The St. Albert Merchants are good but still not great as the second half of the season unfolds in the Capital Junior B Hockey League.
The Money Men ranked fourth in the west standings at 12-8-2 before Friday’s home tilt against the division-leading Edmonton Mustangs (17-4). The score was unavailable at press time.
“I don’t think we have played our best hockey yet,” said head coach Scott Rodda.
The first-place pennant winners the last two seasons are rebuilding with seven returning players in the lineup.
“With so many new players it is taking some time to get everyone to buy into the systems and play a complete 60-minute game,” Rodda said. “Discipline continues to be a challenge for us at times but has shown signs of improvement of late.”
The Merchants were 2-2 after winning three in a row before unveiling their new road jerseys, sponsored by Select Equipment Rentals of St. Albert, on Friday night to kick-start their December schedule. The team’s November record was 6-3-1.
The Merchants have 15 games remaining until the playoffs, including four games before the Christmas holidays.
“It would be nice if we could go into the Christmas break on a decent roll to put ourselves in a good position for down the stretch,” Rodda said. “There are many strong teams that on any given night can win so our goal is really developing a work ethic and level of consistency that can see us compete with any team in any barn on any given night.”
Matt Havens has been lights out offensively with 21 goals and 42 points in 18 games. The former midget AA St. Albert Crusader and Battleford North Star in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is seventh in scoring and sixth in goals in the CJHL.
Assistant captain Casey Reid, a fourth-year Merchant, is second in team scoring with 31 points and Cam Mazur, a graduate of the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders, is third with 29 points. Reid led the team in points the last two seasons.
Mazur and Jake Mercier, who played for the midget AAA KC Pats last season and a stint with the midget AA St. Albert Blues, have tallied 11 goals apiece.
Captain Dan Rombough anchors the blueline as the team’s top scoring defenceman with 13 points and Jared Kwasney has emerged as an offensive threat from the point with four goals.
Ty Clelland (10-8, 3.60 GAA in 1,082 MP) has been a workhorse between the pipes as one of four over-age (21-year-old) Merchants. Reid, Rombough and Kwasney are the other players.
The Merchants are averaging 4.45 goals per game and 3.73 goals against. They have connected 25 times on the power play while surrendering 29 goals shorthanded.
“The line of Mazur, Havens and Reid continues to produce offensively and often can be relied upon for at least one highlight goal per game,” Rodda said. “Secondary scoring is coming by committee and defensively the team is vastly improving. Special teams continues to be hot and cold so further consistency will be expected in the weeks to come.”
Wednesday the Merchants play the second-place North Edmonton Red Wings (15-6-1), the 2015 Founders Cup and provincial champions and Keystone Cup western silver medallists, at 8 p.m. at Londonderry Arena.
