Junior B hockey: Wolf Pack stops Kodiaks' streak

 

North Vancouver scored three times in less than four minutes of play, spelling doom for Aldergrove's lengthy win streak.

 
 
 

The streak ends at 10.

Heading into Saturday's road game against the North Vancouver Wolf Pack, the Aldergrove Kodiaks had won 10 consecutive Pacific Junior Hockey League games.

Up 1-0 heading into the third period, the Kodiaks looked poised to make it 11 wins in a row.

Then the Wolf Pack found their pace, scoring three goals in the opening 3:43 of the final frame en route to a 4-1 victory.

A powerplay goal from Marcus Houck 1:17 into the period tied the game.

Forty-nine seconds later, the Wolf Pack's Quin Buckellew put the Wolf Pack ahead for good.

Another powerplay goal from Houck at the 3:43 mark made it 3-1 Wolf Pack.

Buckellew rounded out the night's scoring with 48 seconds to go in regulation.

Aldergrove's Daniel Higgs opened the scoring on a Kodiaks powerplay, 6:21 into the second period.

"I can't say we played really well," Johnson said. "One of our players took it upon himself to extract vengeance on a player [in the third period]. Then the wheels fell off the bus. They capitalized on our mistakes and unfortunately, that penalty turned it around. We lost focus and started taking things for granted. It's a very good lesson for us going into home stretch and that's what we talked about after the game."

The Kodiaks outshot the Wolf Pack 13-6 in the opening period. Then, despite allowing the period's only goal, the Wolf Pack dominated the middle frame, outshooting the Kodiaks 17-5.

The teams combined for 31 shots during the final frame, with 16 by the Wolf Pack, and 15 by the Kodiaks.

Johnson said the Wolf Pack was the better team, overall.

"Kids start to take winning for granted," he said. "We can't think about what we did in the past - it's what we do today that matters."

Kodiaks 2,

Grandview Steelers 0

Stefan Gonzalas's unassisted marker 17:03 into the opening period stood up as the winner as the Kodiaks blanked the visiting Steelers Wednesday at Aldergrove Arena.

After a scoreless second frame, the Kodiaks' Stephen Ryan tallied an insurance goal 9:54 into the third period.

Kodiaks' goaltender Mark Menicucci was perfect in stopping 32 shots, and was named the game's first star.

The shutout was Menicucci's third of the season, tying him for the league lead in blank sheets with Delta's Alexander Ahnert and Scott Lapp.

"We had good goaltending," Johnson said. "He [Menicucci] held us in it. I can't say we had our best game ever, but we came together when it mattered and came away with the win."

ICE CHIPS: The Kodiaks will look to get back on track this Wednesday, Jan. 16 when they host the Port Moody Panthers at Aldergrove Arena. Game time is 7:15 p.m.

The Panthers are have a dismal time of it this year. They are a league worst 5-27-0-1, and have lost 14 straight games.

Despite Friday's loss, the Kodiaks are pretty much a lock for second place in the PCJHL's Harold Brittain Conference.

At 20-12-0-1, the Kodiaks have a sizeable 13-point lead on the third place Ridge Meadows Flames.

Meanwhile, the first place Abbotsford Pilots just keep on winning and as a result, are running away with the conference lead. The Pilots have won three in a row and own an impressive 24-8-0-2 mark. They are nine points clear of the Kodiaks in the standings.

Record-wise, the Pilots aren't the best team in the PJHL. That honour belongs to the Tom Shaw Conference-leading Richmond Sockeyes, winners of their last eight games. The Sockeyes are 27-6-0-1, and hold a slim four-point lead on the conference's second place team, the Delta Ice Hawks, with a 24-8-2-1 mark.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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