If the Grandview Steelers are going to give first-place Delta a run for their money, they need to keep on doing what they’ve done over the past month.
The Pacific Junior B Hockey League club closed out the November schedule on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over the Port Moody Panthers.
Emerson Kostner’s goal 2:08 into the third period proved to be the winner, as Grandview erased a 1-0 deficit with a steady offensive push that saw the visitors outshoot the Panthers 38-23.
It also gave the Steelers an 8-0-1 record for November, after having limped into the month on a four-game losing skid.
“The kids are finally understanding what (head coach Stevan Matic) is looking for and the system he’s getting them to play. It’s all coming together, but it required some patience,” noted Steelers general manager Aldo Bruno.
The current streak, while aided by a lot of under-.500 opponents on the schedule, is a sure sign the squad is gelling after a sometimes turbulent learning curve over the first two months of the season.
Bruno says one of the keys has been the steady play of netminder Cale Dolan, who has carried the ball in 17 of the squad’s 26 games and owns the third-best goals against average, at 2.22 per game.
“(Dolan) is one of the top goalies in the league, and when he came back from Yorkton it didn’t take long for him to regain his confidence and show that he’s a key player for us,” noted Bruno.
He sits tied with a league-leading 12 wins.
Backup Matteo Petrelli has gained from Dolan’s presence, settling into his first junior season. He was between the posts Wednesday, turning aside 22 shots. Brodie Crawford and Mario Sever also scored for the Steelers.
Another element that has contributed to a strong month – after the team posted a mediocre 5-4 record in October – is the contributions of forwards Brodie Crawford and Connor Alderson, who came over in separate October swaps.
Crawford has eight goals and nine assists over 12 games since coming over in a trade with Richmond.
Alderson has tallied six goals and nine assists over 15 games.
Both of them contributed in Sunday’s 3-1 decision over conference rival North Vancouver.
The Steelers, who are now unbeaten in nine games, host Langley, 7:15 p.m. on Sunday.
