With the game knotted at 1-1 after 40 minutes of play, Chasetan Braid took an aerial feed from Kobe Walker early in the third period and beat Drumheller Dragons goaltender Dane Dow just over a minute into the third period to help lift the Lloydminster Bobcats to a 3-1 Sunday afternoon victory at the Drumheller Memorial Arena.
Zach Webb scored a power play goal in the second period for his eighth of the season, Zach Kaiser punctuated the contest with an empty net goal in the final minute of the game, and Jeremy Kelleway turned in a stellar performance with 37 saves for his second AJHL victory.
Scoreless in the second period, the Dragons upped the intensity of the Sunday matinee, playing as physical of a brand of hockey as the Bobcats have seen all year long. The Dragons had three straight power play opportunities in the first period that they were unable to convert on, and the Bobcats would then get three chances of their own. On the power play for the third time of the game late in the second period, the Bobcats converted a slick passing play from Daniel Hilsendager at the top of the zone, down to Wilson Northey in the corner who then fed Zach Webb in front. Dow made the first save on Webb but he was able to bang in his own rebound to make it 1-0 for the Bobcats.
On the ensuing shift, the Dragons quickly evened things up as Cody Young put a shot on goal that was turned aside by Kelleway but he also found his own rebound and lifted it over the netminder to make it 1-1, which is how the second period ended.
In the third, Braid gave the Cats the lead for good with his early goal and they were able to hold off the Dragons for the duration of the contest. Kelleway was perfect on 15 shots faced in the final frame to finish off an excellent performance.
Today was the first of eight straight games away from home for the Bobcats leading up to Christmas. The Cats will head to Grande Prairie for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday this weekend followed by a Sunday showdown in Whitecourt against the Wolverines.