Some sharp netminding and a little kick-back effort was all the Grandview Steelers needed to shake a stubborn losing streak.
The Burnaby-based junior B hockey club ended a four-game skid Wednesday by rallying to beat the Langley Knights 4-2.
A third period goal from rookie William Hazell-Penaluna broke a 2-2 draw with 3:17 left in the period to put Grandview ahead for the first time in the game. And thanks to some reliable netminding from second-year Cale Dolan, the Steelers were able to close out the win.
The squad fell behind when Nicholas Wagner cashed in a powerplay goal late in the first period. Langley upped its lead to 2-0 four minutes into the second period.
But the visitors took that as a cue instead of a bit of deja vu. They powered back with markers by Mateo Coltellaro, 5:57 into the middle frame, and Connor Alderson on a powerplay, setting the table for Hazell-Penaluna’s game winner.
Dolan earned the game’s first star award with 32 saves, as Langley out-shot Grandview 34-32.
Adding an empty net goal with just over a minute left was Jeffrey Wong.
The Steelers have shown a streaky nature of late. In October they won seven in a row before hitting a rough speed bump. Unfortunately, three of their losses were at the hands of divisional rivals Delta and Richmond.
Grandview, who trail first-place Delta by 11 points, improved to 9-8-0-1 on the season.
They visit Mission on Saturday, and host Aldergrove on Sunday, 7:15 p.m., at the Burnaby Winter Club.
