After the Kodiak’s regular new season ended in two games of defeat, things are finally looking up for the team.
On Friday night in Abbotsford – the same day the Pilots re-acquired Kodiaks player Alex Beechey in exchange for the Pilots’ Keilan Toews – the teams faced-off on centre ice.
The Kodiaks emerged victorious with a 4-2 lead, marking their first win of the season.
First period saw both teams struggle to score, with 0-0 unchanged on the score board, even though the bears held a slim 14-13 advantage in shots taken on net.
The game heated up in less than two minutes into the second period, after Abbotsford’s Brian Pol took a long shot that was tapped into the net by Reid Dunham.
START OF THE SEASON: Kodiaks fall 5-2 to reigning conference champs
The Kodiaks fought back to even up the score within a subsequent ten seconds – thanks to a close-up shot by Cobe Dean.
The bears were relentless, scoring again off of a rebound slap by Dayton Spink, and with less than two minutes left in the stanza the team claimed a 2-1 lead before the third period.
Abbotsford crawled their way back half-way through the third period, when Pilots’ Austin Moar wide-passed to Sahvan Gill, who fired the puck over Dylan Black’s shoulder, tying the score at 2-2.
Aldergrove managed a fast reply from Lucas Thompson at 10:28, after a face-off draw.
The Kodiak’s secured their first win of the season with a fourth goal on net after a clearing attempt from Abbotsford’s Sean McCracken went wrong, deflecting off the skate of Dayton Spink and sliding into the Pilots’ empty net.
Shots favoured the bears 34-33.
Kodiak goalie Dylan Black was named second star, stopping all 31 of 33 shots. Top-scorer Dayton Spink was named third star with a goal and four penalties-in-minutes.
Kodiaks shutout by Mission City Outlaws
Earlier in the week, last Wednesday, Sept. 11, Aldergrove was put off by their second game of the season, and second loss.
The Mission City Outlaws dominated the bears at the Aldergrove Credit Union Community Arena (ACUCC) with a final score of 3-0, favouring the visitors.
Mission, who placed fifth overall in the Harold Brittain Conference last season compared to Aldergrove’s third place standing, slammed their first goal on net at 6:54 in the second period.
The Kodiaks were unable to come back, knocked down again and again by two more goals in the third period, the last one being on an empty net at 19:30.
Shots favoured Mission 32-25.
Aldergrove’s next game is against Delta’s Ice Hawks – a team that knocked the bears out of the playoffs last season – on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:15 p.m. at the ACUCC.
– with files from Chris Lakusta