Aldergrove Kodiaks captain Daniel Higgs netted a hat trick and the game's first star but it wasn't quite enough to defeat the North Delta Devils at Aldergrove Arena Wednesday night, Oct. 10.
The Kodiaks also outshot the Devils 52-43 but a pair of power play goals for each team in the third period resulted in the 6-5 win for the Devils.
The Kodiaks were up 2-1 at the end of the first after Higgs scored at 7:15 (assisted by Stephen Ryan and MacLean Hewitt) and 14:52 (assisted by Ryan and Stefan Gonzales).
The Devils evened it up early in the second, and Kodiak Matthew Vela (assisted by the McHaffie twins, Scott an Spencer) pulled the team ahead again at 7:58, but the Devils ended the second up 4-3.
The pressure was on in the third period, with end-to-end action, but the penalties cost both teams as each scored twice on power plays for the 6-5 outcome. Scoring for the Kodiaks were Ryan at 54 seconds into the third, assisted by Hewitt and Higgs, and Higgs at 7:00, assisted by Ryan.
Kodiaks keeper Cole MacInnes stopped 36 of 41 shots, while backup Brenden Sharp stopped one of two.
The Kodiaks sit at eight points after nine games for four wins and five losses, behind the Abbotsford Pilots at 12 points after seven games, in the Harold Brittain conference. The Devils sit at the bottom of the Tom Shaw conference with eight points after 11 games, while Richmond Sockeyes and Delta Ice Hawks are on top with 15 and 14 points, respectively, after nine games each.
The Kodiaks travel to the North Vancouver Wolf Pack's stomping grounds this Saturday night, and host the Delta Ice Hawks at Aldergrove on Wednesday, Oct. 17, game start at 7:15 p.m.
The Kodiaks then travel to take on the Port Moody Black Panthers on Saturday, Oct. 20, and host the Mission City Outlaws on Wednesday, Oct. 24, game start at 7:15 p.m.