The St. Paul Canadiens returned to their winning ways on Jan. 6, as the second-ranked team in the NEAJBHL took on the Onion Lake Border Chiefs, defeating the team 2-1.
The Canadiens came out strong, scoring a somewhat unexpected goal as Kurtis Labant found the net 1:03 into the game. Labant is originally from St. Paul and normally plays with a Fort Saskatchewan Midget AAA team. Labant was assisted by Zach Bendall, who is the highest ranked St. Paul on the leaders score board in the NEAJBHL with 27 points in his 24 games played this season.
St. Paul was able to find the net for a second time in the first period. Brodin Ference scored the goal, assisted by Braydon Burak and Dyson Roy, with just a few minutes left in the period.
Onion Lake took a power play opportunity in the second period to find the board, but that’s where the scoring would end. A third period would see lots of action, but despite a total of 60 shots on the Border Chiefs’ goalie in the night, the score would remain low.
Assistant coach Corey deMoissac said he was happy with how the team played defensively.
“We just couldn’t find the net,” and the Border Chiefs’ goalie played really well. Onion Lake played a defensive system against the Canadiens, and kept things close, he added.
The NEAJBHL is heading into the final stretch of the season now, with the regular season wrapping up in exactly one month.
“Our focus is to make sure we’re on track and everyone’s working hard,” says deMoissac, adding, this is the biggest time of the year right now.
“Every game counts in the standings.”
The Canadiens remain in second place in the league, with only the Wainwright Bisons having a slight edge in points over the St. Paul team, although the Bisons have played two more games than the Canadiens this season.
Just like many evenings over the course of the season, the seats on the home side of the Clancy Richard Arena were again filled with spectators, ready to support the Canadiens.
“Our fan support has been unbelievable,” says deMoissac. He adds that it does make a difference for the players when there’s a strong fan presence in the stands.
“It’s great to see.”
