The St. Albert Steel are building a winning record one game at a time.
“We’ve had a really good start but we still have more to give,” left-winger Topher Flanagan said of the Steel’s 7-4 performance in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. “We all feel that we haven’t played our best yet, which is good because it means we see a lot of potential in each other and we can get even stronger.”
Flanagan’s overtime winner in Saturday’s 3-2 decision over the Olds Grizzlys (5-3-0-2) at the AJHL Showcase Event in Spruce Grove salvaged two points after the Steel gave up the tying goal with eight seconds to play.
“It’s really important to be able to respond when something like that happens and you face a little bit of adversity,” Flanagan said. “It means we’re coming along good as a group and our mental toughness is really getting there.”
His marker in the five-minute extra period of three-on-three hockey was unassisted.
“It was kind of a two on one. I saw an opening and had room to go with it. [Spencer] Pommells was yelling at me to shoot it and the goalie [Brayden Hopfe] was cheating a little bit to the side and I managed to tuck it in.”
Steel rookie Ryan Berlin opened the scoring in the middle period and Reed Linaker’s team-leading seventh goal made it 2-1 with 66 seconds remaining. Olds outshot St. Albert 13-9 in the third and 27-25 overall. Starting his 10th game in net was Rhys Hadfield (7-4, 3.32 GAA).
“It was a pretty good game. Both teams were ready to go and when it’s an early start like that you have to be ready right off the bat,” Flanagan said of the noon puck drop. “It ended up being a good thing they tied it up because we got the chance in overtime to end the game. We got the win and that was perfect.”
Flanagan’s goal was his third of the season and fourth point in six games. After 11 games he has six points.
“So far it’s been great,” said Flanagan, who has skated on a line with Pommells (6-11-17 in 11 games) and rookie Jeremy Olinyk (4-3-7 in 10 games) in recent games. “We’ve had some good chemistry. We’re all speedy guys and we work well together.”
Flanagan, 19, arrived in St. Albert from the Canmore Eagles for future considerations in a July transaction.
“Nothing against Canmore but things have worked out really well here,” said the midget AAA product of the Southside Athletic Club. “I love being here on this team. It’s a great group of guys. It’s a good coaching staff. Everything has been perfect.”
Last season Flanagan scored eight goals and added 12 assists, to go with 64 penalty minutes in 57 games with Canmore, the sixth-place finishers in the south division.
“It was a good season. We had a lot of hard working guys and the team was based on work ethic,” he said. “With this team we have a lot of skill. There is a lot of fast players and a lot of guys who can put the puck into the net. If we can combine that with work ethic and working hard, we’re going to be a real good team.”
In 108 games with Canmore, he recorded 14 goals, 20 assists and 125 PIM as one of the quickest players in the league.
“Skating is definitely my strength. I’m a fast guy,” said the five-foot-seven speedster. “I’m not the biggest guy, obviously, in stature. Physical play sometimes is lacking a bit at my end but I try and keep my feet moving and generate speed and get some energy going for the team.”
Winners of two in a row and ranked fourth in the north, the Steel march into Spruce Grove tonight to play the AJHL champion Saints (5-2-0-1). Faceoff is 7 p.m. at Grant Fuhr Arena.
The Steel have seven games scheduled in October after going 6-4 last month.
“With all the practice time we have this month it will help us reach our full potential. We’re going to try and bring things together as a team and really refine our game,” said Flanagan, a graduate of Tempo School, a private K-12 institution in Riverbend that is all academics, with no sports or options, and the students wear uniforms.
The Steel host the Bonnyville Pontiacs (7-1-0-1) next Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Performance Arena.
ICE CHIPS: Derek Bacon’s assist on Linaker’s goal against Olds was his 17th point to tie Pommells for top spot in the team’s scoring race. Taylor Fraser is one point back, with six goals and 10 assists. Linaker is fourth with 15 points. The all-star centre sat out the last three games because of Canada West tryout commitments for the World Junior A Challenge and head issues from a Sept. 14 hit to the head in Bonnyville.
