ST. PAUL – The St. Paul Canadiens broke the Cold Lake Ice's five-game win streak after the two Lakeland Junior B hockey teams clashed at the Clancy Richard Arena on Jan. 10. The Canadiens claimed the 2-1 win.
Following their win, the Canadiens also defeated the Killam Wheat Kings 6-3 on Jan. 11 at the Killam Memorial Arena. The Canadiens are sitting in third place in the league standings following the two victories.
While the Canadiens' roster may currently consist of mostly newcomers, Dean Smyl, general manager of the Canadiens, said the team is starting to come together.
"Playing together now for half a season, these boys are starting to click," he said.
With less than 10 games left in the regular season, the Canadiens are hoping for a strong finish.
"These boys have been working their butts off all year. Our coaching staff, our board, we've put a lot of time in," he said. "Now we need St. Paul here with the last push," said Smyl.
The team may soon have some new reinforcements to add to its 22-man roster following the trade deadline on Jan. 10. Smyl said he signed a new player from northern Saskatchewan. "He'll be in later this week," he said. "I'm also hoping to get an Ontario kid later this week too."
The Canadiens will be away to play the Onion Lake Border Chiefs on Jan. 17, and will host the Vermilion Tigers on Jan. 18.
Cold Lake Ice
While the Ice may be sitting sixth place in the standings, the team is proving it is still, without a doubt, a threat to the rest of the league.
Before the holiday break, the Ice showed a strong performance, including back-to-back wins against the Canadiens. And even after a narrow loss against the Canadiens on Friday, the Ice went on to secure a 6-3 victory against the Vermilion Tigers on Jan. 11. The Tigers previously defeated the Ice 4-1 last time the two teams played.
Speaking to Lakeland This Week regarding the team's prospects for the remainder of the season, Scott Hood, head coach for Cold Lake Ice, acknowledged there are still areas of improvement.
"I mean, our power play needs a lot of work," he said. "We've only got 16 power play goals in 23 games . . . you're not going to win any playoff series doing that."
But the head coach remains calm and confident.
"We just play the games . . . and we've played well," he said, suggesting that as long as the team maintains its focus and intensity for the full 60 minutes of each game, they can compete against the top teams in the league.
The Ice will be away this weekend to play the Lloydminster Bandits next on Jan. 17, and the Vegreville Rangers on Jan. 18.
