If the Airdrie Thunder continues to score at its current pace, the staff at the Ron Ebbesen Arena may have to change the bulbs on the scoreboard.
The Heritage Junior B Hockey League team scored 20 times in two games – a 9-0 win over the Banff Academy Bears on Oct. 22 and a 11-4 win over the Medicine Hat Cubs on Oct. 24.
The Thunder (7W-0L on the season) remains unbeaten atop the HJHL’s Central Division with 48-goals-for and 13-goals-against.
“We really moved the puck well today and I thought there goalie played very well to keep it at 11,” said Thunder head coach Darryl Einarson following the Medicine Hat win.
“The guys are developing some good chemistry and it’s fun to see. But we’re trying to keep the goals against down and I’m not too pleased with four against.”
Alex Hustad led the effort over Medicine Hat with four goals, while Travis Wallan had a hat trick, Andrew Bergmann had two, adding to his league-leading 12, and Cache Dooleage and Shaw Pickett added singles.
Six different Thunder players scored in the Banff win, as Alex Diduch had a hat trick, Wallan added two, and Pickett, Justin Rockafellow, Sam Yetman and Taylor Crossley each had one goal.
Logan Marlow earned the shutout against Banff, while Jeff Gardiner was solid to preserve the win over the Cubs.
“It’s a coach’s dream to have two great goalies,” Einarson said.
“Both of them are playing excellent right now and they push each other.”
The coach was impressed with his team’s effort during the two games, except for the second period against the Cubs when the Thunder was issued seven penalties.
“We were undisciplined and you just can’t be that way as the games get more important. It really disrupted the flow and we talked about it a lot between periods. Our lines were all messed up we can’t get thrown off our game like that,” Einarson said.
“We’ve got some tough games coming up, with Three Hills here on Friday, that’s going to be a tough game, and walking into Strathmore on Saturday is going to be a battle.
“We’ve still got lots to work on and lots to challenge the guys with. It’s a long year and it’s very important that we have goals for improvement as the season goes along.”
Airdrie will host the Three Hills Thrashers at the Ron Ebbesen Arena on Oct. 29. Game time is 8 p.m. They will then play at Strathmore against the Wheatland Kings on Oct. 30.
The Cochrane Generals improved to 5W-0L, second behind the Thunder with two games in hand, after beating the Cubs 7-4 in Medicine Hat on Oct. 23.
Jonny Picton, Kris Keller, Jordan Davidson, Danny McSween, Maddison Smiley, Kyle Tucker and Nick Borody all tallied for Cochrane, as the Generals peppered Cubs’ goalie Troy Wagner with 64 shots.
Cochrane’s Kenny Quinn made 32 saves in net for the win.
The Generals will host the Mountainview Colts at the Spraylakes Centre on Oct. 29, at 8 p.m., before visiting the Stettler Lightning on Oct. 30.
