By Terry Martin
The Saints took on the Drayton Valley Thunder in their second meeting of the season tonight, with Spruce Grove winning the first decision 6-4. The Thunder are on a 2-game losing streak, while the Saints just broke back into the win column with a nail-biting victory against the Blackfalds Bulldogs on Saturday. The winner of this game would also hold 2nd place in the Viterra North division, as both teams are tied for the spot.
The Saints would come out of the gate strong, starting with Cody Pisarczyk finishing off a great passing play from his linemates. Jaden Senkoe would pick up his first AJHL point with an assist on the goal. Logan Acheson would then score from a pass behind the net from Coster Dunn, picking up his first AJHL point on the play. Brett Pfoh would continue the scoring with his 8th of the season and the Saints would take their 3-0 lead into the 2nd period. The Saints would shoot at 50% in period tying the Thunder 6-6 in shots after 20 minutes.
Both teams would not be able to put the puck in the net through the first 10 minutes of the 2nd period. Zac Onyskiw would be a huge factor on the penalty kill, stopping all the pucks he saw and making some great saves for the team. The score would remain the same but the Thunder would lead 19-18 in shots going into the final frame.
The Saints would continue to keep up their fantastic defensive play in the 3rd period. Zac Onyskiw would continue to help out in the crease, stopping all the shots that he saw through the first 10 minutes of the 3rd period. Ewan McPherson would score later on as he would bank the puck off the Thunder goalie to add to their lead. The Saints would also not be able to utilize their power play in the game for the first time this season. Spruce Grove would continue on to win the game 4-0 for their second win in a row. Zac Onyskiw would record his first AJHL shutout with tonight’s victory.
The Saints will be back in action in Sherwood Park on Friday as they face the Crusaders for the third time this season after winning both of the previous games.