Canadiens Win Streak Halted by T-Birds

Frog Lake pushes game into double OT to win 7-6

“I’m okay with losing, sports teams lose. I’m just not happy with the way we competed,” Head Coach for the St Paul Jr B Canadiens Joe Young, says he’s accepted the end to the team’s win streak, which took them on 17 games; but what he’s not accepted was the caliber of play the squad presented on Saturday night in Frog Lake.

“I really don’t have a problem losing hockey games, but it’s how you lose them.” Coach felt the team didn’t perform to their best against the T-Birds and ultimately it was their down fall. “You lose games playing hard and competing for 60 minutes, I can accept that. But, if you lose and you don’t compete for one minute; well, that’s disappointing.”

The Canadiens opened the game with a goal from Adam Neibrandt, assist to Brodin Ference and Dyson Roy at 2:53 in the first. It wasn’t long before Frog Lake responded with a goal from Jorrel Whitstone. The Canadiens fought back to break the tie before the close of the first, at 16:58 Roy made it a 2-1 game with help from Braydon Burak.

“There was zero effort in that game,” Coach Young said not to let the scoreboard foul you, the Canadiens weren’t their normal fiery selves. “We thought we were just going to show up and win,” the coach says he was disappointed with the lack luster enthusiasm on the bench. “For a team that has an opportunity to do some very good things this year and reach some goals that we’ve set for ourselves, it’s probably one of the worst games that I’ve seen a good hockey team play.”

2:02 in the second, T-Birds’ Brandon Cunningham tied up the game, only to lose the tie quickly to Carson Ference, with an assist from Bailey Lonsberry. The Canadiens then went up by two with a goal from Morgan Greve, assist to Damon Roy less than 20 seconds later. That should’ve been enough to motivate the club into a big win, but no. Frog Lake halted the fun and tied it up again with goals from Michael Cardinal and Delano Tipewan.

“If you’re not going to pick up guys, defensively, and take the body (we maybe threw two or three hits that game),” Coach was unimpressed by the club’s defensive play on Saturday. The Canadiens would put in three more goals before the close of the second from Kona Jackson, Neibrandt, and Roy, only to lose another two point lead in the third.

Top five in the Northeast Alberta Jr B Hockey League (NEAJBHL) scorer, Courage Omeasoo gave the T-birds life in the third, to be followed up by Tipewan to force extra time with six goals a piece for the clubs.

The Canadiens held off the T-Birds in the first OT, but faltered three minutes into the second round of extra time when Michael Cardinal put the 7th and game winning goal past St Paul goalie David Rupp.

“The way we lost that night was embarrassing.” The Canadiens go on to face rivals the Cold Lake Ice on Saturday at Imperial Oil Place. WIN tickets to the game on LCN!