Slash host Steelers
The top two midget AAA teams in the Alberta Female Hockey League go toe-to-toe tonight at Go Auto Arena.
Puck drop is 7:45 p.m. between the St. Albert Slash (17-1-1) and Lloydminster Steelers (17-4-1).
The only loss in regulation time for the Slash was 2-0 to the Steelers in the Oct. 13 home opener in St. Albert after four wins to start the season.
The 10th victory in a row for the two-time defending Esso Cup national champions after falling to 2-1 in overtime to the Lloydminster Steelers (15-4-1) Oct. 28 in the Border City was Wednesday’s 3-0 decision over the visiting Edmonton Pandas (7-15).
Brianna Sank (8-1-1, 0.70 GAA) was tested 21 times while posting her AFHL-high fifth shutout and the team’s ninth.
Madison Willan, Mackenzie Kordic and Jenna Goodwin scored as the Slash recorded 36 shots.
Willan is the league’s top scorer with 20 goals and 36 points in 19 games.
The Slash have 10 games left after tonight’s tilt, the third of a four-game homestead, before hosting the AFHL’s Final Frozen Four provincials March 22 to 24.
The winner will host the British Columbia champion in the best-of-three Pacific Region qualifier for the Esso Cup, April 21 to 27 in Sudbury, Ont.
Raiders update
Thursday’s trade/roster free deadline in junior hockey had a ripple effect on the St. Albert Nektar Raiders.Defenceman Robert Kincaid, the team’s leading scorer with 22 assists and 24 points in 26 games, was called up and signed by the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Kincaid will be replaced on the roster by Breck McKinley (3-11-14 In 22 games) of the St. Albert Flyers in the Alberta Minor Midget AAA Hockey League.
Evan Fradette (5-4-1, 2.26 GAA) was returned to the Raiders following a stint with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League after the second-year Raider was honoured as the tournament MVP and the top netminder for the Mac’s Cup winners.
Right-winger Kye Buchanan (7-4-11 in 17 games) will also stay with Swift Current Broncos for the rest of the season after his WHL rights were acquired in a trade with the Spokane Chiefs after the Mac’s Cup.
In the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League north division standings, the Raiders (13-9-4) are two points back of the first-place Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (15-10-2) with games on tap today against the Canadian Athletic Club (11-7-6) at Bill Hunter Arena and Sunday against the Grande Peace Storm (12-9-4) in Grande Prairie. Both teams are tied for third place with games in hand on Raiders. The start times are 2:30 p.m.
Merchants action
The St. Albert Merchants have a date Sunday with the last-place team in the Capital Junior B Hockey League.The Merchants (10-14-4) and Strathcona Bruins (1-26-2) hook up at 3:30 p.m. at Strathcona Olympiette Centre.
Friday the Merchants hosted the Beverly Warriors (21-8) but the score was unavailable at press time.
The last win for the Merchants after four losses in regulation time by a combined score of 29-9 was Wednesday’s 7-1 result against the Stony Plain Flyers (11-17-2) at Glenn Hall Centennial Arena.
Josh Dechaine stopped 36 shots in his Merchants’ debut and the lone goal by the Flyers was potted on the power play.
Dechaine, 20, spent last season with the Sherwood Park Crusaders (3-4-1, 4.24 GAA) of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and Edmonton Oil Kings (12-14-2, 4.19 GAA) of the Western Hockey League.
The St. Albert product also saw action with the 2015-16 Whitecourt Wolverines (9-1-1, 2.71 GAA) in the AJHL and the 2016-17 La Ronge Ice Wolves (1-9, 5.14 GAA) of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Oil Kings (3-8, 4.41 GAA) after playing for the 2014-15 midget AAA St. Albert Raiders (12-6-5, 3.35 GAA).
The Merchants piled up 51 shots while capitalizing four times on the power play as Ryan Deets, captain Andy Barr, Ryan Cooper and Matt Holzer cashed in with the man advantage.
Deets and Cooper finished with two goals apiece, Peter Corrigan tallied once and Christian Foote, Adrian Parth and Kole Bryks picked up two assists apiece.
The teams combined for 22 infractions for 92 penalty minutes.
The victory lifted the Merchants into a fifth-place tie with the Flyers in the west division.
Six teams qualify for the playoffs and the top two receive byes in the best-of-three opening round.
The Merchants were coming off Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the last-place Spruce Grove Regals (6-24) that extended the team’s winless streak to 0-4-1.
Big win for Sharks
A late goal by Juliann Sherbeth lifted the midget elite Sharks to Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over the Sherwood Park Fury in the Alberta Female Hockey League.Sherbeth’s second of the season was assisted by Annika Neset with 1:11 left in regulation time at Troy Murray Arena.
Regan Ackroyd’s second of the night knotted it at two with 6:54 remaining.
Shots were 31-19 for the Fury as Laney Pasemko (5-1, 1.72 GAA) backstopped the Sharks (12-5) to their fourth win in a row as the No. 1 team in the north division. The Fury (10-2-3) ranks second with two games in hand.
The 2018 provincial champion Calgary Fire White (14-3-1) of the south division is the top team in the AFHL.
Sunday the Sharks, last year’s provincial finalists, play Calgary Fire Red (10-2-1) at 1 p.m. at Southland Leisure Centre.
First for Flyers
The St. Albert Flyers and the PAC Saints are on a collision course to determine first place in the north division of the Alberta Minor Midget AAA Hockey League.The teams were tied for the top spot before the Flyers (16-3-3) played the Maple Leafs (6-15-2) Friday at Millwoods Arena. The score was unavailable at press time.
The Saints (17-2-1) skate into the weekend with two games in hand on the division leaders.
The Flyers and Saints battle Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. at Akinsdale Arena.
The Red Deer Chiefs (16-5-2) lead the south division by one point over the Lethbridge Hurricanes (16-2-1).
The first game for the Flyers after the Christmas break was Monday’s 7-4 win over the third-place Leduc Oil Kings (14-7-2) in St. Albert.
Ethan Sundar paced the attack with two goals and two assists for a league-high 22 goals and 46 points in 21 games.
The first of two goals by Shea Spofford in the middle frame was a power-play marker to make it 3-2 and his second goal snapped a 4-4 tie with 3:07 left in the period.
Chase Visser, Palmer Strang and Aidyn Hutchinson (empty netter) also scored.
Shots were 28-27 for Leduc as the visitors capitalized three times on the power. In net for the Flyers was Ethan Kadatz (9-2-1, 2.62 GAA).
Midget AA games
The St. Albert Source for Sports Crusaders are shooting for their 11th win in 12 games today in the Northern Alberta Midget AA Hockey League.Faceoff is 5:15 p.m. against SSAC Don Wheaton at Confederation Arena.
In the metro conference, the Crusaders (18-3-2) are the Besa division leaders as the No. 1 team in the NAHL and SSAC (12-6-3) is first in the Anderson division.
The last game for the Crusaders was Tuesday’s 6-1 outcome against the St. Albert Blues (8-9-4) at Go Auto Arena.
Power play goals by Josh O’Donoghue and Maddux Nollski in the first period, Matthew Reidy in the second and Cuyler Matheson in the third powered the Crusaders to their fourth win in a row while going 10-1 since the 1-1 draw with the Blues on Nov. 16.
Matheson and Reidy also tallied in the first as the Crusaders led 4-1 after 20 minutes.
Noah Wilson replied for the Blues, ranked fifth in the Besa standings.
The shot count was 22-7 in the first and 40-21 overall for the Crusaders.
The netminders were Evan Hergott (10-0-1, 2.09 GAA) of the Crusaders and Kyle Nelson (six GA on 38 shots) and Tanner Schnirer (two saves in 2.14 minutes) of the Blues.
In the NAHL scoring race, Ronin Push (12-16-28) of the Crusaders is sixth, Nollski (19-8-27) is tied for seventh, Brady Harroun (14-11-25) of the Blues is 11th and Carter Albrecht (15-9-24) and Brett Reiter (8-16-24) of the Blues are tied for 12th place.
Bantam AA result
James Hunt stared down 35 shots and Liam Fitzgerald struck on the power play as the St. Albert Comets blanked the St. Albert Elite Pro Marketing Blues in the Edmonton Rural Bantam AA Hockey league.Wednesday’s 1-0 decision at Akinsdale Arena was the second win in three games for the Comets (4-12-6) and the loss was the second in a row for the Blues (10-9-2) against St. Albert teams. The St. Albert Bears (12-6-2) downed the Blues 7-2 Dec. 23.
Reid Bokenfohr and Wyatt Sanderson assisted on Fitzgerald’s team-leading 14th goal on the 27th point during a four-minute spearing infraction against the Blues in the second period.
Hunt (3-3-5, 3.72 GAA) shut the door in the third with 18 saves for the team’s first shutout of the season.
Rhys MacGillivray (3-5, 2.77 GGA) faced 24 shots for the Blues.
Tuesday the Blues host CAC Red Arrow (9-10-3) at 8:30 p.m. at Go Auto Arena.
Upcoming for the Comets is Sunday’s game against SSAC Alberta Sportswear (17-3-1) at 7:30 p.m. at Kinsmen Twin Arenas.
The Bears face off against the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (5-11-4) today at 5:15 p.m. at JRC Arena and Sunday’s game time against the PAC Broncos (2-15-4) is 3:45 p.m. at Stu Barnes Arena.
