After two more victories in the past week, the Lloydminster Bandits are the only unbeaten team in the Northeastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League.
The Bandits ran their record to 5-0 as they clipped the Killam Wheat Kings 7-3 on Saturday night (Oct. 11) at the Cenovus Energy Hub in Lloydminster.
Last Thursday night, Lloyd went into Vermilion Stadium and edged the previously undefeated Tigers 2-1 in a battle of the front-runners. Vermilion has a 6-1 record overall, including a 5-2 victory over the host Vegreville Rangers (0-6) on Saturday.
Read more: Bandits, Tigers clash in battle of unbeaten
Three of Lloydminster’s five victories have come on the road.
At home Saturday, the Bandits opened a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back against Killam (1-5). They were up 5-1 after 40 minutes.
Lloydminster defenceman Kade Dennett’s two goals included a short-handed marker. He finished with three points on the night.
Adryan Bugiera also tallied twice for the Bandits, while captain Joel Webb scored a power-play goal.
Hometown kid Cohen Aultman connected on a penalty shot for his first junior B goal — on his 17th birthday, no less — and Maddux Woodbury potted an even-strength marker.
Lloyd’s veteran goaltender, Shae Stewart, blocked 31 shots to record his second win in as many starts.
Killam’s Valentino Harson stopped 28 shots.
The Wheat Kings’ Dylan Kruchten scored two third-period goals, beginning with a short-handed tally. Ethan Allan had Killam’s other goal.
Jordan Gagnon collected two assists.
Killam’s weekend began with a 3-0 loss at home Friday night against the defending champion Wainwright Bisons (3-1-2).
In the meeting of heavyweights last Thursday at Vermilion, Woodbury scored the winning goal with 13 minutes left to lift the Bandits past the hometown Tigers.
Lloydminster rookie forward Cash Parkin scored in the first period of his first junior B game. The Paradise Valley native missed the Bandits’ opening three games because of an ankle injury.
Vermilion forward Cade Meiklejohn made it a 1-1 game when he scored early in the third period. He has five goals and 10 points after seven games, sitting tied in points atop the league scoring race with his teammates Kaden Davidson and Jaxson Toutant, each with four goals and 10 points.
Bandits netminder Haden Heide stretched his perfect record to 3-0 as he got in front of 38 shots from the Tigers’ potent offence. Heide sports a 1.60 goals against average and a .952 save percentage.
Davidson and Cash Capjack each scored on the power play, as part of their three-point nights,
to lead Vermilion past winless Vegreville.
After two more victories in the past week, the Lloydminster Bandits are the only unbeaten team in the Northeastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League.
The Bandits ran their record to 5-0 as they clipped the Killam Wheat Kings 7-3 on Saturday night (Oct. 11) at the Cenovus Energy Hub in Lloydminster.
Last Thursday night, Lloyd went into Vermilion Stadium and edged the previously undefeated Tigers 2-1 in a battle of the front-runners. Vermilion has a 6-1 record overall, including a 5-2 victory over the host Vegreville Rangers (0-6) on Saturday.
Three of Lloydminster’s five victories have come on the road.
At home Saturday, the Bandits opened a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back against Killam (1-5). They were up 5-1 after 40 minutes.
Lloydminster defenceman Kade Dennett’s two goals included a short-handed marker. He finished with three points on the night.
Adryan Bugiera also tallied twice for the Bandits, while captain Joel Webb scored a power-play goal.
Hometown kid Cohen Aultman connected on a penalty shot for his first junior B goal — on his 17th birthday, no less — and Maddux Woodbury potted an even-strength marker.
Lloyd’s veteran goaltender, Shae Stewart, blocked 31 shots to record his second win in as many starts.
Killam’s Valentino Harson stopped 28 shots.
The Wheat Kings’ Dylan Kruchten scored two third-period goals, beginning with a short-handed tally. Ethan Allan had Killam’s other goal.
Jordan Gagnon collected two assists.
Killam’s weekend began with a 3-0 loss at home Friday night against the defending champion Wainwright Bisons (3-1-2).
In the meeting of heavyweights last Thursday at Vermilion, Woodbury scored the winning goal with 13 minutes left to lift the Bandits past the hometown Tigers.
Lloydminster rookie forward Cash Parkin scored in the first period of his first junior B game. The Paradise Valley native missed the Bandits’ opening three games because of an ankle injury.
Vermilion forward Cade Meiklejohn made it a 1-1 game when he scored early in the third period. He has five goals and 10 points after seven games, sitting tied in points atop the league scoring race with his teammates Kaden Davidson and Jaxson Toutant, each with four goals and 10 points.
Bandits netminder Haden Heide stretched his perfect record to 3-0 as he got in front of 38 shots from the Tigers’ potent offence. Heide sports a 1.60 goals against average and a .952 save percentage.
Davidson and Cash Capjack each scored on the power play, as part of their three-point nights, to lead Vermilion past winless Vegreville.
The Tigers’ other goals came from Meiklejohn, Caden Anderson and Ean Cooke, who added an assist. Brody VanEngelen and Ty Partington replied for the Rangers.
Vegreville goalie Andrew Bezaire faced 47 shots, while his teammates managed 23 shots against Rhett Jamieson, making his first regular-season start in Vermilion’s net.
In its shutout victory at Killam, Wainwright received a 31-save performance from Lochlain Jenner as the Lloydminster native posted his first win this season.
Grady Priest’s first-period goal stood as the winner. Braden Aker and Ryker Singer, each with their fourth goals of the season, added third-period markers. Aker had a two-point game.
Ethan Edwards stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced in the Wheat Kings’ cage.
In the league’s other game last weekend,
the visiting Cold Lake Ice (5-2) won 4-0 against the St. Paul Canadiens (1-4) on Friday.
Cold Lake’s Mark Peddle made 28 saves to register his third win — and second shutout — in four games this season. The St. Paul duo of Cale Rupp and Boston Carter faced a combined 17 shots.
Brett Gascoigne, with his fifth of the year, Noah Fedor, Sam Sawchuk and Andrew Grzela scored Cold Lake’s goals.
HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER
This week, the Ice visit Lloydminster on Friday for an 8 p.m. game against the Bandits at the Hub.
It’s an extra significant game as the Bandits host Hockey Fights Cancer Night.
On Sunday, the Bandits head to Wainwright to face the Bisons at 5:30 p.m. Lloyd defeated Wainwright twice — in a shootout and in overtime — on the first weekend of the regular season.
In other games Friday night, St. Paul visits Vermilion, while Vegreville hosts Killam.
On a busy Saturday night, Killam travels to Cold Lake, Vegreville plays at St. Paul, and Vermilion and Wainwright tangle at the Provost Regional Activity Centre.
Read more: Bandits’ Dennett ‘skates like the wind’
