Corner Brook -
Before the season started, a lot of people were talking about the Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts as the team to be beat.
The Cats are proving those people right as they pushed ahead in the standings with a sweep of the Corner Brook Royals over the weekend.
The Cataracts trounced the Royals 9-1 on Sunday at the Pepsi Centre to complete the sweep of the second-place team.
The Cataracts defeaated the Royals 4-2 Saturday night in a game where 196 penalty minutes were dished out between the two clubs.
Andre Gill scored twice, Keith Delaney picked up a goal and two assists and defenceman Rodi Short provided the spadework on three markers in the lopsided victory before a quiet crowd at the Pepsi Centre.
Royals defenceman Nick Policelli, who picked up fighting majors in both losses, had no explanation for the lopsided loss Sunday.
"It's something where you can't really put a finger on one thing," Policelli said Sunday after the game.
"It just didn't seem to work for us. It just didn't seem like we were in sync.
"We don't want to put excuses out there, but it's something that's going to take some time.
"It's still early in the season, a lot of guys are still playing with linemates for the first time and it's going to take some time to gel."
Policelli said the team has to keep in mind that the Cataracts are a great team and a much better effort like the one shown in the season opener is a must in future meetings.
"We know they had a full line-up this weekend and a lot of our young guys, including some of the older guys, got a taste of what a team, that has the calibre of players they do, what kind of damage they can do when you don't have a good night," he said.
"We take a positive saying we know it wasn't our best game or our best weekend, but we know that if we can come play like we did the first weekend against them then we can play with them, stick with them and hopefully make it better for the fans."
The following is a quick look at Saturday night's game between the Royals and Cats:
Cataracts 4, Royals 2
Sean Wadden, the former Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars forward, paved the way for the Cats with a two-goal game Saturday night.
Keith Delaney, with an unassisted short-handed goal, and Greg Hoffe also lit the lamp for the Cats.
Todd Ballah, a former CeeBee Stars forward, scored a goal in his debut with the Royals, while Jeremy Bishop scored late in the third to round out the scoring parade.
