High Prairie’s Kole Shaw, left, and Manning’s Brett Nicklason duke it out during a first period fight Nov. 18. Nicklason won the fight but the Regals picked up the important two points in a 9-3 win.

Regals end 31-game skid with back-to-back wins

Chris Clegg
South Peace News

There was a bucket full of items the High Prairie Regals wanted to accomplish on the road back to respectability this season.

First was to win a game after losing 31 straight.

Check!

Next was to defeat division opponents. Their 7-4 win at Grimshaw on Nov. 16 ended a losing streak of 12 to the Huskies dating back to Jan. 24, 2014.

Check!

Two nights later, the Regals ended a 15-game skid to the Manning Comets by whipping them 9-3. Hard to believe it, but their last win over Manning came just over 10 years ago on Nov. 16, 2007.

Check!

And perhaps most importantly, regaining the respect from a fan base starving for victories. Good crowds of 400+ at each home game have taken care of that.

Check!

Yes, the Regals are a different cat to deal with this NPHL season, having earned five of a possible eight points to start the season.

The Regals never trailed in the win over the Huskies, leading 2-1 after one period and 4-2 after two.

James Tallman’s early third period goal proved to be the winner. At the time, it gave the Regals a comfortable 5-3 lead but Fred Schmidt and Brenda Hawryluk scored goals to close the gap to 5-4.

However, Jacob Anderson and Gordy Laderoute added goals in the final 10 minutes to seal the win. It was Laderoute’s second of the game.

Damian Cardinal, Al Anderson, Nelson Anderson added the other High Prairie goals while Bond Hawryluk and Corson Fairless added the other Grimshaw goals.

The Comets rolled into town hoping to extend their club record winning streak over the Regals. The game was even through 30 minutes with the teams tied 1-1 and trading punches. High Prairie’s Sandford Lamouche and Manning’s Braden Gamble were outstanding in goal to keep the score down.

However, the Regals eventually asserted themselves. They scored twice in the late stages of the second period, then poured it on in the third with six goals including three in a span of 57 seconds just past the midway point. Two more goals in the final 1:15 added salt into the wounds of the Comets.

Jacob Anderson and Laderoute each scored twice to key the attack while Cardinal, Dakota Conroy, Brandon McNabb, Lance Gauchier and Hector Lamouche Jr. added the others.

Josh Rutherford scored twice for the Comets while Brandon Dillman added the other. Each scored once on the power play, Rutherford’s coming on a five-on-three.

The Regals blasted 57 shots on Gamble, including 26 during a third period blitz. The Comets were outshot 57-26 despite outshooting the Regals 12-11 in the first period. It was indicative of how much the game changed and how the Regals asserted themselves as the game wore on.

The club hopes to continue its early season success with a game at Manning Nov. 24 before returing home Nov. 25 to face the alway tough West Division Fort St. John Flyers.

High Prairie’s Austin Doan, centre, is checked by Manning defenceman Thomas Dechant during action Nov. 18. Tending goal for Manning is Braden Gamble.