In the spirit of Christmas, the Stettler Lightning gave and received in Heritage Junior Hockey League play last week.
The Lightning took four points at the expense of the last-place Ponoka Stampeders, with a 6-2 win at Ponoka last Wednesday and a 6-3 victory at home Friday.
Stettler gave two points to the Red Deer Vipers, who won 6-2 on Saturday night at Red Deer Arena.
The Lightning (8-15-1) have won five of their past seven games and sit sixth in the Northern Division. They have pulled within one point of the fifth-place Mountainview Colts (8-15-2) and 15 points ahead of Ponoka (1-23-0).
Last week at Ponoka, six Stettler players scored one goal each — Connor Doucette, Steve Blacklock, Gavin Brandl, Jacob Schwarzenberger, Scott Ternes and Blake Frechette, who capped the scoring with a short-handed marker. Lightning captain Tyson Glazier picked up a couple of assists.
Coleman Waddell made 34 saves as the Lightning outshot the Stampeders 42-36.
The same teams battled Friday as Kyler O’Connor powered the Lightning with a two-goal effort at the Stettler Recreation Centre. Doucette, Lyle Wooden, Reese Anheliger and Landon Potter also scored for Stettler, and Adam Ternes assisted on two goals.
Waddell blocked 30 shots in the Stettler net. His teammates fired 44 shots at Ponoka rookie Eli Falls.
Stettler’s No. 1 goaltender, Simon Thieleman, returned to the lineup Saturday and made 35 saves in a losing effort at Red Deer Arena. Frechette and Wyatt Haustein scored for Stettler, which had 38 shots against Vipers goalie Brenden Mandrusiak.
Justin Corbett netted two goals for Red Deer (13-1-7), which is second in the Northern Division, just three points behind the Blackfalds Wranglers (17-3-2).
The Lightning host Red Deer at 8 p.m. Friday at the Stettler Recreation Centre and visit Mountainview at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Didsbury Recreation Complex in their final game before Christmas.