It certainly was a September to remember.
The rookie-loaded Richmond Sockeyes head into October as the lone undefeated team in the Pacific Junior Hockey League and will be looking for their eighth consecutive win on Thursday night when the Abbotsford Pilots visit Minoru Arenas at 7 p.m.
For the first time in seven seasons, the Sockeyes went through September without a loss, capped by a 9-0 drubbing of the Port Moody Panthers on Saturday night to improve to 7-0-1-0 on the campaign.
Defenceman Jacob Keremidscheff, one of just three returning players from last year’s Cyclone Taylor Cup championship team, led the way with three points, including a pair of goals. Edvin Hasakovic also scored twice with singles to Max Fookes, Michael Araki-Young, Zefan Pighin and Isaac Embree.
Among the veterans added to this group is goaltender Jeremy Kelleway who sat out last season after playing in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
The 19-year-old Delta Hockey Academy product has been superb, picking up his first shutout with 26 saves against the Panthers. He leads the PJHL with a .954 save percentage and a 1.51 goals against average in seven starts.
Kelleway turned aside 29 shots, including 18 in the final period, in last Thursday’s 2-1 home ice win over the Aldergrove Kodiaks.
Araki-Young snapped a 1-1 deadlock with just over five minutes left in the second period and it stood up as the game winner.
Icing…
Thursday’s game features the top two teams in the league with Abbotsford coming to Minoru with a 6-1-0-1 record.
The overall league standings will determine the playoff match-ups come February — not the conference standings — with eight of the 12 teams advancing. The PJHL has a balanced schedule for the first time in recent memory with each team playing the other four times.
