Double Ws for the Ice

Jr B Ice win both games over the weekend

The Cold Lake Jr B Ice took the wins over the weekend; first at home on Friday versus the Lloydminster Bandits, then on the road Saturday versus the Killiam Wheat Kings. Head Coach of the Ice, Scott Hood says he’s happy for the wins, but would like to see the team play the full 60 and not have to battle back from the first.

“We have a tendency to give up a lot. We’re not coming out as hard as we could in the first period.” In both games the Ice gave up leads in the first. Friday night it was 2-0 and Saturday it was 4-1. “We battled back and got ourselves back into it,” the coach says he’s really hammering into the squad that you have to play the full game. “You’re not going to win by playing 20 or 40.”

Friday vs Bandits

On Friday night, the Bandits’  Ryan Curwin and AJ Curry opened the scoring for a 2-0 game after the first. The Ice came back hard, with Alex Antal putting in a goal from Curtis Witney and Brae Howatt. Captain Witney would get the tying goal from Jacob Bartman and Howatt. Then it was an unassisted goal from Chase Brown for the go-ahead. The Ice didn’t look back from there, Jason Hamilton from Dawson Boucher made it a 4-2 game before the end of the second.

The third was all about Howatt, the defenseman get two goals before the end of the game, for a 6-2 final over the Lloyd Bandits.

Saturday vs Wheat Kings

On Saturday the Ice traveled to Killiam to face the Wheat Kings. Killiam dominated the first period with four early goals, two from Clay Lang, and one each from Danton Davis and Craig Lynes. Having enough of that business, Alex Antal snuck in the first of three goals to give the forward a hat trick.

“We got playing a lot better and tied it up before the end of the second.” Ice goals in the second for Curtis Gullackson,  Antal and Curtis Witney, to make it a 4-4 game. “Our goalie made some big save and the guys played right to the buzzer,” in net for the Ice Saturday was Dyson Loewen who save 32 of 36 shots.

In the third it as Antal hat trick goal that would win the Ice the game. “Our guys came down the wall, there was some traffic and Antal bounced one in on an empty net,” Coach Hood says it got a little messy in front of the net for the final, game winning goal. The Wheat Kings goalie was collateral damage, getting tied up in the play, that would win Cold Lake the game with only 6 seconds left.

Upcoming

The Ice have a double header home and away weekend coming up again. The Onion Lake Border Chiefs are in town Friday for an 8:00 pm game at Imperial Oil Place and Saturday the Ice hit the road to take on the Tigers in Vermilion.

“Same as any week for practice. We’re going to be battling and competing; making sure we’re ready for the full sixty.” Both teams are lower than the Ice in the standings, so these will be important games for the squad to advance their position. Coach Hood says there’s some new additions to the line-up and the next few weeks will be key for the players to prove themselves before the December cut-off.

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