SPRUCE GROVE, AB (October 3, 2014) — The Spruce Grove Saints (6-3-2) scored the first six goals of the game, and never looked back, as they downed the Fort McMurray Oil Barons (7-4) by a 7-2 final at the Grant Fuhr Arena on Friday night.
The Saints' first two goals came just 16 seconds apart; the first when Jake Mykitiuk jammed a point shot rebound past Barons goalie Zach Fortin (St. Jerome, PQ) at the 3:10 mark, and the second at 3:26 when Conner Lukan chased down a bouncing puck off a faceoff and batted it past Fortin for a 2-0 lead. At the 12:56 mark, Colton Leiter won a faceoff to a waiting Paul Lovsin, whose one-timer beat Fortin for a 3-0 lead through 1. The Saints outshot the Barons 20-9 in the opening period.
Things didn't improve much in the second, as the Barons were held to just 3 shots. The Saints notched 10 of their own and converted on two; a Brandon Biro backhander from the top of the crease at 2:49, and an individual effort by Nicolas Correale with 28 seconds left in the frame, when he made a spin move to evade a MOB defender, cut to the net unopposed, and snuck a point blank shot into the back of the cage to make it 5-0.
In the third, the Saints extended the lead just 100 seconds in, when Correale was found open backdoor for his second goal of the night. The Barons finally responded at 7:27 when Jetlan Houcher (Paradise Valley, AB) converted a 2-on-1 pass from Jackson McKinstry (Calgary, AB) for his league-leading 10th goal and 13th point. But the Saints got it back less than 2 minutes later when Austin Hunter found Parker Mackay wide open in the slot for the Saints' seventh goal.
Just 32 seconds after that, a cross-ice pass from Adam Durkee (Nederland, CO) was one-timed home by Mitch Vanderlaan (Hanwell, NB) to cut the deficit to five. The second assist on that goal went to MOB defenceman Tyler Dea (St. Albert, AB), who notched his first point of the season in his first game since returning from the WHL.
The Barons finish their road trip tomorrow night in Whitecourt, taking on the Wolverines at 7:30 PM.
The game can be heard on KAOS 91.1 starting at 7:15.
KAOS 91.1 Three Stars:
1. Nicolas Correale (2 goals)
2. Brandon Biro (1 goal, 1 assist)
3. Parker Mackay (1 goal)