The season is over for the St. Albert Tire Warehouse Raiders after losing the fifth and deciding game in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League north division semifinal.
The Raiders struck twice in the opening three minutes on their first two shots of the game by Garrett Clegg and Eddie Gallagher before the Leduc Oil Kings answered with five in a row in the 5-2 win Thursday at Akinsdale Arena.
The Oil Kings scored once in the first period, potted a pair in the second and the second of two goals in the third was an empty netter.
Shots were 17-5 in the third and 44-25 overall for the Oil Kings.
Chris Curr (2-3, 3.41 GAA) was in net as the Raiders were outshot for the fourth time in the best-of-five playoff.
The Raiders evened the series at two games apiece in Tuesday's 3-2 decision in Leduc.
Goal scorers were Clegg and Zane Avery in the first and Spencer Augot on the power play in the third.
It was Avery's first playoff game after missing three in a row while serving a league suspension over a match penalty in the team's last league game.
The shot count was 39-31 for the Oil Kings.
Previous scores in the series were 4-3 in overtime for the Raiders in St. Albert, 5-4 in OT for the Oil Kings in Leduc and 3-2 Oil Kings in St. Albert.
In league play, the Raiders (16-14-4, 103 GF/97 GA) finished second for a first-round bye and the Oil Kings (14-15-5, 94 GF/103 GA) placed third in the north standings.
The Raiders won 3-0 Jan. 15 in Leduc and the teams skated to a 4-4 draw Jan. 28 in St. Albert.
The Fort Saskatchewan Rangers scored four consecutive goals in the third period, including a pair of empty netters, in Tuesday's playoff elimination game against the St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres.
The fourth of five goals on the night by Raphael Pelletier halfway through the period was the winner in the 7-4 decision in the fifth and deciding game in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League north regional final at Akinsdale Arena.
Pelletier tied it at four on the power play five minutes after Ethan Edwards capitalized with the man advantage to put the Sabres up 4-3.
Pelletier and Riley Fiddler-Schultz capped off the victory in the last minute of play and netminder Ethan Barwick (5-4, 2.70 GAA) of the Sabres on the bench for the extra attacker.
The Rangers outscored the Sabres 3-1 in the first as Mathieu Gautier lit the lamp for the home team.
The Sabres pulled even in the second on goals by Matt Savoie and Tyson Greenway.
Shots were 35-25 for the Sabres as Sebastian Cossa (5-2, 2.24 GAA) backstopped the Rangers to victory.
The Rangers opened the series with wins of 4-2 in St. Albert and 2-1 in overtime in Fort Saskatchewan and the Sabres rallied for results of 4-3 on Gautier's OT winner in St. Albert and 4-1 in Fort Saskatchewan.
The Sabres finished 6-4 in the playoffs after placing first overall in the AMBHL at 31-1-4 (214 GF/77 GA) as the Nitro north division leaders.
The Rangers were the top team in the Charger north division at 27-7-2 (176 GF/83 GA) and are 7-2 in the playoffs.
In league play, the Sabres edged the Rangers 3-2 Dec. 22 in St. Albert and the teams battled to an 8-8 draw Jan. 26 at Fort Saskatchewan.
