The Cold Lake Jr. B Ice got their season off to a winning start this past weekend, securing a 6-4 come from behind victory on the road against the St. Paul Canadiens on Friday before shutting out the Vermilion Tigers 2-0 on Saturday to give the team a perfect start to the year.
After watching his new-look squad dispatch of two much-improved rivals over the weekend, Ice head coach and GM Neil Langridge said he was delighted with the level of commitment and determination on show and that he was looking forward to what he hoped would be a “successful” year once again for the organization.
“Getting off to a good start has been something we've used as a platform in recent years for future success, so it was one of our main goals to make sure we were getting out there and performing right from the get go,” Langridge said. “The result on Friday was a big one and I'm very happy with the performance the boys put up on Saturday.”
The Ice kicked off their campaign in St. Paul and it didn't take the team long to make an impression, with returning forward Connor Fynn slotting home after just 90 seconds following good work from of this year's assistant captain, Tanner Corbeil.
The Canadiens though reacted well to going a goal behind, and soon scored two goals themselves to rock a raucous hometown crowd at the Clancy Richard Arena.
After a difficult opening half of the second period, the Ice soon got into their groove – stunning the Canadiens with two goals in 21 seconds to once again put themselves into the driving seat. It was the second time the Ice had established a lead in the game and this time they didn't let it up. Debuting forward Nick Astasiewicz made it 4-2 shortly into the third period before Fynn added a fifth.
A late fight back from the Canadiens wasn't enough and Corbeil added some gloss to the scoreline with a tally late on to put the game beyond St. Paul.
In speaking to the Nouvelle following Friday's game, longtime Ice defenseman Kurt Franklin said although he was pleased to see the team get off to a winning start, he believes there's much room for improvement heading into this weekend's home opener.
“It was really important to get that first win under our belts to start the new season, our play out there tonight was perhaps a little sloppy at times (and that's something) we're going to have to come together as a team and work on,” Franklin said. “The win was good, but we (need to remain focused) now (for next weekend).”
In Vermilion on Saturday, the Ice handed a first ever start to rookie goaltender Cody Janzen, who certainly had a game to remember – putting up several impressive and timely saves throughout the game for his first NEAJBHL shutout as the team secured a comfortable 2-0 victory.
Franklin and last season's top scorer Christian Nypower each notched for the Ice in what was a feisty affair, make it two wins from two to start the year.
The Ice now look forward to their own home opener on Friday as they welcome the Canadiens to Imperial Oil Place. Langridge said the team would have to be on their ‘A' game if they want to continue their excellent start to the season.
“Starting the year with two wins certainly gives us confidence heading into the home opener (with St. Paul), but we had a good game against those guys on Friday so we know they're going to come back and try and ruin our home opener,” Langridge said. “This week will be all about working hard and fixing some things in practice in anticipation for the weekend.”
Langridge will have to call on some more new faces this weekend with several members of his first team set for a spell on the sidelines after becoming embroiled in a pulsating line brawl in Vermilion on Saturday.
“The line brawl will certainly see us with a few suspensions, but we have a couple of guys we're expecting back from injury and a couple new guys we'll be drafting into the team, so we're excited to see what they can all bring to the table,” Langridge said. “This will really give them a chance to show what they can do.”
Puck drop at the Energy Centre is penciled in for 8 p.m. on Friday.
