Hoping to move to within four points of the runner-up team in the Tom Shaw Conference, the North Delta Devils are now eight points back of the Delta Ice Hawks.
Delta defeated the Devils 3-1 Saturday night at the Sungod Arena, the fourth win by the Ice Hawks in as many games against North Delta.
The Ice Hawks led for much of Saturday’s game, and enjoyed a 40-27 shots on goal advantage. But it wasn’t until the Ice Hawks scored an empty net goal with 74 seconds to play was the game out of reach for North Delta.
Aaron Merrick scored a shorthanded goal late in the first period to give the Ice Hawks a 1-0 lead, and Kody Botterill made it 2-0 early in the second.
Devils goalie Harry Fredeman, who stopped 37 of 39 shots to earn the game’s second star honours, was unbeatable over the final 27 minutes, but the home side managed only a goal from Tanner Lenting with less than three minutes to play.
Now at 17-9-4 (won-lost-overtime loss) on the season with just 14 games to play, the Devils are eight points behind the Ice Hawks, and 11 ahead of the fourth place North Vancouver Wolf Pack.
The Devils face the Tom Shaw Conference leaders, the 26-5-0 Richmond Sockeyes, Thursday night in Richmond before hosting the Abbotsford Pilots next Saturday at 6:45 p.m.
