Gaudette nets pair as Royals crush Kodiaks

Three High Prairie Minor Hockey products were in action with the Prairie River Boston Pizza Royals Sept. 26. Left-right are Theo Gaudette, Jordan Panasiuk and Hector Lamouche. The Royals whipped the Camrose Kodiaks 6-1.

Mac Olsen
South Peace News

It was a good night for Theo Gaudette, as he scored two goals in the Peace River Boston Pizza Royals 6-1 season opener against the Camrose Kodiaks Sept. 26. The Rural Alberta Midget Hockey League rivals played at the Sports Palace instead of the Kinsmen Arena in Peace River because of a scheduling conflict. Cody Antos scored a power play goal for the Kodiaks early in the first period. The Royals dominated the game after that, with Chase Helgeson scoring with just 10 seconds left in the first period. In the second period, Brendan Hawryluk scored two unassisted goals while Theo Gaudette and Kurt Konopelka scored one goal each. Gaudette scored his second goal early in the third period to give the Royals a 6-1 victory. He and teammates Hector Lamouche and goaltender Jordan Panasiuk revelled in the opportunity to play for the home crowd. Gaudette and Lamouche are from Gift Lake, Panasiuk from High Prairie. “I like the intensity the crowd brings,” says Gaudette. “It felt really good being out there showing them what I’ve got.” He has set two goals for himself this season. One is to play in the all-star game in Spruce Grove Jan. 21, 2009. The other is to accumulate more points than last season, when he scored nine goals and received five assists. Right-winger Hector Lamouche was happy he could play in front of his family, especially his dad. “My dad pushes me to play hockey,” says Lamouche. His dad and brother have played hockey all their lives. Lamouche accumulated three goals and nine assists last season. Panasiuk says it was nice to see a good crowd for the home opener and it was a good game. Setting his sights on the Alberta Junior Hockey League next season, he wants to step up his performance this season and says the coaches are driving him to be a better player. “But if I don’t (make it to the AJHL), well, at least I’ll be a better goalie,” says Panasiuk. “With the Royals, it’s high intensity so it’s hard not to improve. The coaches are awesome and it’s an awesome organization.” Panasiuk had a 0.93 percentage for saves last season. Coach Shawn Gervais praises all three High Prairie players, including Gaudette for his two goals because it was a confidence booster for him. “I think highly of all the players on our team, but those three guys always bring their game faces on,” says Gervais. “They just go hard every night, which is a bonus.” He also praises the local recreation board for letting the teams use the Sports Palace and the fans for their support. “High Prairie is always a good hockey town and they have a lot of support here,” says Gervais. “We’re happy that they gave us the ice time at the last minute because of scheduling conflicts. They welcomed us with open arms and we thank them greatly for it.” Sid Orcheski, coach for the Camrose Kodiaks, was disappointed with his team’s performance in the second period, although they played better in the third period. “Peace River has a very good hockey club, there’s no doubt about that. So we’ve got a lot of work to do,” says Orcheski. He praises the Sports Palace as a good arena and says High Prairie has a good fan base. The Royals and Kodiaks play one more game in the Sports Palace at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 24.

Copyright © 1999-2005 South Peace News. All Rights Reserved.
No part may be reproduced without written permission.

View our Privacy Statement.
Send website suggestions to the Webmaster