by Stephen Dafoe
In their sixth and seventh consecutive wins, the Morinville Junior B Jets outscored their opponents by a factor of 10-to-one. On Friday, the Jets defeated the Spruce Grove Regals 10-1 on the road and repeated that score and outcome at home against the visiting Leduc Co-Op Riggers.
Friday night’s outing saw the Jets dominating the ice, outshooting the Regals 56-16.
The Jets led the day early on, building to a 3-0 lead after one and advancing that to 5-0 before the Regals capitalized on a power play opportunity to chip back at the lead by one. But the Jets pocketed another on the powerplay to lead 6-1.
The Jets added another four in the final frame to take the day handily. Jacob Klassen picked up a hat trick during Friday’s game.
Sunday was a repeat of Friday’s efforts, with the Jets outshooting the Riggers 60-22.
Leading the Riggers 5-0 at the end of one, the Jets pocketed another three in the middle frame to create an insurmountable 8-0 lead heading into the final frame. Although the Riggers pocketed one on the powerplay early in the third period, the Jets answered back with another two goals to mirror their Friday night score.
The back-to-back wins give the Jets a 16-6-0 record this season, elevating them to second place in the Capital Junior Hockey League’s West Division, eight points behind the St. Albert Merchants.
Although the Jets are only one point ahead of the North Edmonton Red Wings, they sit four games behind them. The closest contender for the second-place competition is the Beverly Warriors, who have also played 22 games this season and are just two points behind the Jets.
The Morinville Jets play two more games before the Christmas break: a road game against the Wetaskiwin Icemen on Sunday, Dec. 17, and a home-ice game against the Spruce Grove Regals on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at the Morinville AAA Arena. Game time is 8 p.m.
