Grande Prairie Storm head coach/assistant general manager Matt Keillor was not happy with his team's discipline after a 3-2 penalty-filled loss to the Bonnyville Pontiacs on Tuesday.
He had some critical words for the team while watching them suffer their third defeat in three games to start the Alberta Junior Hockey League regular season.
Double good news for Keillor on Wednesday.
It appears the team listened and they also got their first win in an 8-1 spanking of the Lloydminster Bobcats in the border city.
“I'm very pleased with the effort tonight throughout the entire lineup,” said Keillor.
The Storm mentor also has to be thrilled with the depth on his club early in the season.
Five players recorded three points on Wednesday and 10 players had at least one point.
Keillor also has to be pleased with the fact the team had to kill just three Bobcat powerplays, allowing no goals, and scored on half of their six PP chances.
“Our special teams made the difference tonight on both sides of the puck.”
The Storm led 2-0 after one period and 4-0 after 40 minutes.
Two of those three-point players were Justin Bernier and Conner Blake with two goals each while the 1-2-3 players were Michael Clarke and Edouard Michaud. Noah Walters and Jonathan Hader got the other goals while Zach Okabe recorded three assists.
“The line of Blake, Comeau and Walters gave us the speed we want to play with night in and night out,” said Keillor. “I thought our defence did an excellent job breaking Lloyd's skilled foward's ability to cycle in our end and we were good on our counter-attacks.
“I thought this was Michael Clarke's best game so far and it was great to see him shooting the puck.,” said Keillor.”
Storm netminder Charles-Olivier Levesque, who recorded his first win as a Storm netminder, lost his shutout to Bobcat Zach Kaiser at 19:27 of the third on a penalty shot to make it 4-1.
“I'm glad the boys worked hard for Levesque tonight,” said Keillor, of his netminder who was battling hard in the loss to Bonnyville facing 53 shots.
Blake (3-4-7) and Okabe 1-6-7) lead the team with seven points each.
The game was the Storm's fourth in five days to start the season.
The win moves the Storm into a sixth place tie with the Bobcats in the North Divison.
They now get a break until Saturday when they host the Drayton Valley Thunder at 7:30 p.m. in Revolution Arena. On Sunday the second half of the doubleheader goes at 2 p.m.