The Aldergrove Kodiaks faced down a strong challenge from the Mission City Outlaws Thursday, Jan. 17 at the Mission Leisure Centre, and came away with a 3-1 victory.
The Kodiaks opened the scoring in the first period, despite being outshot 15-11, with a power play goal from Adam Callegari at 17:01, with assists from Kodi Schwarz and captain Daniel Higgs.
The Kodiaks outshot Mission in the second period, 12-3, but the Outlaws were the only team to score that period, with Eddie Lalonde evening the score for the Outlaws.
The Kodiaks also outshot Mission in the third, 18-2, but it paid off as Kodiaks affiliate scored at 8:19, assisted by CJ Lillies and Joshua Cronin. Kodiaks defender Stefan Gonzales scored the insurance on an empty net in the final minute, assisted by Ryan Simpson and Joshua Cronin.
Iles and Higgs earned the game's first and third stars, respectively, with the second star going to Lalonde.
The result improved the Kodiaks standing to 45 points after 35 games (22-12-1-0).
The Kodiaks host the North Delta Devils at Aldergrove Arena, Wednesday, Jan. 23, before traveling to Ladner to play the Delta Ice Hawks on Tuesday, Jan. 29. Kodiaks host Mission Outlaws on Wednesday, Jan. 30, with puck drop at 7:15 p.m.
Kodiaks return to win column
It didn't take long for the Aldergrove Kodiaks to return to their winning ways.
The Kodiaks, who saw a 10-game win streak come to an end the last time they played, scored a 5-2 win over the Port Moody Panthers on Jan. 16 at the Aldergrove Arena in junior B Pacific Junior Ice Hockey League action.
Stefan Gonzales and Spencer McHaffie both had a goal and an assist to pace the Kodiaks attack, while Tyson Solotki and Ryan Veillet had a goal and an assist apiece.
Adam Callegari had the other Aldergrove goal to open the scoring, while Cole McInnes stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced.
The Kodiaks actually trailed 2-1 midway through the first period, but Gonzales and Veillet struck prior to intermission to give the home side a 3-2 advantage.
And after neither team scored in the second, McHaffie and Solotki scored within the first five minutes of the third to seal the victory.
The score could have been worse if not for the play of Port Moody goaltender Brendan Sharp, who stopped 45 of the 50 shots he faced.