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Canadiens extend winning streak to seven

The St. Paul Canadiens simply can’t lose.
The St. Paul Canadiens grabbed another win at home when the team took on Vermilion, on Feb. 2.
The St. Paul Canadiens grabbed another win at home when the team took on Vermilion, on Feb. 2.

The St. Paul Canadiens simply can’t lose.

For the second straight weekend the club has won out a full weekend of games, this time taking down the Vermilion Tigers 4-0 at home, before taking care of business in Lloydminster in a 6-2 win over the Bandits.

The wins mark their sixth and seventh in a row, making Jan. 19 the last time they dropped a game - a 2-1 loss against the Frog Lake T-Birds.

Even that has an asterisk to it, as the clubs had to resume the game in the second period the following week due to poor ice conditions with St. Paul trailing 2-1 already.

Goalie Michael Davis recorded his third shutout of the season turning aside 27 Tigers’ shots, and Bailey Lonsberry scored the first and fourth goal of the game for the Canadiens’ in the win.

Zach Bendall and Peter Blomberg each potted a goal in the second period for the club. St. Paul dominated the pace of play from start to finish, bombarding the Tigers’ goaltender Tanner Thronsdon with 55 shots.

“I thought it was a good team effort tonight, I thought we had some lapses in the third period, but defensively we played very well and we generated a lot of offence,” head coach Joe Young said after the game.

“Mike played well in net and it just seems that everything flows from there. Once our goalies are playing well it puts out a good vibe throughout the whole bench and makes the guys feel good.”

In a rematch from last week’s rough and tumble game against Vermilion, where 118 penalty minutes and five game misconducts were assessed, this game had its moments, but appeared more contained.

“We came into tonight knowing where we are in the standings, so we can’t worry about that stuff . . . we have to play disciplined hockey,” said Young.

The teams traded goalie interference penalties when Dyson Roy made contact with Thronsdon in the second period. Minutes later, Brayden Wilson bowled over Davis and fisticuffs ensued near the crease.

When it was all said and done, three players on the Tigers finished with misconducts, including Wilson, all in the third period. Lonsberry was also assessed a misconduct in the final minutes of the third.

St. Paul finished two-for-eight on their power play chances.

In Saturday night action, the Canadiens scored four unanswered goals after Lloydminster opened the scoring to dispatch the Bandits.

Cameron Potter scored twice, as did Braydon Burak for the Canadiens, while Roy and Alex Astasiewicz also scored.

Devin Allen stopped 29 shots in the win.

The wins coupled with a pair of Killam Wheat Kings losses have St. Paul just three points back of second place in the NEAJBHL, with three games left in the regular season, including the team’s next game against Killam on Friday.

The Canadiens play at home Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s game will see the Canadiens take on the number one team in the league, the Wainwright Bisons at 8:30 p.m. Then, on Sunday afternoon the Lac La Biche Clippers come to town for an early game. Puck drop on Sunday is at 3 p.m.

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