The Bolts have been playing up to their potential and even though they managed to avenge their earlier defeat to the Ponoka Stampeders by winning 7-4 on Wednesday, Jan. 11, they were overpowered by Three Hills in a shootout on Saturday, Jan. 14.
Lightning's Matt Sylvester scored in the first minute of the game against Three Hills, but they seemed to catch up.
The other two goals scored by Brendan Bardwell in the second period and Ethan Rost in the third period, were also equalized, which tied the game at 3-3, resulting in a shootout.
In the shootout, besides Dylan Houston all the shooters were blocked by a very agile Stampeder goalie, and though Bolts goalie Jordan McCallum put up a brave show, he was one shy to take his team to another win.
"The flip side of an offensive streak like the one we were on is that you know it can't last forever, eventually you're going to have an off night where maybe you aren't moving the puck as well as you would like to be and you run into a solid goalie," said Head Coach Gavin Brandl. "That's basically what happened on Saturday night in Three Hills. We weren't making passes like we normally do.
"I have to give Three Hills credit, their backs are up against the wall to sneak into playoffs and they played hungry," Brandl added. "They filled the lanes, fronted pucks and got the big saves when they needed them. I think it was good for our mental state that we were able to tie the game up late and make sure we still came away with a point."
Big win against Ponoka StampedersThis past Wednesday, Jan. 11 as the Bolts faced Ponoka Stampeders all they wanted to do was avenge their previous defeat and come away with a win, which they did.
Dylan Houston started the scoring with a lone goal in the first period as the Bolts went into the second period, leading 1-0.
In the second period, Quade Cassidy, Logan Davidson and Brendan Bardwell's efforts were matched by four Stampeder goals, which tied the game at 4-4 moving into the third period.
It was here that the Bolts let loose with Matt Sylvester leading the charge and both Davidson and Cassidy scoring their second goals of the game.
"The game against Ponoka marked the tenth straight game in which we had scored five or more goals, and the way we played was essentially a showcase of the skill level of our team that had enabled us to achieve that," Brandl said. "We were supporting each other well and moving the puck efficiently, but we were also doing the right things defensively to get the puck back."
According to Brandl, the Bolts are a team that is designed to have the puck on their sticks, so when they do things the right way to get it back quickly, offence is going to follow as they've seen.
"We are back home on Friday night against Okotoks for what should be a really competitive game," Brandl added.
Bolts will face Okotoks in a home game on Friday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m.