In just a couple of weeks, the Grandview Steelers have established a good on-ice trend.
The Pacific Junior B Hockey League club has yet to lose a game in regulation, and added two more wins to their total by edging the defending champion Mission City Outlaws in overtime, and blanked the Surrey Knights.
Sunday’s 5-0 shutout was a convincing performance by the hard-working Steelers, who took the lead 2:19 into the match on Jeffrey Wong’s second of the season, then expanded that advantage with four unanswered goals in the second frame.
Netminder Matteo Paler-Chow wasn’t tested often, but turned aside all 13 shots. At the other end, Grandview’s offence generated 49 shots to keep Surrey’s Jeevan Bains on edge much of the afternoon.
Also scoring were Mateo Coltellaro, Kevin Kutasi, Cole MacEwen and Jacob Siebenga, with Wong adding a pair of assists.
The win pushed the Steelers’ record to 3-0-0-1, first overall in the Tom Shaw Conference.
A day earlier, Nico Bruno and Christian Bettiol scored twice each as the visitors knocked off Mission 4-3 in extra time.
In overtime, the Steelers won possession in their own zone and broke out with a two-on one. Coltellaro delivered a fine pass that Bruno buried for the win just 2:28 into the four-on-four frame.
“(Coltellaro) showed great patience in drawing the defender to him and setting up (the winner),” said head coach Stevan Matic. “I was a little disappointed that we let (Mission) come back and put us (into overtime), but in the end we walked away with two points, which is what we wanted.”
Mission’s Michael Sande forced overtime with 13 seconds left in the third, after Bettiol’s second of the game gave Grandview a 3-2 lead with two minutes left.
Paler-Chow was sharp as the Outlaws out-shot Grandview 39-38, including two shots in overtime.
The Steelers visited the Delta Icehawks on Tuesday (past the NOW’s deadline), and head to Port Moody for a game on Saturday. They play host to Delta on Sunday, 4 p.m. at the Burnaby Winter Club.
