Carpe diem is a Latin aphorism. Translated it means “seize the day”.
The Grande Prairie Storm had an opportunity to do that on Saturday.
Had they “seized the day” they would have seized a pretty good grip on fourth place in the Alberta Junior Hockey League over the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
Instead it was Crusader carpe diem and they now find themselves just three points back in the North Division with two games in hand following a 6-4 victory over the Storm.
There was also a little bit of shooting themselves in the foot involved.
“We simply gave them the game tonight,” said Storm head coach/assistant general manager Matt Keillor. “Three of the goals against were freebies where someone was left alone to shoot in the slot.
“We don't get easy goals like that . . . we have to work hard and score pretty goals. To work so hard and just give away goals five-on-five like that was disappointing.”
The Crusades led 2-0 less than five minutes into the first and were in front 3-2 after 30. The teams headed into the third tied at 4-4.
“Even giving away freebies we still managed to go into the third with a tie game, but it always comes back to haunt you,” said Keillor, whose team had won its first two games of 2018 and finish up with two more on the road next weekend (in Fort McMurray and Spruce Grove).
Both of Sherwood Park's third period goals, including the winner off the stick of Garrett Clegg at 2:03 and the clincher from Dylan Stewart (who had two on the night) at 19:34, came on the powerplay. The Crusaders were two-for-four on the PP and the Storm 0-6.
Connor Blake, who also had an assist, along with Zach Okabe, Edouard Michaud and Jon Hader scored for the Storm while Payton McIsaac, Ryan Cox and Ashton Casault got the other Crusader goals.
Charles-Olivier Levesque tended the Storm goal facing 33 shots while Brandon Vogel had to look at 35 Storm shots at the other end.
After next weekend's pair on the road the Storm return home to take on the Calgary Mustangs on January 19.
