The visit from the big guy in the red suit was still a few days away but last night (December 21) the Airdrie Thunder got exactly what they were hoping for.....a big win over the rival Red Deer Vipers.  

All-star defenceman Jason Wenzel scored twice as the Thunder dumped the Vipers 6 - 2 at the Ron Ebbesen Arena in Airdrie.

Other goals for Airdrie were scored by Jordan McConnell, Brett LeGrandeur, Rylan Plante-Crough and Dane Bennett-Nimijean.  Jackson Little got the win between the pipes, blocking 25 of the 27 shots he faced.   

With the win, the Thunder head into the Christmas break with a 27 and 2 record, in first place in the Heritage Junior Hockey League's Northern Division and first overall in the league.  Red Deer is second in the North but trail the Thunder by 17 points.

The Thunder are off now until Friday, January 4th when they entertain the Blackfalds Wranglers.

In another game last night, the Coaldale Copperheads scored five times in the first then got two more in the second to build up a 7 - 0 lead and cruised to a 7 - 2 win over the Mountainview Colts in a game played in Carstairs. 

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