WSHL WEEKLY NOTES 10.26.18 – PROVINCIAL DIVISION

WSHL WEEKLY NOTES 10.26.18 – PROVINCIAL DIVISION

COLD LAKE WINGS (2-2-0, 6 pts)

www.coldlakewings.com

@ColdLakeWings

 The Wings will not leave Cold Lake this weekend – the first time they have not had to travel for at least one game in the early part of the season.

Cold Lake converted five of 19 power play opportunities through their first four games of the season (26.3%).  The Wings’ top goal-scorer has been Ty Deleeuw but, interestingly enough, all six of his tallies have come at even strength.

18-year-old Danny McLean was acquired from the Bellingham Blazers.  McLean, an Edmonton native, scored a goal and added an assist in his Wings debut on October 19.  He did not collect any points or penalty minutes in four games with Bellingham.

The 5’10”, 170-pound forward played in the Northern Alberta Midget AA Hockey League last season.

18-year-old Sherwood Park native Brendan Culbertson-Bond has excellent size for a goaltender at 6’2” and 220 pounds.  He stopped 33 of 36 shots in his first start of the season, backstopping the Wings to a thrilling 4-3 win over the Wildcats in Hinton.

Culbertson-Bond, a product of the Strathcona Midget AA program, headed to the southeastern U. S. last season where he played for the Atlanta Jr. Knights at both the Premier and Elite levels.

EDSON AEROS (3-0-1, 10 pts)

www.aeroshockey.ca

@AerosEdson

The Edson Aeros are the front-runners in the early going of the Western States Hockey League’s Provincial Division race.  The Aeros have yet to lose in regulation with their 5-4 overtime loss at Hinton last Saturday the only blemish through the first four games.

The Aeros will look to defend their lead over the second-place Cold Lake Wings on a road trip through Meadow Lake and Cold Lake this weekend.  It will be the last time the Aeros will have to pack their bags for a while, as they will play on their home ice for the entire month of November – playing 11 straight games at home.

In addition to their Western Canadian rivals, the Aeros will welcome the West Sound Admirals, Seattle Totems, Bellingham Blazers and Southern Oregon Spartans for inter-division competition.

Edson converted five of their first 17 power play opportunities which put them at a league-leading 29.4%.  Sebastian Heder has been a major driver of that success, scoring all four of his goals (4-5-9) on the power play.

Kevin Lundin, meanwhile, leads the team with 11 points (4-7-11) but has not scored any goals on the power play and has produced eight of his 11 points at even strength.

Goaltender Liam Austin, a 20-year-old from Peterborough, ON, stopped 69 of 74 shots over his first two starts in net – both wins.

HINTON WILDCATS (2-2-0, 5 pts)

www.hintonwildcats.ca

@HintonWildcats

Jacob Arseneault completed a hat trick by scoring 36 seconds into overtime to give the Wildcats a 5-4 win over Edson on Saturday.

Hinton took four one-goal leads in regulation and four times Edson came back to tie the score, but sudden-death is not as forgiving, and Edson did not get a chance to mount a fifth comeback.

Kyle Franceschini made 34 saves and earned the win for Hinton. 

Noah Kwasny picked up three points (1-2-3) and 14 penalty minutes through the first four games.  Kwasny’s name tends to show up on the game sheet frequently.  Last season, playing Midget AA hockey in Leduc, he produced 31 points (13-18-31) and spent 69 minutes is the sin bin in just 29 games.

19-year-old Dawson Basnett is the elder statesman of a young Hinton blue line.  The 5’10”, 176-pound native of Grand Cache, Alberta is a product of Okanagan Hockey Academy who jumped around three junior leagues last year but seems to have found a home in Hinton.

Basnett has five points (1-4-5) through the first four games of the season.

MEADOW LAKE MUSTANGS (1-3-0, 3 pts)

www.meadowlakemustangs.com

@ML_Mustangs

Meadow Lake bolstered their blue line by acquiring a pair of defensemen from the Seattle Totems earlier this week.  Dallas Muskegon and William Young headed north of the border in exchange for future considerations and cash.

Muskegon (6’2” and 200 pounds) and Young (6’3” and 200 pounds) add both size and youth to the Mustangs defensive group.  Both are 2000 birth year players with three seasons of junior eligibility remaining including this one.

Both players competed in the Keystone Junior Hockey League last season.

The Mustangs are icing a young team in their inaugural season with four 2002 birth year players on the roster and four 2001s.

The only 19-year-old defenseman currently on their roster is Zach Pederson who played high school hockey in Minot, North Dakota the last three seasons.

--- Compiled by Scott Harrington for Harrington Sports Media