The St. Albert Steel are skating towards their best season in the team's short history in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
The Steel (19-11-0-2) are destined to surpass last season's totals of 24 wins and 55 points and their all-time high of 29 wins and 65 points in 2008/09.
"We take winning a lot more seriously than we did in the past. We get more upset after losses," said right-winger Baxter Niziol.
The transplanted Fort Saskatchewan Traders franchise has never finished higher than sixth in the north while based in St. Albert and in three playoff appearances without home-ice advantage haven't advanced past the opening round.
"We want to get past the first round and we've got a pretty good group here that can do it," Niziol said.
Last night the Steel hosted the Sherwood Park Crusaders but the score was unavailable at press time. The teams were tied for sixth, but the Steel had played five fewer games than the Crusaders (18-15-0-4).
Tonight the Steel visit the last-place Drayton Valley Thunder (6-27-0-5) at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday's matinee against the third-place Fort McMurray Oil Barons (25-11-0-1) starts at 2:30 p.m. at Performance Arena.
"We're playing three north teams so if we win all those games we'll gain some ground on the top teams," Niziol said of the Steel holding games in hand on every team in the north. "We've got to stay hydrated and work hard. We can't leave anything on the ice."
Prior to the weekend tripleheader, the Steel were 2-1-0-2 in five games and 5-3-0-2 in the last 10.
"It's started to turn around pretty good here," Niziol said. "We're on a bit of a run. We're getting some points up on the board and we're starting to catch teams ahead of us."
Points on the road
Last weekend in Fort McMurray the Steel doubled the Oil Barons 4-2 and lost 7-6 in overtime.
"Three out of four points is pretty good for going up to Fort Mac but we felt we let the last point get way from us there. We should've won that last game," Niziol said.
Outshot 56-25 in the first game, the Steel posted period leads of 2-0 and 4-1. Reed Linaker tallied twice on the power play. Captain Mike Giese and defenceman Thomas Ward-Cardinal also scored.
"It was hard fought. We kind of dominated the first little part of the game and then kind of let them get back into it," Niziol said.
In the rematch, his second of the game and fifth of the season made it 6-6 with 8:40 remaining in regulation time. In the first period he tied it at one apiece at the 4:05 mark.
"They were fairly greasy goals," Niziol said. "I just went to the net and there was a rebound and I just tucked it in."
Linaker also potted a pair and passed linemate Taylor Fraser for the team lead in goals with 18. They share first place in the Steel points race with 36 apiece.
Spencer Pommells and defenceman David Randall also scored.
It was 2-1 Oil Barons after the first and 4-4 entering the third. In the five-minute three-on-three OT period, Carson Cooper notched the winner with three seconds to go.
The Steel were massively outshot 69-20, marking the 16th game in a row they were on the low end of the shot count, including the last 13 with Rhys Hadfield (19-10-2, 3.31 GAA) in net.
"That game was guns-a-blazing," said Niziol.
Offensive outburst
The two-goal effort gave the versatile winger three in three games. In nine contests he has four goals and two assists.
"You know you're getting hot when you're getting the bounces when you shouldn't," said Niziol, who showed his offensive upside in recent games playing on a line with Pommells and Brandon Fagerheim.
Niziol's 10 points in 30 games in his second AJHL season is a career high.
"It started out a little slow. I was struggling to get things going but I started to pick it up a bit. I got back to my game; getting physical and helping out the team any way I can," said the six-foot-two, 198-pound enforcer with 97 penalty minutes. "I want to play a good two-way forward game and not be minus [defensively] at the end of the year."
Niziol, 19, described himself as a power forward who tries to chip in offensively.
"I like to play my body and use it well. I will also take the shots when they are there to create offence when I can," said the Louis St. Laurent High School grad. "When I'm out there, I'm giving it my all just so I can stay on the ice as much as possible."
In his rookie AJHL season the midget AAA product of the KC Pats split time with the Crusaders (3-2-5, 11 PIM in 17 games), Olds Grizzlys (scoreless in five games) and the Steel (3-1-4, 43 PIM in 24 games).
"After I came back from the Calgary Hitmen [training camp] I went to Sherwood Park. I didn't play very much there. They traded me [Dec. 1] to Olds for Tanner Dion. I didn't really like Olds too much. It was kind of a hard place to live and I didn't really like being away from home too much and I ended up getting traded [Dec. 18] to St. Albert [for future considerations]," he said. "I definitely love it here. It's the best place to play. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
ICE CHIPS: After Sunday's game, fans are invited to skate with the Steel. Helmets are mandatory.
The last home game before the Christmas break is Wednesday against the second-place Bonnyville Pontiacs (23-7-0-7) at 7 p.m.
