The St. Paul Canadiens Junior B hockey team lost the team’s lone weekend game to the visiting Vegreville Rangers last Sunday by 10 - 0.
The Canadiens, currently sitting at last place in the North East Alberta Junior B Hockey League behind the eighth placed Thorhild Titans, were outshot 64 to 13 shots on goal, and also gave up a shorthanded goal to the third placed Rangers in the first period.
The team has been without a win since its Oct. 8 game against the Titans, which the boys won by a score of 5 – 2.
In last Sunday’s game, the Canadiens were short-numbered with some of the team members sick and the team plagued by injuries, said Aaron Block, the Canadiens’ head coach in an email to the Journal.
“We started well but faded given a few of our guys’ lungs were going to explode mid-second period,” said Block, adding that it has been a crazy year.
Block went on to say that hockey in St. Paul “is definitely held together by (team general manager) Gary Ward” and that Ward “keeps the Canadiens’ regular 12 to 14 players wanting to compete, despite immeasurable odds.”
Although the Canadiens are out of the playoff picture after losing to the Titans in the two teams’ last encounter on Jan. 21, the boys have another two more games to go until the end of the regular season on Feb. 6.
The Canadiens will face off against the Killam Wheat Kings this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for the team’s final home game, and will play the last game of the regular season in Lloydminster against the Bandits on Sunday.
