By Terry Martin
The Saints entered tonight’s game against the Wolverines winners of 4 games in a row, with 2 of those coming against Whitecourt in December. Spruce Grove has won every game against the Wolverines so far this season with the Saints scoring more than 4 goals in every game. The Saints had just recently taken back 1st place in the North division while the Wolverines sit 6th as they look to climb the standings for the remainder of the season.
The Saints picked up right where they left off going into the new year. Hunter Brown would open the scoring on the first shot of the game just over the pad of the Wolverine goaltender. The Saints would continue to dominate throughout the period, leading heavily in offensive zone possession. The Saints would lead in shots 9-7 after 20 minutes of play, and head into the 2nd period with a 1-0 lead.
IN-GAME VIDEO: Hunter Brown snipes home his 10th of the season to give the Saints a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play!#AJHL | #SaintsNation pic.twitter.com/I7dbefZVet
— Spruce Grove Saints (@sgsaints) January 5, 2022
Teydon Trembecky would put the Wolverines on the board as he took care of the rebound for his first AJHL goal early in the 2nd period. Nikola Jovanovic would get that one back after burying the rebound during a scrum in front of the net. Jacob Rochford would then complete the 2-on-1 play, just getting the puck over the goal line to put the Saints up 3-1. Cody Pisarczyk would then put the puck in the net after a great pass from Watkins to put the Saints up 4-1. Not long after Jackson Bohan would fire the puck over the shoulder of Martin during a screen to cut the lead in half. The Saints would continue to lead in shots 27-18 after 2 periods of play and lead 4-2 going into the final period.
IN-GAME VIDEO: Liam Watkins finds Cody Pisarczyk backdoor for his 11th of the season to give the Saints a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes of play!#AJHL | #SaintsNation pic.twitter.com/REJLLiiOEz
— Spruce Grove Saints (@sgsaints) January 5, 2022
Both teams would generate some great chances throughout the game but both goalies would stay sharp. The Saints would continue to bring the pressure late in the game, piling on the shots against Grimard. Caiden Gault would fire in his 28th goal of the season and extend his point streak to 7 games, putting the Saints up 5-2. Tristan Martin would deny the rest of the Wolverines opportunities to get his 5th win of the season for the Saints. Spruce Grove would also fire 37 shots on net while the Wolverines would get 26.
Spruce Grove is now on a 5-game winning streak and they stay perfect against the Wolverines this season. The Saints are back at the Grant Fuhr Arena on Friday to take on the Drayton Valley Thunder for the 5th time, looking to stay unbeaten against them as well.