The Aldergrove Kodiaks are firmly in the lead of the Pacific Junior “B” Hockey League after a pair of away victories this past week.
On Thursday the Kodiaks took a 6-4 win over the Mission City Outlaws and followed that up on Sunday with a 9-1 thrashing of the Grandview Steelers.
The wins pushed the Kodiaks to nine consecutive wins and a 15-game unbeaten streak.
The Kodiaks currently stand at 40 points after 25 games (19-4-0-2), eight points ahead of the Abbotsford Pilots in the Harold Brittain conference. The Kodiaks are also one point ahead of the Tom Shaw conference leaders, Delta Ice Hawks, and the Koddiaks have two games in hand.
The Aldergrove Kodiaks pumped home three goals in the final period to defeat the Mission City Outlaws 6-4, Dec. 5 at the Mission Leisure Centre,
Aldergrove had six different goal scorers as Aaron Markin, Jonathan Philley, Spencer Unger, Adam Callegari, Stephen Ryan and Kenny Prato all lit the lamp.
Unger, Callegari, Ryan and Prato had two-point games.
The Kodiaks led 2-1 after one period before the Outlaws scored three times in the second to take a 4-3 lead.
Aldergrove scored three of its six goals on the power play, including one into the empty net to seal the victory.
Jordan Liem picked up the win, stopping 12 of the 13 shots he faced after replacing Tate Sproxton, who stopped seven of 10 shots.
In the Dec. 8 game against Grandview at Burnaby Winter Club, the Kodiaks took the lead 2-0 in the first, before the Steelers scored their only goal of the game early in the second. The Kodiaks scored three more to close the second and another four goals in the third.
It was another hat trick game for Kodiaks’ Stephen Ryan, who notched one every period. Ryan far and away leads the league in scoring with 26 goals and 50 points in 25 games.
Joining Ryan at the top are team mates Kenny Prato and Adam Callegari, who each have 15 goals this season and 45 and 41 points, respectively.
Prato and Callegari each scored one goal on Sunday, and Kodiaks Elvis Jansons, Jeremy Lagler, Jacob Dunlop and Spencer Unger also scored one apiece.
Kodiaks’ keeper Jordan Liem stopped 22 of 23 shots on goal, while the Kodiaks had 34 shots on goal.
The Kodiaks scored on three of seven power plays, plus an unassisted short-handed goal by Unger, while the Steelers went zero on four power plays.
Ryan, Lagler and Prato were the game’s first, second and third stars.
On Dec. 14 the Kodiaks travel to Port Moody Panthers before they host their final home game of this year on Dec. 18 vs Abbotsford Pilots. The Kodiaks have two more away games, Dec. 20 vs Ridge Meadows Flames and Dec. 21 vs Delta Ice Hawks.
In the new year the Kodiaks host Ridge Meadows Flames on Jan. 1 and travel to play the Richmond Sockeyes on Jan. 2.
All home games on Wednesdays at Aldergrove Arena start at 7:15 p.m. and fans who bring a non-perishable food item for the Aldergrove Food Bank receive $1 off the admission price.
In addition the Dec. 18 game against Abbotsford will feature a “teddy bear toss” for the Christmas Bureau. Fans should bring a teddy bear, wrapped in clear plastic, and these teddies should be tossed onto the ice after the Kodiaks score their first goal.
