The Airdrie Xtreme has found its spark since the calendar hit the year 2012.
The team has earned points in three of four games this year, including a 2-2 tie against the Calgary Bronks, Jan. 14, and a 7-3 win over the Spruce Grove Saints, Jan. 15. Both games were played at the Ron Ebbesen Arena.
The three points last weekend move Airdrie to within seven of the Medicine Hat Hockey Hounds, who lead the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League’s Ram South Division with 32 points.
Airdrie is one point ahead of the Red Deer Rebels White and five points ahead of Lethbridge, although the Golden Hawks have three games in hand.
“We’re in a dog fight with a few teams for that second place spot,” said Xtreme head coach Terry Keogh. “We came real close to getting the four points, but the Bronks scored to tie it up when their coach took quite a gamble. They had a power play with about three minutes left and pulled their goalie for the sixth attacker and tied it up.”
Ryan Barrow and Zack Giroux scored for the Xtreme in the tie, while goaltender Kurtis Chapman made 28 saves.
“We took the momentum through the second period, but unfortunately we got the tie,” Keogh said. “It was disappointing and earlier in the season I think we would have had trouble bouncing back. But it shows the kind of character we’ve built up.
Jordan McConnell had a hat trick, while Marshall Burr scored twice and Adamu Tanaka and Kris LeClair added singles in the 7-3 win over the Saints. Ryan Ternes made 28 saves in net for the win.
“It was certainly nice to see another offensive explosion,” Keogh said. “We finished on almost all of our best chances and it was nice to see them going in after all the hard work.”
Keogh said he was also happy with the defensive improvement the team had shown in three of the past four games, besides a 6-1 loss to the Calgary Royals on Jan. 11.
“It shows a buy-in from our players about our concept of team defence,” he said. “We forced everything from the outside and didn’t let anything up the middle.”
Five of Airdrie’s last six games of the AMBHL regular season schedule will be on the road. Four of those games will be against division rivals, so Keogh said the team is looking forward to it as it a chance to solidify its place in second.
“We like the schedule because it puts destiny in our hands,” he said. “We can control where we end up here.”
There is a tournament in St. Albert this weekend, but Airdrie didn’t qualify and will conduct a team-building weekend instead. The Xtreme’s next game will be at the Red Deer Rebels Black on Jan. 28, while its next home game is a day later against Lethbridge.
Puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Ron Ebbesen Arena.
