Hampton, Acheson Score First in the League, But Saints Fall 6-3

By: Terry Martin

The Saints looked to bounce back tonight after a 6-2 loss yesterday against the Oil Barons at home. This would be game 4 of the 8-game set as Fort McMurray lead the series 2-1 going into tonight.

Just 5 minutes into the first period, Brett Pfoh would rip the puck low blocker to get his first goal as a Saint. Thomas Couture would hold the lead for the Saints for most of the period, making a couple huge desperation saves. Hassan Akl would eventually tie the game for the Oil Barons with 4 minutes left in the first period. Logan Acheson would then get his first goal in the AJHL after kicking the puck up to his stick and firing the puck under Fradette’s blocker. Final shots for the period were 12-3 for the Saints as they led 2-1 after 1 period.

The second period started with a penalty kill for the Saints and just as quickly ended in a goal by Hunter Lamb for the Oil Barons. The teams would trade power play goals after Graeme Hampton would get his first AJHL goal to give the Saints a 3-2 lead. Akl would then tie the game at 3 on the power play after another unfortunate penalty call on the Saints. McCoy would quickly capitalize after a couple bounces to give the Oil Barons a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes of play. The Saints still lead in shots by a total of 17-15.

In the third period the Saints would look to bounce back after being on the penalty kill for most of the 2nd period. Unfortunately, Fort McMurray would continue to bring the pressure, getting two goals from Schulmeister and McCoy within the first 10 minutes of the period. The Oil Barons would continue to hold their 6-3 lead for the rest of the game, giving the Saints their third straight loss. Final shots in the game were 28-23 for the Oil Barons.

With 4 games in the books, the Oil Barons now lead the series 3-1. The Saints will look to get those two losses back with two games next weekend. The Saints will travel north for a 7:30 pm puck drop on Friday, March 26th and will be back at the Grant Fuhr Arena on Sunday, March 28th for an 4pm tilt.

Fans can catch all the action on the Saints Radio Network (mixlr.com/sprucegrovesaints) and on HockeyTV.