Canadiens go 2 for 3 in weekend action

After losing a tough one Friday evening, at home against Vegreville, the St. Paul Canadiens bounced back to win two in a row on the road. The Canadiens fell 7-2 versus the Rangers on Friday evening, then enjoyed a 6-3 win over the Lloydminister Bandits, on Saturday and a 5-2 win over the Onion Lake Border Chiefs, on Sunday.

Game 1 vs Vegreville

“For whatever reason, they seem to have our number this year,” Assistant Coach, Travis Rolheiser explains the team has been having a tough go at the Rangers this season. So far the club is winless again Veg, “if you look at the stats, you can see last game, after the first period we were pretty much done.”

A hope for a better resolves was not granted, as the Canadiens took a hard 3-1 period loss in the first; Arron Gagne, with Brendan Levasseur on the assist, collecting the only point for the team in the period. The Rangers continued to dominate, collect two more points in the second and two more in the third, before the Canadiens put in a goal, from veteran  Brodin Ference (Kyle Crawford & Zach Bendall) to close the game, 7-2.

“They showed up and we and we didn’t in the first period. That’s a recipe for disaster, right away when you fall 3-1.” Head Coach, Joe Young explains those types of periods are hard to cover from and set the tone for the game. Claiming 45 shots on net, to Veg’s 26, the Canadiens also displayed troubles breaking through the net. “Every time we play these guys, we fall behind right away and you can’t get back in the game. As the game went on, we got better, but by that time it was too late anyways.”

Game 2 vs Lloydminister

“The plan was to get six points this weekend, because we’re gradually moving up the standings. We have to play a lot better than we played [on Friday].” Coach says the team is going to have to forget about Friday’s loss and start fresh against the Bandits, “it’s a new game and we’re gonna have to come ready to play.”

After going back and forth with Lloyd for the first half of the game, the Canadiens found their power and fired the back of the net to a 6-2 victory. Scoring for the club was, Dyson Roy x 2,  Cameron Potter x 2  Arron Gagne, and  Alexander Astasiewicz.

Game 3 vs Onion Lake

Coach Young says the club is going to have to be more consistent if they want to take the second half of the season. Surpassing the halfway point with the Chiefs, one can conclude the team would like to see more consistent wins. “If we can’t seal the deal and start beating the teams below us, well that’s not going to help. It’s a funny year, we’re beating teams that are ahead of us [in the standings] and losing to teams that are below us. That’s going to have to change. We’re going to have to show up everyday ready to play hockey.”

The Canadiens came out guns blazing and took a 4-0 lead out of the first, with goals from:  Piita Manyfeathers,  Kyle Crawford, Bailey Lonsberry, and  Arron Gagne. The club had another goal from Crawford in the second, then allowed the Chiefs to put in two, for a 5-2 final.

“We need to realize, we’re not in a comfortable position. We’re still battling for a playoff spot and we have room to move up the standings,” with 18 games left in the season, the Canadiens will need every point to secure a post-season. After the weekend, the team sits 7th in the NEAJBHL.