The tough times continued for the Stettler Lightning on the weekend as they dropped a pair of Heritage Junior Hockey League games on home ice.
The Lightning fell 3-1 to the Medicine Hat Cubs on Saturday night, after losing a 7-4 decision to the lowly Banff Bears on Friday night at the Stettler Recreation Centre.
Kyler O’Connor scored the lone Stettler goal against Medicine Hat. and Simon Thieleman blocked 33 shots in the Stettler goal.
Cole Schafer made 22 saves for Medicine Hat the night before he was called up to serve as the Edmonton Oil Kings’ backup goaltender for their Western Hockey League stop in Medicine Hat.
On Friday night, 17-year-old Kyle Stephan scored two goals and set up two others to lift Banff and push him past the 50-point plateau this season. Lonnie Dixon also tallied twice for the Bears, and Michael Harbich added a goal and three assists.
Banff broke open a 3-3 game with two goals in the fi rst fi ve minutes of the third period, including a short-handed marker from Dylan Robertson that proved to be the winner.
Blake Frechette scored a pair of goals for Stettler, and Lyle Wooden added a short-handed tally. Thieleman registered 27 saves in the Stettler net, while the Lightning had 32 shots.
Stettler was scheduled to visit the Blackfalds Wranglers last night. This Friday, the Lightning host the last-place Ponoka Stampeders in Castor, which is the hometown of five Stettler players — Thieleman, O’Connor, Clinton Allen, Mark Dietz and Steven Fletcher.