Sherwood Park, AB: A dominant second period saw the Crusaders come from behind to beat the Drayton Valley 7-2 in Sherwood Park Arena Friday night.
The Crusaders had to go on the penalty kill twice in the first period, with Arjun Atwal and Will Zapernick spending time in the box.
The Thunder took the lead thanks to a finish from Tanner Hopps, but the lead would not stay. Carter Savoie (University of Denver) grabbed on a loose puck and fired past goaltender Eric Ward to tie the game 1-1.
Jacob Franczak started off the second period with a tidy finish to get the Cru in front. Will Zapernick (University of Alabama – Huntsville) fired Ty Ettinger?s pass home midway to get a power play goal.
The Thunder soon found themselves becoming undone quickly. Jacob Franczak used his accuracy to score again, and Arjun Atwal used his pace and finishing to add to the lead 26 seconds later. The 4-1 scoreline forced Drayton Valley to make a change in goal.
The Crusaders were not done yet. Atwal and Savoie teamed up to provide for Ty Ettinger, and the local lad did the rest to get his first Crusaders goal on home ice.
The third period started off the same way as the second: the Crusaders scoring. Vincent Scott netted his first goal for the Crusaders 17 seconds in. Colson Gengenbach added a late consolation, but it was the Crusaders who got the two points.
Sunday sees the Cru face their last regular season home game against the Spruce Grove Saints at 2:15 p.m.