Morinville Jets Jacob Klassen (88) and Jase McRae (17) battle for the puck with Stony Plain Flyers Colby Perneel (22) and Shane Setter (71) during the Sunday, Feb. 4 home game in Morinville. – Stephen Dafoe Photo
by Stephen Dafoe
The Morinville Jr. B Jets took their seventh and eighth consecutive wins over the weekend, defeating the Stony Plain Flyers in back-to-back games. The Jets defeated the Flyers 4-1 on the road on Feb. 2 and again at home on Feb. 4 in a 4-0 shutout win.
The Friday night road game saw the Jets out-chance Stony Plain 19-10 in the opening frame, but only Jacob Klassen could capitalize for the Jets early in the period to give the club a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.
Despite outshooting the Flyers 15-11 in the second, the Flyers kept the Jets off the board while Flyers’ Captain Ryen Olson netted one to tie the game.
But the Jets dominated the final frame, with Ethan Dechamplain and Josh Konanz advancing the game to 3-1 in the Jets’ favour. Dechamplain grabbed another goal into an empty Flyers net to take the game 4-1.
Sunday would see the Jets deny the Flyers even a single goal. The Jets started their Sunday, Feb. 4 game outshooting the Flyers 9-4, capitalizing twice on those chances to lead 2-0 heading into the middle frame.
Adam Mueller opened scoring for the Jets at 13:25, and Ethan Dechamplain gave the Jets their second goal with 1:30 left in the period.
The Jets added a goal midway through the second, this one from
Graeme Hampton, to pull ahead 3-0.
But a seven-minute powerplay opportunity late in the period bore no additional fruit for the Jets as the Flyers penalty kill denied the Jets a goal.
By the end of the period, the board showed the Jets leading the Flyers 3-0 in goals and 31-11 in shots.
Carrying two penalties into the final period, Cody Laliberte pocketed a shorthanded goal at 18:19 with 20 seconds left in the last of the two penalties for the Jets.
The board would freeze at 4-0, with neither side able to ripple the mesh.
The back-to-back wins gave the Jets a 29-6-1 record heading into their final week of the regular season.
After Sunday’s game, Jets’ President Brent Melville said the 59 points and 29 wins the club had accumulated up to that point this season were the most points and wins the Jets have had in their more than three-decade history.
The Jets play their last two games this week, a road game against the Leduc Co-Op Riggers on Wednesday night and their final regular season game on home ice on Sunday, Feb. 11, against the North Edmonton Red Wings. Game time is 4:30 p.m.
Below is a gallery of shots from Sunday night’s game.
Morinville Jet Jamie Visser and Stony Plain Flyer Nathan Maygard chase the puck along the boards in the Flyers’ zone during the Sunday, Feb. 4 game. The Jets defeated the Flyers 4-0. – Stephen Dafoe Photo
