Kodiaks Halt Pod’s ‘W’ Streak, 4-0

Aldergrove goalie Mark Paton records shut-out

CENTENNIAL ARENA – For the second time this season, the Whalers were thwarted from a franchise first – a four-game winning streak – as the Aldergrove Kodiaks played spoilers Oct. 9.

The Kodiaks picked up their fourth win of the season due to their physical forecheck and a dynamic powerplay in a 4-0 victory. Goalie Mark Paton nimbly dove all over the crease for a 29-save shut-out win.

For the Whalers, the loss – the third this season – dropped the franchise to the middle of the Tom Shaw Conference with 12 points. On a thankful note, the Pod does have two games in hand.

“We didn’t mind where we were after the first 10 minutes” of play, said White Rock head coach Jason Rogers. “We need to be better – stay out of the box.”

Before lacing up against the Kodiaks, White Rock had had a week off since their last game. The rust showed early.

Tale of two periods

Rogers alluded to the second period. Aldergrove’s Justin Ralph lit the lamp twice, with the latter goal on the man advantage. Teammate Kale Taylor’s screened shot from the point – another powerplay strike – eluded White Rock goalie Daniel Zuvic for a 3-0 lead.

Zuvic was replaced by the Pod’s back-up netminder, Kyle Spak. While Spak was able to stymie the opposition, White Rock took four straight minor penalties.

Kodiak Carson Preston added an empty-netter in the waning moments.

Time to regroup

The Whalers will only have a few hours to mentally reset from the loss to Aldergrove. Now, White Rock heads to Burnaby to face the Grandview Steelers Oct. 10.

“Back-to-backs are always fun. We’ll see what we’ve got…hopefully better than tonight,” Rogers concluded.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We wish all of our fans a blessed Thanksgiving! Thank you for supporting the Whalers. We look forward to seeing you again in Centennial Arena, Sat. Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. with the Richmond Sockeyes in town.