The Ponoka Stampeders are hoping to find their winning ways once again after a pair of losses this past week.
An ineffective powerplay was part of the issue in a 2-1 loss Nov. 27 on home ice to the Sylvan Lake Wranglers, while the Stamps couldn’t keep up with the high powered Stettler Lightning in an 8-4 defeat on the road Nov. 30.
After snapping a 12-game losing skid on Nov. 23 against the then-undefeated Okotoks Bisons, the Stampeders couldn’t find their scoring touch and went 0-for-5 with the man advantage versus the Wranglers.
Despite outshooting Sylvan Lake in the contest 38-23, including a 17-8 margin in the opening period, Ponoka wasn’t able to capitalize on their great opportunities.
The Wranglers notched both of their goals two minutes apart around the midway point of the first frame. Unfortunately, it took the Stamps until the 13-minute mark of the third to get on the board, courtesy a goal by Kieran Bulloch.
Geoffrey Drought turned aside 21 shots on the night.
Three nights later, the rink felt more like a racetrack as both clubs went up and down the ice firing 80 shots — 36 by Ponoka — at the opponent’s net and featured 12 goals.
The host Lightning jumped out to a 2-0 lead early, before Ponoka’s Walker Guthrie managed to slide one into the Stettler net with just over six minutes left in the first stanza. However, Stettler would get their two-goal lead back before the end of the frame.
The clubs would trade goals in the middle frame with Tyrone Potts Jr. notching one just 2:40 in, before Stettler got their first two powerplay goals on the night about four minutes later.
Carson Bear hit the twine for Ponoka near the midway point of the second, only to have the Lightning return the favour with a goal of their own with about six minutes remaining.
The third was certainly not friendly for the Stamps, with Stettler getting a powerplay marker just 30 seconds into the third and then another just 13 seconds later.
Stettler would finish off their scoring with just over 12 minutes left, while Ponoka’s Joshua Robinson put home their final goal with about seven minutes remaining.
Holiday stretch — The Stampeders won’t be back on the ice until Dec. 8 when they host Cochrane (game time 3 p.m.), in one of six games — evenly split between home and on the road — the club will play before the league breaks for the holidays from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2. The rest of the December home dates are Dec. 11 versus Rocky and Dec. 18 against Mountainview, with both games set for 7:30 p.m.
