring action in the second.
The lopsided scoring continued into the third, with St. Paul adding four unanswered goals to their total. Dyson Roy, Pierre Beaudoin, Beattie and MacDougall each scored in the last period of play, making the final score 18-0 in favour of St. Paul.
“Our goaltending was solid,” deMoissac said. “One of the things we preach on our team is defence. It wasn’t only the defencemen, but the whole squad played a pretty solid defensive game, which is big for us.”
St. Paul Canadiens versus Onion Lake Border Chiefs
The Canadiens took their momentum on the road to Onion Lake on Saturday night, where they met up with a little more resistance. An even first period had them tied 2-2 with the Border Chiefs heading into the second. Wozniak had both of the Canadiens’ goals in the first.
By the end of the second, however, St. Paul found themselves trailing in the contest. Mikael Beaudoin had an unassisted goal in the second, but Onion Lake’s two scores in the period gave the Border Chiefs the lead heading into the third.
“We came out flying, and then we just happened to have a couple slip ups, a couple breaks, and they end up getting the puck in our net,” deMoissac said. “It’s one of those things where you have to regroup and find a way.”
The teams traded goals as the third period rolled on, with Jordyn Wozniak netting a St. Paul goal. With a little over two minutes left, however, St. Paul was still down by a score.
“It was one of those close games where in the last ten minutes we were controlling the puck and had a lot of good chances,” deMoissac said. “Finally we had a couple guys really step up and bury the puck when we needed it. It was a good sign of character, and a good positive note here with these last three weeks left.”
The game-tying goal came off the stick of Mikael Beaudoin with a mere 2:01 remaining in the third. Roy ended up netting the game-winner with a few seconds left on the clock in regulation.
According to deMoissac, the win on Saturday night should prove beneficial to the team heading into the final few weeks of regular season play.
“We have a lot of older guys, and a lot of good leaders. It’s going to help us down the stretch, winning those tough, close games, because come playoff time every game is like that,” he said.
The Canadiens have a big matchup looming on Jan. 9 in St. Paul versus the second-place Cold Lake Ice.
“We’re just going to stay the course,” deMoissac said of their preparation for Cold Lake. “Our coaching staff has a game plan, and we just want to make sure we execute it. It’s a big one, to say the least.”
Saddle Lake Warriors versus Frog Lake T-Birds
The Warriors travelled to Frog Lake on Jan. 3 for a showdown with the T-Birds. Frog Lake was the only team to find the scoreboard in the first, marking a 1-0 hockey game heading into the initial break in action.
Saddle Lake netted their first two goals of the year in the second period on Saturday night, scored by Tyler Haineault and Courtney Cook. Frog Lake, however, was able to score a few in the frame as well, and held onto a 6-2 lead after the second.
The Warriors were able to score twice in the third period, with goals by Haineault and Lane Hoff. Frog Lake was able to add to their total as well, and by the end of the game the Frog Lake T-Birds had earned themselves an 11-4 win.
