The two local Junior B teams took a rough ride over the weekend with three losses combined.
The Vegreville Rangers outplayed the Saddle Lake Warriors for the 9-1 win on Friday. The Wainwright Bisons defeated the Warriors 7-2 on Sunday in Saddle Lake.
Coach Tony Steinhauer said he sees “a glimmer of hope” in the team’s performance.
“The league is making us a better team. We’re learning how to play against the system,” he said. The Warriors play the Tigers in Saddle Lake on Saturday.
Cold Lake Ice outflanked the St. Paul Canadiens 12-0 on Friday night on home ice. The Ice scored two in the first, added seven in the second and topped off the win with three in the third. The rematch saw fewer penalty minutes than the last time the teams met this year in Cold Lake, with only eight infractions for the Canadiens and 11 for the Ice.
“I would have preferred 20 more minutes of penalties if it got them into the game,” said Canadiens head coach Tony Meger after the game. “Cold Lake played phenomenal. They were flying and skating hard. They were all over the ice.”
Assistant captain Justin Dubeau missed the game due to a suspension from a previous match. The coach expects Dino Meger to be back on ice this week after he took an injury.
While the Canadiens had a short bench with 15, Tony Meger said it’s no excuse. “Fifteen skaters is plenty to handle a game.”
The Thorhild Titans cancelled Saturday’s game, which will be rescheduled for December or January.
The Canadiens will travel to Killam on Friday. The Canadiens home game against Vegreville on Saturday has been rescheduled to Dec. 30 in St. Paul.
Gary Ward has resigned as the Canadiens’ manager. Team staff are splitting managing duties until the position is filled.
