Aldergrove Kodiak Thomas Hardy scored twice and got an assist in the 6-2 win over Port Moody Black Panthers Feb. 22 to not only earn the game's first star but also lead the league in scoring with 70 points this season.
The win bumped the Kodiaks to a record 59 points this season, atop the Harold Brittain conference and three ahead of the Abbotsford Pilots. The Pilots will have to win both of their remaining games, against Mission Icebreakers and Delta Ice Hawks, and the Kodiaks will have to lose their final Feb. 25 tilt away at North Delta Devils, in order for Abbotsford to overtake the Kodiaks.
The Kodiaks outshot the Panthers 64-33 that night and scored on one of four power plays, while the Panthers failed to score on all three.
The Panthers opened the scoring in the first but Hardy notched his first on a power play at 10:53, assisted by Scott McHaffie and Jordan Pughe, to even it up at 1-1 going into the second.
The Kodiaks scored the only two goals of the second. First scorer was Hardy at 13:30, assisted by Colton Precourt, followed 14 seconds later by Ryan Veillet, from Hardy and Precourt.
Kodiak Damiel Higgs opened the third period scoring at 6:45, assisted by Stephen Ryan, and nine seconds later the Panthers scored their final goal of the night.
The Kodiaks scored two more, at 10:31 by Scott McHaffie, assisted by Mitchell Guiel and Spencer McHaffie, then at 17:13 by Guiel, from Colby Rosner and Spencer McHaffie.