In a battle of the league’s two hottest teams, it was the Aldergrove Kodiaks who extended their winning streak.
The Kodiaks won for the ninth straight game, edging the Richmond Sockeyes 2-1 on Wednesday (Nov. 9) night in junior B hockey action at the Aldergrove Community Arena.
The defeat was the first loss for the Sockeyes in 15 games this season.
Jordan Pughe scored the winner with less than five minutes remaining.
The Kodiaks’ Brandon Potomak and Richmond’s Kevan Kilistoff — a Langley Minor Hockey Association product — exchanged goals in the game’s first two minutes.
After that, the goaltenders took over.
Ross Baadsvik made 45 saves for the Kodiaks while Kootenay Alder stopped 28 of the 30 he faced.
The victory improved Aldergrove to 12-4-0-0 and extended their lead atop the Pacific International Junior Hockey League’s Harold Brittain Conference to four points.
The win wrapped up an impressive 3-0 week for the Kodiaks as they edged the North Vancouver Wolf Pack 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 5 and then beat the Delta Ice Hawks 3-1 on Nov. 8.
In the first game, Potomak scored twice, including the winner, while Ryan Procyshyn had the other.
In the latter, Thomas Hardy’s third-period goal broke a 1-1 tie. Pughe added an empty-net goal while Matthew Luongo had opened the scoring.
Aldergrove looks for a 10th-straight win on Nov. 16 when they host the Grandview Steelers.
