Aldergrove Kodiaks stayed within a point of both the third place Abbotsford Outlaws and second place 91原创 Trappers thanks to a big 3-1 win Friday night against the Ridge Meadows Flames.
It was with the leadership of new head coach and former Kodiaks centre-iceman Chris Price, from Aldergrove, that the team has won their last two games 鈥� the first tallied 5-3 against the Port Moody Panthers on Wednesday (Nov. 20).
The Kodiaks current roster, Price said, is comprised of more veteran players than most other Junior B teams in the Harold Brittain Conference.
鈥淲e have 11 20-year-old players in our crew,鈥� Price said, which gives the team a great advantage on ice.
When the 30-year-old coach first met the team 鈥淸he] told the guys that I鈥檝e been in their shoes. It feels like it was just yesterday even though it was 10 years ago,鈥� he reminisced.
His Kodiaks crew 鈥� with Price as team captain in his last year and the Kodiaks鈥� second season operating 鈥� fought hard to secure Aldergrove鈥檚 first-ever Pacific Junior Hockey League championship standing in 2009-10 for the Junior B team.
Price knows first-hand that many of the older players likely 鈥渁ll have dreams of playing a higher level,鈥� he still thinks that this season will be worthwhile as they also dream of 鈥渨anting to win together.鈥�
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Price鈥檚 strategy 鈥� improve the Kodiak鈥檚 weakest-proven areas on ice, which remain their powerplay and penalty performance when short-handed.
鈥淔or both systems we rank near the bottom of the league,鈥� Price said, 鈥渟o if we can get to a higher standing like average among other teams, we will be killer on ice.鈥�
Price also plans to consider the input of the bear鈥檚 current team captain, 20-year-old Ty Pickering, as well as the three assistant captains.
A lot of the Kodiaks鈥� current success, with a five-game win streak as of Nov. 20, Price attributes to their 鈥渇ive-on-five鈥� skills and chemistry.
鈥淪o far I鈥檝e had four practices and two games with the team,鈥� Price said on Tuesday. 鈥淲hat sticks out to me most is their effort-level.
鈥淚t sets them apart and as a coach, to see that is just unreal.鈥�
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Price 鈥� though much younger than previous head coach Darin Vetterl 鈥� has coached elite athletes of the sport for nearly a decade in areas of the Lower Mainland.
Price has been with Impact Hockey Development in 91原创 City as an on-ice and strength conditioning coach for six years now, with Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford for four, and scouting staff on the Junior A Chilliwack Chiefs team this year.
Price plans to work with the Kodiaks for the rest of the season as the new head coach, admitting that he and the team 鈥渨ill only go as far as they will take me鈥� on the ice.
The Kodiaks will take on the Grandview Steelers on Wednesday in Aldergrove, and the next night face-off against the Richmond Sockeyes on Thursday.
