The St. Paul Canadiens need to regroup, head coach Aaron Block said after the team suffered its third heartbreaking loss of 2011 last Sunday afternoon to the visiting Wainwright Bisons by a score of 11 – 1.
The Canadiens, currently at ninth and last place in the North East Alberta Junior B Hockey League, were out-played as the game stretched on, with the Bisons’ offence taking over the third period by scoring five unanswered goals. Jessie Parenteau, defenceman for the Canadiens, scored the team’s lone goal in the second period, with assists from Lyndon Arcand and Kent Brittain.
The Bisons also outmatched the Canadiens 63 – 16 in terms of shots-on-goal during the game. Canadiens’ goalie Carlen Lyle was constantly peppered with shots from the Bisons in the last five minutes of the game while the team’s defence struggled to clear the puck.
“We had a power play opportunity early, and our game plan execution was fairly good until we got a little tired,” said Block after the game.
Block, however, praised the team’s core group of players for their commitment, in spite of the team’s winless streak since Oct. 8 of last year.
For Block, the best part of Sunday’s game was “the effort level of our guys here definitely … we have a good core of a group, and I’m happy about that.”
The Canadiens were supposed to get two new players added to the roster last Tuesday, but the players didn’t show up.
“I have to find out tonight what’s happening (with the new players),” said Block, adding that the no-shows hurt the Canadiens’ chances for wins for last weekend. In addition to the loss against the Bisons, the Canadiens also suffered a 6 – 2 defeat at the hands of the team’s rivals, the Saddle Lake Warriors.
The Canadiens have eight more games to go before the end of the regular season on Feb. 6, starting with two away games this weekend. The team hits the road to face off against the Vermilion Tigers on Friday, and then go against the Cold Lake Ice on Saturday.