The Cold Lake Jr. B Ice's bid to claim a fifth successive NEAJBHL championship continued this past weekend, with the team putting up a pair of victories on home ice to keep pace with the Wainwright Bisons atop of the division.
Friday night saw the Ice absolutely destroy the visiting Frog Lake T-Birds by a score of 15-3, while two late goals from Connor Fynn and Tanner Corbeil salvaged a 4-3 overtime victory for the hometown team on Saturday in a close encounter with the Lloydminster Bandits.
Speaking to the Nouvelle following the frantic finish to Saturday's game, Ice assistant coach Corey Wandler said it was “huge” for the team to pull out another couple of victories this past weekend.
“It was absolutely vital for us to get the win here tonight (against Lloydminster) to follow up (on the victory Friday against Frog Lake) because we need to keep up with the Bisons at the top of the league,” Wandler said. “Wainwright are really rolling right now – they've won (ten straight), have two games in hand over us, so we really could not afford to drop another game (this weekend).”
He added, “I don't think we deserved to come away with the win (on Saturday), but it was nice to see character (from the team) late in the game to come through and pick up two much needed points to keep us within reach (at the top of the league).”
Having handily defeated the Ice on home territory earlier this month, the Frog Lake T-Birds arrived at the Energy Centre on Friday with a renewed sense of optimism, but that soon disappeared as a rampant Ice put up three goals in the first and six in the second to allay any fears of a T-Birds repeat. A further six goals in the third, along with three from Frog Lake, gave the Ice their biggest victory of the season thus far.
Having watched their team play some irresistible hockey on Friday night, Ice management would have been expecting much of the same the very next night but, despite taking an early lead, the Ice looked nervy and allowed the Bandits to take control of the game.
Heading into the final ten minutes of the game 3-2 behind, the Ice finally picked up their game, going close on several occasions but ultimately failing to find a way past Danton Brooks in the Bandits goal. With the seconds ticking down though, the Ice finally found a way through with Corbeil following up on a rebound to tie the game up with 15 seconds left on the clock.
That goal gave the Ice a new leash of life heading into the overtime period, but Brooks was once again proving a difficult obstacle to overcome.
After keeping out chance after chance, even Brooks could do nothing to stop the game-winning goal. Skating into the zone, Fynn's shot seemed destined for the corner of the goal before Brooks got across to block – the puck though bounced up onto the glass before dropping back onto the ice in front of the goal and trickling in.
Even though his team came away with the two points, Wandler admitted he was disappointed with the overall performance and said the team would have to improve if it wants to make a run for a fifth straight league title.
“We didn't get the game we wanted from the boys in the opening 40 minutes on Saturday, we saw some glimpses in the third and ended up getting the game-tying goal right at the end there but, if I'm being honest, I don't think we deserved to win,” Wandler said.
“We struggled at times with our (effort and intensity) and just didn't really get our flow going. It was a weird night, an awkward night, one where we were lucky (to escape with a victory).”
He added, “The guys need to realize there is never an easy night in Jr. B hockey. At their best, every single team in this league is capable of putting up a (win).
“If you don't come prepared and ready to play hockey, it's not going to be easy. You need to work for (your wins) and earn them (in this league).”
It's going to be a big week for the Ice with a road game in Onion Lake against the Border Chiefs followed by a trip to Wainwright to face the undefeated Bisons. Wandler said the team was going to have to be at its best to extend its four-game long winning streak.
“We have two huge games on the road now and it's on us to ensure we turn up and show why (we're the reigning NEAJBHL champions),” Wandler said. “We need to get back to playing simple hockey, playing (Cold Lake Ice) hockey – making sure we approach games with more passion, more energy and more drive within all four (attacking) lines and all six (defensemen).
“We need to come together and just make sure we're outworking our opponents. We do that and we're capable (of beating anybody).”
