If only there was some way they could figure out how to bypass the first 65 minutes and go directly to the shoot out.
Grande Prairie Storm remain the best team in the AJHL when it comes to shoot outs, as they used one on Friday night to get past the Pontiacs 4-3 in Bonnyville. With that, the Storm are now 7-1 in games that end up being decided by the penalty shot competition.
Chase Thudium is often the top sniper for Grande Prairie in shoot outs and he was again on this night, scoring the deciding goal in the fourth round of the event. Nick Kulmanovsky, meantime, slammed the door shut on all four Pontiac shooters he faced.
Before the shoot out, the story of the game was how the Storm bounced back from a 3-1 deficit to force extra time. Nathyn Mortlock and Dylan Thudium scored goals one minute apart, late in the second period, to erase a two goal deficit. Ian McLellan had the other goal for the visitors, back in the first.
With the win, the Storm move two points up on Drayton Valley for the final playoff spot in the AJHL North. The Thunder were idle Friday and now have two games in hand on Grande Prairie.
Storm finish their three game road trip on Saturday with another match-up in Bonnyville. They then return home the following Friday and Saturday to face the Spruce Grove Saints.
– Story by Don Whiteford of www.PeaceCountrySports.com.