Last-minute heroics were both good and bad for the North Delta Devils last weekend.
There was heartbreak on home ice Saturday night, when a late goal lifted the Aldergrove Kodiaks to a 3-2 win over the Devils in the Sungod Arena. Then on Sunday evening at the Burnaby Winter Club, North Delta scored in the final minute for a 5-4 victory over the Grandview Steelers.
The Devils never led in Saturday night’s Pacific Junior Hockey League game, falling behind twice then coming back to tie the game before Stefan Gonzales of Surrey netted the winner for Aldergrove with just 16 seconds to play.
Another Surrey native, Ryan Veillet, netted the other two Kodiaks’ goals. The 20 year-old tallied 34 seconds into the second period, then after Colin Catchpole of the Devils tied the game a minute into the third, Veillet’s second of the night just 28 seconds later put Aldergrove up 2-1.
Matthew Painchaud knotted the score at 2-2, but the power play goal by Gonzales in the final minute lifted Aldergrove to the win.
The Steelers used the power play to get off to a fast start Sunday, taking a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes of the game while playing with the man advantage.
The Devils exploded for three goals in 64 seconds at the end of the period to take a 3-2 lead into the dressing room. Kurt Thrussell got the visitors on the scoreboard at 18:25, then Tanner Lenting tied the contest 46 seconds later. Just 18 seconds after that, Mack Wallace gave North Delta a 3-2 lead.
Surrey native Vik Sanghera drew Grandview even two minutes into the second period with his second power play goal of the evening. Arvin Atwal put North Delta back on top with the only power play goal of the game by the Devils.
Grandview tied it again with 56 seconds left in the second frame, and Colin Catchpole notched a winner for the Devils with just five seconds left in regular time.
North Delta is 10-8-1 (win-loss-overtime loss) and in third place in the Tom Shaw Conference, five points up on Grandview and nine ahead of the North Vancouver Wolf Pack.
The Devils play at home twice this weekend, hosting North Vancouver Friday night at 9 p.m. then playing the Richmond Sockeyes Saturday at 6:45 p.m. Both games are in the Sungod Arena.
