It’s been a yo-yo kind of season for the St. Albert Merchants.
The junior B hockey team continues to fluctuate between unwinding and rewinding with 12 games remaining before the playoffs.
“You could says it has been pretty up and down,” said defenceman Jared Kwasney of the 14-10-2 Money Men, who haven’t stacked two victories together since last month and their longest winning streak is three games.
“But there is definitely positives coming out from this team. Everyone is getting a little closer in the dressing room and there is a little more chemistry on the ice,” Kwasney added. “We’re definitely playing more of a team game since the second half of the start of the season. Our first few games of the year it was kind of not selfish but less teamwork.”
Matt Havens agreed.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs but we’re improving every day. Every practice we’re getting better as a team and closer as a team too,” said the high-scoring left winger.
Over the weekend the Merchants beat the Beaumont Chiefs 7-5 before bowing out to the rival Morinville Jets 7-1 as the wins and losses have alternated back and forth for the last five games.
“We played really well in Beaumont but Sunday for sure wasn’t the result we wanted,” said Kwasney, who lit the lamp in Morinville.
Turning a wrong into a right starts with the team’s last game before the Christmas break against the last-place Spruce Grove Regals (3-19-2) Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Grant Fuhr Arena.
“Going into the holidays on a winning note is huge right now,” Kwasney said.
The Merchants have lost more games this season than the last two campaigns combined while going 66-9-1 as the 2014 and 2015 Challenge Cup pennant winners.
“This break over Christmas will be good for us and then hopefully we’ll have a quick start right after the break and we’ll carry on into the playoffs with a lot of momentum,” said Havens, one of 16 new players on the revamped roster. “We’ve got a lot of skill that’s for sure. If we really want to we can do something special this year. We’ve got the guys to do it.”
Havens, 19, sniped his team-leading 23rd goal during a two-point night against the Chiefs (15-10-1). His 47 points in 22 games ranks eighth in league scoring.
“A lot of credit has to go to my linemates obviously,” said Havens of centre Casey Reid (33 points in 23 games) and right-winger Cam Mazur (13 goals and 33 points in 20 games). “I love playing with Casey. We kind of think the same out there. We always know where each other is and it’s the same with Cam. I’ve just got to find him in the slot and I know he is going to put it home.”
Havens spent last season with the Battlefords North Stars in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and in 54 games recorded five goals and 21 points. He registered points in four games this season before returning home.
“It was great. It was a good experience. I loved the guys there. I loved the team. They treated me well. It was a great place to play,” said the captain of the midget AA Crusaders, winners of the 2014 Fountain Tire Cup championship. “It was just one of those things where I felt like being home again. I started working (at Source for Sports) and I’m probably going to do some schooling, but playing back in my hometown again is nice.
“It’s still great hockey here, it’s just a little more time and space. You just have a little bit more time to think out there,” Havens added. “Last year you kind of knew going into the games whether you were going to win or you had a good idea. Here any team can beat any team in any game at any time. It’s just different that way.”
Mazur, Chris Motoska, captain Dan Rombough, Thomas Rotundo, Brenden Passek and Tristan Gavin joined Havens on the score-sheet in Beaumont.
Kwasney, Tyler Mork and Jake Mercier each had two helpers as the Merchants outscored the Chiefs 6-3 in the first period and Gavin’s goal with 5:31 remaining made it 7-4.
A dustup with 14 seconds left in the middle frame resulted in a one-game suspension to Mason Kenny for the second fight in the same stoppage.
Shots were 50-48 for the Merchants and Ty Clelland went the distance in net.
The Merchants got off to a rocky start against the Jets, when Havens was drilled on his first shift.
“It was about 20 seconds into the game and I got elbowed in the head. I was kind of coming into the blueline and I passed it to Mazur. I don’t really remember the hit too well,” said the St. Albert Catholic High School graduate. “I was in the hospital (Sunday) night. I’ve got a concussion so I’m going to get checked again in about a week and then I will have a better idea when I will be skating again.”
The Merchants never recovered from losing their top scorer. The Jets pumped in two goals before the period ended and led by five before Kwasney struck on the power play at 8:08 of the second.
“Our first period definitely wasn’t our strongest. The rest of the game wasn’t too bad. The second and third wasn’t horrible,” Kwasney said.
Brandon Dubuc’s two goals and three assists and Tyler Hagel’s three goals left the Merchants reeling. Hagel is ninth in league scoring with 46 points and is fifth in goals with 27 in 26 games.
Dubuc is not far behind with 25 goals and 44 points in 25 games.
The backbreaker for the Merchants was Dylan Stang’s power-play marker and Hagel’s hat-trick goal 54 seconds apart in the second with 12:10 left in the period.
“You could say it was just little breakdowns that cost us the game,” Kwasney said.
Joshua Perrott also scored and Jorden Rooke had two assists.
Shots were 18-7 for the Jets in the second and 38-32 overall. Clelland (12-10, 3.81 GAA) let in five goals on 20 shots in 28 minutes and Ryan Papirny (2-2, 3.68 GAA) gave up a pair on 18 shots.
Jordan Greenfield (5-4, 3.82 GAA) was the winning netminder as the Jets (12-13-1) moved to within five points of the fourth-place Merchants with two games in hand after the team’s third consecutive victory.
The Jets are 4-1-1 in their last six games going into Sunday’s home contest against the defending champion North Edmonton Red Wings (17-6-1) at 6:45 p.m.
The lone bright spot against the Jets was Kwasney’s fourth goal in six games and sixth of the season for 13 points in 21 games.
“It’s been going good,” said the over-age 21-year-old Merchant. “You could say most of them are one timers from the side slot or kind of in between the points in the slots for sure.”
The midget AA product of the St. Albert Blues is embracing the moment of his final junior B season.
“The last few games I’ve been definitely thinking more about how it’s my last year as a Merchant and maybe even my last year of hockey. Before I go out in every game I’m thinking it’s my last year so let’s have the most fun with it and try and make it the best,” said the St. Albert High grad who will start taking business courses at NAIT next month.
