HJHL Roundup: Division leaders skate to victories on Friday

The Division leaders both came away with victories on Friday, but in very different fashion.

Airdrie (6) vs. Ponoka (5)

AIRDRIE – A wild second period highlighted what was a thrilling game as the Airdrie Thunder escaped with a 6-5 overtime victory over the Ponoka Stampeders.

The Thunder led 3-1 early in the second period before finding themselves trailing 5-3 just over 14 minutes later.

Jacob MacDonald played the OT hero for the Thunder (9-3-2), scoring just past the midway mark of the extra frame, his second goal of the night to cap off a two-goal, one-assist performance.

Austin O’Bray, with a goal and two helpers, and Jesse Fischer, with three assists, also finished with three-point nights for the Thunder.

Taite Opdendries had a pair of goals for the Stampeders (1-8-2), while Nate Higgins added a goal and two assists. James Lea and Jacob Sayler each chipped in with a goal and assist.

Clay Murray, Kristopher LeClair and Rylan Plante-Crough rounded out the scoring Airdrie, which got a combined 42 saves from goaltenders Ryan Simpson, 36, and C.J. Wedenig, 6.

Keenan Starkell made 36 saves between the pipes for Ponoka.

GAME SUMMARY

Okotoks (7) vs. Blackfalds (4)

OKOTOKS – A two-goal night off the stick of Adam Stafford paced the Okotoks Bisons to a 7-4 win over the Blackfalds Wranglers at Murray Arena on Friday.

Brennan Fuoco and Kyle Harrison each chipped in with a goal and two helpers for the Bisons (9-3-0), while goaltender Devin Reagan stood tall between the pipes, stopping 44-of-48 shots on the night.

Kyle Dunville, Kyle Becker and Jason Horn rounded out the scoring attack for the Bisons, which held leads of 1-0 after 20 minutes and 4-2 going into the third period where they would make it a 7-2 game prior to the midway mark of the frame.

Landon Siegle had two of the four Blackfalds’ (8-2-0) goals, while Ryan Chambers and Shawn Rowe each provided a single.

GAME SUMMARY

Strathmore (8) vs. High River (3)

HIGH RIVER – Matt Thomson scored three times and setup another as the Strathmore Wheatland Kings rolled to an 8-3 win over the High River Flyers on Friday night.

Bradley Tingey finished with a three-point night, scoring once and added a pair of helpers, while Austin Holmes. Mitchell Broughton, Hayden Vander Ploeg and Cole Busslinger each added a single.

Indiana Kelly made 20 saves to register his sixth win of the season between the Strathmore pipes.

Davis Sheldon had two of the goals for High River, while Josh Younker produced the other.

The game was knotted at 2-2 for much of the second period until Broughton put the Wheatland Kings up by one with 5:01 left in the frame. Strathmore would go on to score five unanswered and five total in the third period to put the game away.

GAME SUMMARY