HOME GAME 24 RECAP: SAINTS DOWN WOLVERINES 8-4.
By: Adam Kulak
After a tough 2-1 loss in OT to the Pontiacs, the Saints bounce back and put up 8 on the struggling Wolverines for an 8-4 win here at Grant Fuhr. Dylan Bourlai would be back in the lineup after suspension and Logan Ganie would play back on defense with all the injuries on D. Matt Davis would also get his 29th start of the season.
The Saints carried over their play from Friday night into this afternoon and they started getting rewarded for it. They would open the scoring 6 minutes in on the powerplay. Saretsky sent it down low to Fyten who put it out front for Ganie with a yawning cage. The Saints were great on the forecheck breaking up many Whitecourt zone exit attempts and getting a lot of zone time out of it. Halfway through the period on a delayed penalty, Peckford would go to work behind the net and would find Mitchell who would put it blocker side for the 2-0 lead. The two-goal lead would only last 10 seconds as Hayden Clayton would take advantage of a misplay to put the Wolverines on the board. The Saints would get another powerplay opportunity a minute later but couldn’t capitalize on this one. They looked good on both powerplays getting into the zone easily and getting lots of puck movement. The shots in the period were 16-8 Saints as the score would stay 2-1 after 20 minutes of play.
There were no penalties in the second period but there was no shortage in goals. Just 2 minutes in, Matt Rempe would get his stick on Logan Acheson’s shot to give the Saints back the two goal lead. Around the 8-minute mark, Ganie would make a slick move off a Peckford feed for his 2nd of the game to put the Saints up 4-1. Things would get a little shaky halfway through as Whitecourt would get two in just under two minutes to pull within one. Brayden Labant fired a shot from the slot that would just squeak by Matt Davis. A little bit later, an unlucky bounce as Hoom Kim would throw a shot on net and it would redirect off Easton Haygarth to make it 4-3. But the Saints just shook it off and went back to playing their game. With a couple minutes left in the period, Ryan Harker would step in from the point for his first AJHL goal to give the Saints another two-goal lead. 12-7 were the shots in the period as the Saints take a 5-3 lead into the final 20.
The Wolverines would get one, but the Saints would add three more and run the Wolverines out of the Arena with an 8-4 win. Just under 4 minutes in, Bourlai with a huge open ice hit to force a turnover, Saretsky would get the puck, come down the wing and would slide a nice backhand pass out to TJ Lloyd with an open net. A few minutes later on the powerplay, Ryan Peckford would walk in and snipe one over the blocker of Tye Morin to make it a 7-3 game. Halfway through the period, Ethan Green would score from the point on a powerplay of their own. However, Cameron Chin would add another late in the period as the Saints cruise to an 8-4 win here at the Grant Fuhr Arena. Shots in the game were 42-23 and 14-8 for the Saints in the third.
A total team effort in this one, the Saints were the faster team and they had the puck for most of this game. They created lots of turnovers and Whitecourt couldn’t transition or exit their zone cleanly all game. Big nights offensively as Ganie, Peckford, Fyten, Saretsky, and Mitchell all had multiple point nights. The Saints are back in action Friday as they are in Calgary to take on former play by play voice Tom Strangward and the Mustangs.
They are back home on Family Day, February 18th as they welcome the Lloydminster Bobcats, puck drop at 2:00PM.