Nordstrom, Kaliel lead Storm over Thunder

Alex Nordstrom enjoyed himself against the Drayton Valley Thunder this weekend.

Nordstrom potted two goals and an assist on Saturday, and Lars Kaliel made 22 saves for his first career AJHL shutout, leading the Storm past the Thunder 4-0.

Nordstrom finishes the two-game set with the Thunder with five goals and two assists. 

A slow start for both teams early in this one, with the Storm catching the first break midway through the opening period. As they cycled the Thunder zone, Alexis Girard danced in from the blue line. His initial shot was stopped, as was Noah Corson on the rebound before Jackson Wozniak banged home his 7th of the season. That gave the home side a 1-0 lead.

Lukas Konaschuk picked up the Storm’s lone penalty of the period 30 seconds later, putting the Thunder on the man advantage. 

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It was the Storm who got the best chance though, as Nordstrom picked up the bouncing puck at the Thunder blue line to break in all alone on Luke Lush. Lush closed the five-hole though to keep it 1-0 after one.

The physical play picked up in the second. Girard fired a shot on Lush just over five minutes into the period, seemingly taking a stick to the mouth on the play. He would go straight to the dressing room with trainers but would return minutes later.

Just seconds after that incident, a fight broke out along the half wall of the Thunder end of the ice between 16-year-olds Nathan Morgan and Ty Whitford. The two landed a plethora of shots on one another, before both linesmen had to forcibly separate the two. Both received a game misconduct, and were sent off with plenty of admiration from their senior teammates. 

The Storm would add to their lead with just over a minute to go in the second. Ethan Strang fired a wrist shot off the shoulder of Lush, and Nordstrom cleaned up the rebound for his 18th of the season. GP led 2-0 after 40 minutes.

Nordstrom would pot his second of the night and fifth in the last two games just 26 seconds into the third, finishing the Zach Webb cross ice feed. The Michigan Tech commit now has 19 goals on the campaign.

The 18-year-old would add a stylish assist to his box score before the end of the game as well. With the Storm on the attack with less than five minutes to go, Nordstrom would send a pretty spinning, no-look backhand feed cross ice to a waiting Vincent Milot-Ouellet for his 22nd of the year.

With a goal and an assist, Milot-Ouellet now leads the Storm with 53 points on the season (22 G, 31 A).

Kaliel was tested sparingly, facing just 22 shots in the contest but was sharp when called upon. Kaliel was treated to excited teammates following the win, celebrating the first career shutout for the Swan City native.

The Storm complete the weekend sweep of the back-to-back with Drayton Valley, and move 7 points clear of the Thunder for fifth in the North Division.

These two will see each other one more time this regular season, back at Revolution Place on Family Day (February 18), which will also be the next home game for the Storm. They hit the road for a three-game road trip starting Tuesday in Bonnyville.