The St. Paul Canadiens (2-8-0) played past regulation for the first time this season and came out on top with a 5-4 victory over the Killam Wheat Kings (6-3-2) in three-on-three overtime.
Dylan Loughran potted the game-winner in the dying minutes of overtime when he cashed in on his own rebound, bringing life to Clancy Richard Arena and clearing the St. Paul bench in celebration.
“I got the pass on the point and I skated hard as I could down the side. I was going to go top ched' (cheddar) but just couldn't release it and got my own rebound and tucked it right between the breadbasket," Loughran said.
The victory is only the second of the season for the Canadiens, but head coach Joe Young insists this is proof of the team's slow but continual development.
“We knew the process going into the year wasn't going to be easy, and it's still not going to be easy. We have to play our hardest every night and compete at a high level," Young said.
“I'm just extremely proud of these guys. They put in the work. I haven't been an easy guy to play for because I demand a lot out of them, but as long as we keep heading in the right direction, I'm going to be very happy."
The first period was a back-and-forth affair that saw Killam strike first only 38 seconds into the game. Jalel Abougouche answered the call for the Canadiens and evened things up, but Killam captain Richard Lansing re-established the Wheat Kings one-goal lead only 17 seconds later.
With seven minutes remaining in the opening frame, Cooper Link beat Killam goalie Brad Olsen to the back of the net to knot the game at two a piece heading into the dressing rooms.
The Canadiens came out on the ice in the second period with some fire beneath their blades, and recent addition Tanner Hellquist showed why he is such a valuable member of the team by scoring a pair of goals in just over a minute.
“If we can just keep building on what we're doing here hopefully we can string together some wins," said Hellquist.
Young notes Hellquist has a tenacious work ethic, saying, “He's an absolute gamer. His intelligence on the ice is unbelievable. He seems to be in the right position at all times."
Killam struck back to make it a one-goal game on a goal from Kyle Wandler, and with just under five minutes remaining in the third, Killam's Jordan Sand evened things up to send the game to extra time.
Habs net-minder Austin Rediron was the centre of attention in the four-on-four overtime frame, stopping an onslaught of shots from the Wheat Kings and making a number of sprawling saves to force five minutes of three-on-three.
Loughran then potted the overtime winner to put an end to the Wheat Kings comeback and to give the Canadiens a much-needed marker in the win column, bringing them to within six points of the sixth place Vermilion Tigers.
“The whole team played awesome today. Aussie (Rediron) stood on his head again," Loughran said. “It's great to finally get a win. Hopefully, we get some more wins coming up here."
