By Terry Martin
The Saints and Wolverines took each other on for game 2 of the North division semi-final after a thrilling back and forth contest the previous night. Spruce Grove fired 63 shots at the Whitecourt net including 21 in the 1st period alone. Graeme Bryks was the overtime hero in the game after jamming home the rebound just under 5 minutes into the extra frame. The Saints looked to keep their momentum going and grab the 2-0 series lead.
The Saints would start the scoring early just 5 minutes into the game on their first power play. Luigi Benincasa would fire the puck blocker side from the slot to give Spruce Grove a 1-0 lead. It would take the rest of the period but Tyler Mahan would tie the game back up for the Wolverines on their power play. The game would be tied 1-1 after 20 minutes of play and the Saints would just outshoot the Wolverines 13-12.
The second period would see no goals from either team but Tristan Martin would make some great saves along the way. Both teams would trade power play opportunities and huge hits along the boards, especially by Nikola Jovanovic. Final shots after 2 periods of play would still favour the Saints, 24-22.
The teams would stay deadlocked through the 1st 10 minutes of the final period with lots of opportunities both ways. Cody Pisarczyk would finally give the Saints the 2-1 lead after jamming the puck home in the crease with 6 minutes to go. The Saints would continue to keep the puck in the Wolverines end throughout the rest of the frame. Luigi Benincasa would score the empty net goal with 30 seconds left to give the Saints the 3-1 win and the 2-0 series lead.
Final shots in the game favoured Spruce Grove 39-28.
The Saints now go on the road for 2 games in Whitecourt on Wednesday and Thursday as they look to continue their strong play.