Pride is on the line for the last-place St. Albert Steel with 10 games remaining in their season.
The Steel (7-40-3) have lost 24 of the last 26 games and will finish out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League playoffs for the first time in the team’s five-year history in St. Albert.
“We really want to get above .500 for these next 10 games,” said centre Jamie Johnson. “Everyone knows our season is coming to an end right away so we might as well finish strong and make a good impression for next year. We’re going into every game with that same mentality and attitude.”
The Steel host six games at Performance Arena where they have won only four times this season.
“We would for sure like to win the remaining games at home. I feel we’re set up good for that. Hopefully it works out,” Johnson said.
A three-game homestand kicks off tonight when the Steel plays the Grande Prairie Storm (16-29-3) at 7 p.m. Sunday’s game against the Okotoks Oilers (25-19-5) starts at 2 p.m.
“We’re going to come out strong,” Johnson said. “Everyone has something to prove for next year.”
Last weekend on the road the Steel recorded one point in three games against south division teams. They fell 4-3 in a shootout to the Brooks Bandits (37-7-6) and lost 4-0 to the Drumheller Dragons (14-33-3) and 8-2 to the Calgary Mustangs (26-19-4).
The Steel were outshot 53-15 in Brooks, 40-15 in Drumheller and 57-24 in Calgary.
“In Brooks we played a real good game. We were tight defensively,” Johnson said. “We were really short on bodies and Saturday [in Drumheller] a lot of the guys, including myself, didn’t really have it in our legs and we didn’t play a full 60. On Sunday we came out strong and then they got a few quick ones in the second and it just kind of went downhill from there.
“All in all our effort was pretty good last weekend.”
Johnson scored twice in Brooks and picked up one assist in Calgary skating on a line with Dallas Smith and Brady Goebel.
“We’ve played pretty good together. Smitty is really fast and Goebel is really smart. They’re both good hockey players,” said Johnson, 20.
The midget AAA product of the KC Pats leads the Steel in points with 34 and is second in goals with 10 in 47 games. He has nine points in the last 10 games.
“For the amount we’re scoring I find I’m doing all right but I still feel I have a lot more to offer.”
Johnson played for the Nipawin Hawks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the Fort McMurray Oil Barons before joining the Steel on Sept. 21 in a trade with the Oil Barons for future considerations.
“I definitely feel I wasn’t in the scheme of things for the first while but lately it’s been a lot better,” he said. “I do expect a lot more from myself and hopefully I can do a lot better for the rest of the year and next year.”
