There were plenty of memories being made Saturday night at the Civc, on a night were the Lloydminster Bobcats remembered all the sacrifices made by the brave men and women as part of Remembrance Day.
Four different Bobcats registered their first ever goals as members of the Lloydminster franchise, while one Bobcat picked up his second short-handed goal of the year.
Despite only dressing 16 skaters due to the flu and injury bug, the Bobcats put forth one of their best sixty minute performances of the season.
Lloydminster jumped out in front early in the first when Tucker Scantlebury tipped home his first as a Cat.
Midway through the opening frame, the Bobcats found themselves having to kill a 47 second 5-on-3 after a pair of high-sticking calls. Lloydminster would go on to kill off both penalties before hitting the dressing room up 1-0 after twenty minutes.
After the Bobcats were sent back to the penalty kill early in the second, a second year Bobcat scored his second short-handed goal of the season to increase Lloydminster’s lead to 2-0. Zach Kaiser forced a turnover and then beat Grand Prairie goalie Ethan Slobodzian over his glove.
Later in the frame, Carson Franklin snapped home his first career AJHL goal as the Bobcats carried a 3-0 lead into the second intermission.
Early in the third, a Lloydminster local netted his first Bobcat’s goal.
After Franklin spun from a defender and sent the puck towards the goal, Lloydminster’s own Chase Stephenson was there to tip the puck home for a 4-0 Cats advantage.
The Storm scored their lone goal fo the game with under seven minutes to play in the third. Forward Zachary Okabe beat Sanders for his 8th of the season.
The Bobcats would respond though. After Leyson Coleman’s shot missed the net, the puck bounced off the boards right to Andrew Liwiski, and the first-year Bobcats defenceman slammed home his first ever AJHL goal.
In goal, Sanders finished the game making 30 saves on 31 shots, giving him his first career AJHL win. For Grand Prairie, Ethan Slobodzian was pulled after giving up three goals on 14 shots. In relief, Charles-Olivier Levesque stopped 18 of 20 shots.
Although the Bobcats power-play finished the night 0 for 4, their penalty kill was perfect, killing off all seven Storm power-plays.
Lloydminster will now go for their second straight win on Friday night when they host the Fort McMurray Oil Barons at the Civic.