Wednesday night the Sherwood Park Crusaders will be looking to rebound against the Drayton Valley Thunder after losing a heartbreaker 1-0 to the Bonnyville Pontiacs this past Sunday afternoon.
The only goal of the game came late in the 3rd period giving Sherwood Park only a small window to force extra time versus the Pontiacs.
“I liked that we controlled most of the play and didn’t give up much however we didn’t generate high quality scoring chances.” Said Crusader Head Coach and GM Tim Fragle.
In the chances the Crusaders did have to score, most of them were negated by missed shots over and wide of Pontiacs Goaltender Stephen Klein.
“I thought we were hanging onto pucks to long and second guessing ourselves.” Fragle added.
The bright spot in the loss was the play of Goaltender Zac Klassen, who made his 2nd straight start after getting a victory over the Whitecourt Wolverines last Thursday. Klassen made 21 saves and had no chance on the Shelby Kostyshen game winning goal.
“He has been good, he seems to be getting back to what helped him make the team.” Said Fragle on his 16 year old Goaltender.
Sherwood Park currently holds the final playoff spot in the North Division, 7th place, and is only up 3 points on the Drayton Valley Thunder. The Thunder lead the season series against the Crusaders 2 games to 1 with victories both at home and at the Sherwood Park Arena. The most recent, was back at the start of November picking up a 4-3 win in Sherwood Park. We can expect the Thunder to come out with a playoff type mentality and a lot of confidence for Wednesday’s game.
“It’s a big 4 point game, in the last 2 losses we were down 2 nothing and 3 nothing early. The key will be our start and our execution on opportunities.” Fragle says on Wednesday’s contest against the Thunder.
The Crusaders can move back into a more comfortable position with a win and surpass the Bonnyville Pontiacs for 6th in the North Division and only sit a point back of the idle Grande Prairie Storm.
For tickets to Wednesday’s game contact the Sherwood Park Crusaders Box Office at 780-417-1175 or purchase tickets at the door starting 1 hour prior to game time at the Sherwood Park Arena.