Bantam football The St. Albert Palmer 49ers lost only two games this season and they were against the powerhouse Sherwood Park Rams.
Bantam football
The St. Albert Palmer 49ers lost only two games this season and they were against the powerhouse Sherwood Park Rams.
The second setback for the senior varsity 49ers was 50-21 in Saturday’s Tier I bantam final in the Capital District Minor Football Association.
The playoff at Larry Olexiuk Field was scoreless until the Rams (9-0) reached the endzone from inside the five-yard line with 1:17 gone in the second quarter.
Last year’s Tier I provincial champions led 29-6 at halftime and 43-13 after three quarters.
In the last minute before halftime, the Rams recovered a blocked punt at the St. Albert 17 and on the next play reached the endzone with 31.8 seconds left until halftime.
After the kick-off, the Rams picked off a pass at the St. Albert 40 and with 7.9 seconds remaining scored from the 34. The two-point conversion was successful.
It was 36-6 in the third quarter when Caleb Akerley scored on a 20-yard catch and run and in the fourth quarter caught a 15-yard TD pass from Tristan Olenick.
Jacob King also ran in a two-point conversion.
The first TD for the 49ers was an 11-yard catch and run as Olenick hooked up with Doriano Therqaj with 6:39 left in the first half but the convert was blocked as the Rams led 7-6.
It was 14-6 Rams when Cole Sinclair picked off pass in 49ers’ territory with 54.6 seconds to go before halftime.
The 49ers (7-2) also lost 56-28 to the Rams on Oct. 7 in Sherwood Park and the halftime score was 42-14.
Meanwhile, in the CDMFA peewee finals Saturday in Spruce Grove, the junior varsity Colts (4-4) lost 31-6 to the Edmonton Seahawks (7-0-1) in Tier III and the senior varsity Riders (3-6) fell 34-29 to the Millwoods Grizzlies (6-3) in Tier II.
Volleyball finals
The St. Albert Skyhawks are serving up a repeat in division three junior men’s volleyball as the metro Edmonton high school finals wrap up today at Jasper Place High School.
The Skyhawks (14-0, 42 GW/6 GL) and J. Percy Page Panthers (11-3, 36 GW/22 GL) play at 5 p.m.
The Skyhawks defeated the Panthers 25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17 Oct. 26 at J. Percy Page.
In the playoffs, the Skyhawks swept the Memorial Marauders (5-8) and W.P. Wagner Warriors (8-6).
Last year’s division three championship team finished 13-0 and lost only three sets en route to the first junior men’s metro banner since winning the 1998 city conference.
Meanwhile, the Bellerose Bulldogs (11-1) and the St. Francis Xavier Rams (8-4) battled in the division two senior men’s final Tuesday but the score was unavailable at press time.
The Bulldogs, last year's finalists, swept the Rams 26-24, 25-21, 25-11 Oct. 2 at Bellerose.
The Bulldogs advanced to the final by defeating the Skyhawks (8-4) by scores of 26-28, 25-14, 25-18, 25-15 Monday at Bellerose.
The metro finals Monday featured the Paul Kane Blues in the division two junior men’s and women’s championships and the Sturgeon Spirits in the division three senior men’s match. Scores were unavailable between the lady Blues (9-2) and Archbishop Jordan Scots (11-0), Paul Kane men (12-1) versus the Scots (12-1) and Sturgeon (11-1) against the Lillian Osborne Legends (11-1).
Check out Saturday’s edition of the
Gazette for more volleyball coverage.
Slash at home
The St. Albert Slash host two games this weekend in the Alberta Female Hockey League.
Game times are 8 p.m. Friday against the Rocky Mountain Raiders and 2:15 p.m. Saturday against Calgary Fire at Go Auto Arena.
The Slash (8-2) beat both teams on the road last weekend by scores of 3-1 against the Raiders (5-3-1) and 1-0 against Calgary (2-6-2).
Brianna Sank (5-1, 0.99 GAA) stopped 56 of 57 shots in the two wins while posting her first shutout of the season with 26 saves for the 2017 Esso Cup midget AAA national champions.
Isabelle Lajoie, Madison Willan and Makenna Schuttler (empty net) scored and Shyla Kirwer had two assists against the Raiders and Tyra Meropoulis notched the winner in the second period against Calgary.
Raiders drop two
The St. Albert Tire Warehouse Raiders fired blanks as the host team for the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League’s Showcase Extravaganza last weekend at Servus Credit Union Place
The Raiders (5-7) scored twice on 87 shots in identical 2-1 losses to the Okotoks Oilers (6-3-3) and Red Deer Chiefs (6-2-4) at Go Auto Arena.
Despite outshooting the Okotoks 57-32, the Oilers notched the winner on a penalty shot with 2:17 left in the game on a suspect call for gloving the puck in the crease.
Both teams found the back of the net in the middle frame as Blake Sydlowski opened the scoring on the power play.
Evan Fradette (1-4, 2.58 GAA) was between the pipes Saturday and Mitch Reidy (4-3, 2.33 GAA) tended the twine Sunday against Red Deer.
Shots were 30-25 in game two for the Raiders as Jacob Hiemstra made it 1-0 in the first.
The Raiders were among 18 teams playing two games apiece during the AMHL’s fifth annual showcase weekend as parents and volunteers worked behind the scenes to make the event a success.
Proceeds help support the AMHL scholarship program.
The Raiders, third in the north standings, are back at Akinsdale Arena this weekend for games against the Lloydminster Bobcats (2-9-1) Saturday at 1:45 p.m. and the Calgary Royals (8-2-2) Sunday at 1:15 p.m.
Meanwhile, forward Jacob Charko was the Raiders’ nominee for the north division’s player of the month for October.
Charko started off the season coming off a shoulder injury, which limited him to the later portion of the exhibition season, and steadily increased his play throughout October.
Charko is small in stature but plays a big man’s game in the corners and in front of the net. He leads the team in goals (four), power-play goals (three) and points (nine) in 12 games while achieving a 72 per cent success rate in the face-off circle.
Every player nominated from all 18 teams for the monthly north and south awards receives a $50 gift certificate from Source for Sports Dealers of Alberta which Charko was presented with prior to the Okotoks game.
Jets win twice
Special teams dominated the scoring in Sunday’s win by the Morinville Jets against the Edmonton Mustangs.
Brett Dubuc, Josh Mcrae and Zach Mcrae struck on the penalty kill and Regan Reginbald connected on the power play in the 5-4 decision at Ray McDonald Sports Centre.
Josh Mcrae’s even-strength goal early in the second period made it 4-0.
Dubuc also picked up three assists. The 2016/17 second team all-star forward leads the Capital Junior Hockey League in goals with 19 in 13 games and is the Jets’ top scorer with 26 points.
The Mustangs (2-9-1) capitalized four times with the man advantage.
The Jets were outshot 40-38 and Luke Hall (3-3, 3.62 GAA) was in net.
Colton Kucher (3-1, 1.71 GAA) was between the pipes in Friday’s 6-1 victory over the Spruce Grove Regals (1-11-1) as the Jets snapped a three-game losing streak.
Shots were 43-34 for the Jets at Grant Fuhr Arena as Dubuc potted a pair, Alex Michalcheon, Lee Gadoury, Zach Mcrae and Joshua Perrott (power play) sniped singles and Josh Mcrae added two assists.
The Jets are back on the ice tonight against the North Edmonton Red Wings (9-3-2) at 8 p.m. at Londonderry Arena.
Sunday’s home game against the Strathcona Bruins (10-3-1) starts at 7:15 p.m.
