The Ponoka Stampeders posted one win and one loss over the weekend with both games close in points.
First up was Stettler Lightning on Jan. 13 with both teams playing a fast-passing game and neither team showing a desire to give up. For Ponoka, it was a chance at revenge having lost to Lightning 3-2 one week prior.
Each period was action-packed with both teams finding opportunities to sink the puck. By the end of the first period it was anyone’s game with the teams tied at two. Jordan Sears and Taite Opdendries found themselves on the score board.
It was a clean first period with only four penalty minutes clocked by Stettler.
Second period saw the Stampeders take some control of the game finding an opportunity to take the lead by the end of the period. Walker Guthrie scored early on taking advantage of a power play and later in the stanza Brendan Scott scored putting the game at 4-3 for Ponoka.
Penalty-wise the game was still relatively clean with a total of 14 minutes, however, Shae Reynolds took in 10 minutes for a game misconduct and two minutes for roughing while Stettler had the other two.
Scoring continued strong in the third period with Lightning finding two goals in the first 11 minutes putting them in a 5-4 lead.
Just under five minutes later, however, Guthrie found a way past Stettler’s goalie to tie it up. With just under one minute left in the third Kacey Straub landed the game-winning puck. Ponoka won 6-5 against Stettler but the Stamps are still 12 points behind Lightning in league standings.
As for penalty minutes in the third period, things heated up with a total of 30 minutes in penalties, Ponoka taking 20 of those — 10 of which were for a game misconduct for Opdendries.
Power play results showed Ponoka capitalizing on two of the seven opportunities.
Ponoka vs Airdrie
Considering Airdrie Techmation Thunder is second in the northern division standings, the Stamps losing 7-5 Jan. 14 is not that bad of a result.
Add to that the Stamps lost to Airdrie a week before by a wider margin of 8-2, showing improvement over the week.
The first period was relatively slow with both teams scoring one each. Ryan Harder was unassisted in Ponoka’s first goal of the game.
Things started to heat up in the second period with a total of five goals being made — the Stamps scored two and Thunder scored three. This put the game at 4-3 with Opdendries and Jacob Saylor scoring for Ponoka.
The third period was just as busy, again with five total goals being made — two for Ponoka and three for Airdrie. Saylor and Sears scored for Ponoka in the third period.
With three and a half minutes left the score sat at 6-5 and Ponoka shooting for a chance to tie it up but Airdrie took advantage of a power play opportunity with just over one and a half minutes left in the game bringing the final score to 7-5.
Ponoka scored on three of the eight power play opportunities.
The Stamps’ next two games are coming up with the first away at Three Hills on Jan. 19 and then at home Jan. 20 against Blackfalds, game time is 8:30 p.m.
