The Welland Whalers no longer have to claim moral victories in the Allan Cup Hockey league or lament about the one that got away.

Thanks to such recent additions as former Welland Junior Canadians sniper Jason Hill and one-time Thorold Blackhawks standouts Fraser Smith and Chris Risi, a team that was winless the first month and a half of the senior A season has yet to lose a game in December.

The Whalers edged the Stoney Generals 4-3 in a shootout on the road Sunday to wrap up a four-point weekend and vault from last in six-team league to one point out of fourth. Smith forced overtime with two power-play goals in the third period and Hill netted the game winner in the shootout as Welland rebounded from a 3-0 deficit to improve to 2-5-3-1 on the season.

Niagara Falls Canucks graduate Josh Dadic, another newcomer to the Whalers, also scored in regulation for Welland, which outshot Stoney Creek 42-40 and went 2-for-5 on the power play. The Generals were 0-for-4 with a man advantage.

Team owner Tim Toffolo, whose team dominated the visiting Norwood Vipers 8-2 on Saturday night to snap a season-long losing streak, credited the turnaround to an influx of veteran scorers who have played at the pro and high-college levels.

“I think what the chances have done is bring a lot of confidence to our team. Knowing we have guys who can finish and help out is making everybody player better,” he said.

The presence of the new additions, such as Risi, who won a Sutherland Cup Ontario junior B championship in Thorold and has two assists in his debut with the Whalers, also “makes a big difference” in terms of easing the pressure on the players who started the season on offence, Toffolo said.

“They no longer need to feel they have to do it alone. Like I said, having these guys on your team elevates everyone’s level of play.”

While the Whalers are happy with the goaltending tandem of Ricky Miller, a Sutherland Cup champion with Thorold, and Colton Sauer, who played junior B with the Fort Erie Meteors, a search is ongoing for a third netminder.

“In this league you need three goalies because of work commitments,” Toffolo said of a schedule limited to Friday, Saturday and Sunday games.

Welland visits the 7-3 Whitby Dunlops in a 6:30 p.m. faceoff Saturday. The Whalers next home is Saturday, Dec. 21, against the defending champion Dundas Real McCoys.

Notes: Dundas recently signed one-time Buffalo Sabres forward Matthew Barnaby and defenceman Jay McKee who saw action with the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis in addition to playing with the Sabres.