DIDSBURY – Two big weekend wins at home and one on the road midweek have catapulted the Mountainview Colts into first place in the Heritage League's Northern Division.
The Colts beat Ponoka 7-2 on the road Wednesday before returning home for a pair of weekend games in which they beat Ponoka 9-2 on Friday and Medicine Hat 7-3 on Saturday. The three wins give the team 34 points on the season (16-wins, 3-loses, 2-overtime losses), two points ahead of the Airdrie Techmation Thunder.
“The boys played really well,” said assistant coach Michael Galye. “We're back on the right track from the looks of things. The goaltending stepped up to the plate and played better. All in all the boys played very good.”
Galye said the Colts' offence has really come on and the team has been averaging seven goals a game recently.
“We're working hard on our defensive coverage,” he said. “The systems on defence are all new and we're continuing to work on it and tweaking it. We're hoping for the push at the end and the play-offs we'll have it down pat. That'll tighten up our back end. That's the focus of the team right now.”
On Wednesday on the road, the Colts went up 2-0 after one period (Alan Klinck and Wyatt Gelinas) and pushed out to a 5-2 lead after two period with goals from Klinck, with his second, and Evan Ingram with a pair.
The Colts scored two more in the third with Colton Anderson and Tyson Schmidt tickling the twine.
Anderson had a huge night on Friday leading the team with five points including a hat-trick.
“Colton (Anderson) is one of those guys, when he decides to bring his ‘A' game he can dominate a hockey game,” said Galye. “We have a few guys like that. A couple of weeks back in Blackfalds Tyson Schmidt got five goals and two assists.
“These guys are talented hockey players. When push comes to shove, these guys can dominate any team in the league.”
Teammate Mitchell Visser also had a hat-trick as well as an assist.
Other scorers for Mountainview, who held period leads of 5-1 and 8-2, were Cole Sutherland and Schmidt, who both added three assists, and Ingram.
On Saturday the Colts scored the first four goals (Ingram, Schmidt, Austin Pedersen and Anderson) on the game before Ryan Fauth put the Cubs on the board.
Visser gave Mountainview a 5-1 lead at the end of two periods. Ingram and Schmidt continued the scoring barrage for the Colts as they went up 7-1 midway through the third. The Hat scored two third period goals for a 7-3 final.
Galye said it's nice to finally get top spot in the division after being second for so long behind Airdrie. “It is important,” he said. “First seed in the north is important. You get a bye and it takes the pressure off. For us it's a pride thing (as well). The boys take pride in being first. We're pretty happy with the outcome on the weekend for sure.”
Mountainview starts off December with a home game Friday against Blackfalds. On Saturday the Colts travel to Red Deer to face the Northern Division's third place team.
