The Aldergrove Kodiaks got a much-needed win Wednesday against the visiting Port Moody Panthers.
The 4-1 win puts the Kodiaks in a tight race with the Mission Outlaws for the coveted fourth place in the upcoming playoffs for the PJHL’s Harold Brittain conference. With only five regular season games remaining for both teams, they are now tied at 31 points after 39 games. Langley Trappers are in third place with just two more points, 33 after 39 games.
The Panthers put up a good game but the Kodiaks were determined to win this one. The Kodiaks outshot the Panthers in the first two periods and it paid off with three goals, that went unanswered until the Panthers pulled out the stops in the the third period.
Scoring for the Kodiaks in the first period were Mathieu Melanson (from Nate Castonguay and Matt Oliver) and Oliver (from Arjan Cheema and Castonguay).
Kodiak David Stickney scored the second period’s only goal, assisted by Cheema.
The Panthers threw their best efforts into the third period and finally scored halfway through the period, to bring the score to 3-1 for the Kodiaks.
However, pulling Panthers keeper Liam Marshall in the dying minute when they already had a power play turned out to be a mistake as Kodiak Davin Padgham fired a shot from deep inside the Kodiaks’ end right into the Panthers’ empty net, for the 4-1 win.
Game stars were all Kodiaks: Castonguay, Stickney and Cheema. The Kodiaks outshot the Panthers 35-25 and scored on one of four power plays while the Panthers failed to score on five.
The Kodiaks’ next, and final home game is Wednesday, Jan. 31, 7:15 p.m. at Aldergrove Arena.
The final four Kodiaks regular season games will all be away games: Feb. 1 at Richmond Sockeyes, Feb. 3 at Mission Outlaws, Feb. 7 at Langley Trappers (at George Preston Arena) and Feb. 8 at Surrey Knights.
