The Langley Knights have hit a bump in the junior B hockey road.
The Knights lost their third straight game, and in the process dropped their second consecutive contest on home ice, after falling 5-3 to the Richmond Sockeyes Monday at the George Preston Recreation Centre.
The Sockeyes led 1-0 after the first period and moved ahead 3-0 on Daniel Oakley’s second of the period 4:17 into the middle frame.
Joshua Smith, on a Knights’ power play 12:18 into the second period, put the home team on the board.
The Knights’ Donovan Shambeau scored 1:53 into the third period to narrow Langley’s deficit to 3-2, before the Sockeyes’ Matthew Bissett and Troy Kacynski scored back-to-back to make it 5-2.
Smith, with his second of the game, unassisted at the 18:13 mark of the third, rounded out the scoring.
Richmond owned the second period territorially, outshooting Langley 24-6, while the Knights had a 13-6 advantage in shots in the opening period.
While the loss drops the Knights’ record to 9-6-1, they still have a healthy lead on top of the Harold Brittain Conference, with the rest of the conference’s teams struggling mightily.
Second place Ridge Meadows has an underwhelming 7-9 record for 14 points, followed by third place Abbotsford (6-9-0-1) with 13 points, and Aldergrove (3-6-2-4) and Mission City (5-9-1-1), tied for fourth with 12 points apiece.
The Knights will look to avenge Monday’s loss when they visit Richmond Arena to play the Sockeyes this Thursday.