Icehawks already with more wins than all of last season

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But one of the biggest obstacles in Junior B is getting the players to show up, as many have to juggle work and schooling responsibilities on top of showing up to practices and games. This year’s crop has been able to do that so far. The only time they’ve been shorthanded at a game is when they’ve taken a penalty.

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 “It’s the commitment,” said head coach Kim Dryka. “All the guys are showing up to practice and everything. Compared to last year, we had a talented team too last year but we just didn’t have the commitment all the time.

“When you can dress four lines and you don’t wear your guys out, it makes a big difference.”

The Icehawks led 2-0 after the first period thanks to goals from Matthew Kutnikoff on the power play and captain Green with 16 seconds left in the frame.

“We stress this very hard, it’s important to get out there and have a good start,” said Dryka. “The last few games, we haven’t done that. We jumped out hard on them and got up 2-0 and rode the momentum right through the game.

“At times, we let up a little bit and got into some penalty problems but we got to control our emotions and not take those bad penalties.”

The Storm didn’t get on the board until there was 6:19 left in the second period, when Taylor Hoedel deflected a point shot past Icehawks goaltender Tyler Gordon. Gordon stopped the first 20 shots he faced before that tip.

Tristen Charles restored the Icehawks two-goal lead early in the third as he creeped in from the point to tap home a gimme back door on a four-minute power play.

Seconds after Charles’ goal, Gordon sprawled cross-crease to rob Storm forward Dylan Herzberg on a backhanded deke attempt to keep it at a 3-1 game.

The Storm’s Hoedel made it a one-goal game with 3:03 left in the third period. The goal was a carbon copy of his earlier tally, a tip in front of the net.

That started some furious pressure around the Icehawks net for the remainder of the game. After some desperate defence and repetitive icings, Green filled the empty net for the second of the game to seal the deal at 4-2.

Gordon made 42 saves in the game for the Icehawks.

“Gordon stepped up his game, the last two out of three he struggled a little bit but he came focused tonight,” said Dryka. “He held us in there, he stole one for us tonight.”

Icehawks goaltender Jeffrey Crawford served his third of a three game suspension on Friday. He earned a match penalty in a relief appearance Nov. 14 against Fort Knox on the road. He will be eligible to play the Icehawks’ next game, Sunday at the Kinsmen against the Ochapowace Thunder.

jdandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea