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Winless in three

North Delta Devils lose two, tie one in PJHL play
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Matteo Belmonte (left) of the Grandview Steelers tangles with Arvin Atwal of the North Delta Devils during a Junior B hockey game Sunday at the Burnaby Winter Club on Dec. 9.

They were winless in three games, but still earned two points in the Pacific Junior Hockey League standings.

The North Delta Devils began last week with a 2-2 tie in Ladner against the Delta Ice Hawks, then lost both games over the weekend. They fell 5-2 to the Aldergrove Kodiaks Saturday night in the Sungod Arena, then dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime Sunday in Burnaby to the Grandview Steelers.

Sunday's result allowed the Steelers to pull to within two points of North Delta in the Tom Shaw Conference standings. The Devils are in third place at 14-11-3-1 (win-loss-overtime loss-tied), but Grandview has played one less game.

Devils goaltender Tyler Read made 49 saves, including 13 in overtime, to help his team steal a point from the Ice Hawks. Delta never led in the contest, despite a 51-35 shots on goal advantage.

North Delta got goals from Arvin Atwal on the power play in the second period, and Colin Catchpole midway through the third.

Both teams had 27 shots on goal Saturday in North Delta, but it was the Kodiaks coming out on top. The visitors led 4-0 before the game reached the midway point.

Matthew Painchaud with a power play goal in the second period and Tanner Lenting with an unassisted effort with less than 10 minutes to play scored for North Delta.

Wade Moyls made 22 saves in the North Delta goal.

The Steelers outshot North Delta 42-22 Sunday in Burnaby, but didn't have a lead until scoring three minutes into the second overtime period. Tristan Craighead was the Devils goalscorer, while Read turned aside 40 of 42 shots in 68 minutes of work.

The Devils will have one opportunity next weekend to snap their three-game winless streak. Saturday night at 6:45 p.m. in the Sungod Arena, they host the Mission City Outlaws, a team which has just six wins in 26 games this season.