Okotoks—Stettler’s Dylan Houston scored five points (2G,3A) in a high scoring afternoon affair as the Lightning fell 8-6 on the road to the Bisons.
Coming back after an eight day break, the boys were looking to rebound from a 5-4 loss to Mountainview in Didsbury.
Speaking with Head Coach Rory Rost he called Sunday’s tilt “a bit of an odd game, I think we came within a goal four times, so we just couldn’t quite catch them, and we dug ourselves a bit of a hole. But certainly a very good effort on our part with four powerplay goals, and a shorthanded, so our special teams were outstanding.”
Stettler opened the scoring 1:39 into the first with a powerplay goal from Nic Jordan, before Okotoks tied it up a few minutes later. The Bisons would score two more in the first to take a 3-1 lead.
The second saw a flurry of goals as Okotoks would make it 4-1, as the Bolt’s Kiernan Rost scored a shorthanded goal with 6:28 gone in the period. Dylan Houston would bring the Lightning within a goal on the powerplay a few minutes later, but the Bison’s retaliated at 17:21 with a goal from Joel Deeprose. Quade Cassidy then scored for the Lightning with a powerplay at 18:18, but Okotoks would score again with a minute remaining to make it 6-4 after two.
Dylan Houston scored again for the Bolts to open the third, as Okotoks’s Kyle Harrison responded with a powerplay goal at 8:20 in the period. The Bison’s would score one more time to make it 8-5, before the Lightning scored again on the powerplay thanks to Kiernan Rost to make it an 8-6 final.
Meantime, the Lightning’s Jordan McCallum made 49 saves on 57 shots, as the Bolts went 4 for 8 on the powerplay.
Stettler returns home following a five game road trip, and will play the Red Deer Vipers at 7:30 on Friday.(Feb.2) It could also be a special night for the Lightning’s Dylan Houston who sits at 299 career points after Sunday’s five point night.
Looking ahead to the next game, Coach Rost says, “They’re the best team in the league right now, very strong defense, good forwards, just a solid team top to bottom. We had kind of a rough game over a month ago in Red Deer, and I’m hoping to use that as some motivation.”
Red Deer comes into Friday’s tilt at the S-R-C with a record of 26-5-1 for 53 points, after securing first in the HJHL North Division on the weekend.
Stettler sit in fifth place in the HJHL with a record of 13-15-3 for 29 points, three back of the Mountainview Colts with five games remaining in the season.
landin.chambers@stettlerindependent.com
landin.chambers@stettlerindependent.com
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