The second annual Donnie MAC Cup is shooting to score more than last year’s fundraiser of $15,000 in the fight against lung cancer.
This afternoon at the Akinsdale and Kinex arenas four teams comprised mainly of St. Albert Minor Hockey Association alumni will participate in a round-robin goals for/against format.
Between 2:30 and 3 p.m. at Akinsdale the teams will assemble on the ice for a group picture before Jean MacMillan and Rita Hawtin perform the ceremonial puck drop followed by a moment of silence.
The fundraiser honours the memory of Don MacMillan, a St. Albert resident who died of lung cancer on March 19, 2011 at age 61.
The team line-ups are as follows:
MAC Insurance – goalie Dave Hook, defencemen Curtis Martin, Ryan Drake, Bill Pratt and Dave Wood and forwards Derek MacMillan, Kelly Hilkewich, Brian Hooper, Mark Hull, Marc Canduro, Keir McIntyre, Mike Thompson, Sean Tymkow and Dan Braund.
Team Jay Herrick – goalie Sean Fisher, defencemen Mark Thompson, Dan Daly, Shawn Thompson and Jerald Pruner and forwards Jay Herrick, Dion Lesczynski, Jared Jowett, Terry Hoffman, Cam Kuzyk, Jared Leibel, John Russell, Jay Germain and Grant Nicol.
MAC Registries – goalie Doug Cain, defencemen Lyndon Godlien, Sheldon Gomez, Andy Chapman and Moe Hooper and forwards Tyler Schell, Brad Hooper, Jordan Hooper, Adam Bontus, Steve Kinsey, Adin Leibel, Brett Smith, Steve Jackson and Jay Dolynny.
Team MACSON – goalie Cory Cairns, defencemen Jordan Chorneyko, Lance Pederson, Mike Lutes and Marc Lutes and forwards Chris Horvatis, Scott Martin, Graham McMillan, Curtis Crouse, Brody McIntyre, Mike Leibel, Adam Chorneyko, Shane Hordal and Kevin Drake.
Donations will be accepted at the door and 50/50 prizes and draws will take place in the final stages of the games.
Balloon twisters and face painters will be in attendance until 4:30 p.m.
Organizers will also be grilling for the cause with a barbecue located outside at the back of Akinsdale for hungry fans.
The fundraiser wraps up with a pub night and silent auction at the Celtic Knot.
Donations can also be made to www.lungcancercanada.ca or at MAC Insurance at No. 8, 44 St. Thomas Street in St. Albert and MAC Registries, 14228 Stony Plain Road.
The St. Albert Merchants opened the Hockey Alberta junior B provincials with a loss Thursday to the Okotoks Bisons.
The four-time reigning Heritage league champions tallied twice during a 2:35-minute span in the middle frame for a 3-1 lead, en route to the 4-3 victory over the Money Men in pool A.
Dan Rombough tied it at one on the power play in the first and in the third Mitch McNamara scored to pull the Merchants to within one. Okotoks replied on the power play with 9:25 to play and Brent McGugan answered less than a minute later. On the goal Casey Reid and McNamara picked up their second assists of the game.
Shots were 32 apiece. Max Cathcart started his first game for the Merchants since the team’s last league game Feb. 9 in Wetaskiwin. His last appearance between the pipes was March 12 in a relief role against Beaumont in game four in the best-of-seven Capital league semifinal.
Friday the Merchants played the North Peace Navigators, but the score was unavailable at press time.
Today at 9:30 a.m. the Merchants face-off against the CRAA Royals Gold of Calgary.
Thursday the Navigators edged Calgary 8-7.
The top teams in pools A and B skate in tonight’s semifinals.
Sunday the third-place game goes at 10:30 a.m. and the final is 2 p.m. The winner advances to the April 17 to 20 Western Canadian Keystone Cup in Abbotsford, B.C.
Visit www.2014jrbprovincials.com for results.
The Merchants – 34-3-1 as the Challenge Cup pennant winners and 9-5 in three playoff series – entered provincials after losing the fifth and deciding game in the Founders Cup final Sunday, 4-3 to the Fort Saskatchewan Hawks at Akinsdale Arena.
The Hawks won their pool B provincial opener 4-2 against the Cold Lake Ice.
The St. Albert Hit were awarded silver at the recent Hockey Alberta peewee A female provincials after losing the final to Sherwood Park.
Hit goalie Elle Boyko, the team’s player of the game, faced 20 shots in the 2-0 loss at Castledowns Arena.
Sherwood Park scored its first goal with 8:37 left in regulation time.
Shots were eight apiece in the third.
Sherwood Park goalie Brianna Sank posted the shutout with 26 saves.
Visit www.stalbertgazette.com to view the Hit’s team picture.
In the semifinals the Hit registered 56 shots in the 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Hurricanes.
Makenna Schuttler scored once in the first and Robyn Short and Madison Murray potted goals in the second on assists by Ella Dubrule.
Boyko stopped 18 shots for the shutout. In net for the Hurricanes was Jenna Shultz.
The Hit qualified for the playoffs with wins of 2-1 against Calgary and 10-0 against the Edmonton Rage and a 3-1 loss to Sherwood Park.
Dubrule led all Hit scorers with five points in five games and Isabelle Lajoie, Aidan Soltis and Schuttler were tied for the team lead in goals with three apiece.
