Slash undefeated
The St. Albert Ron Hodgson Slash allowed only two goals in three victories to start off the Alberta Female Hockey League season.The two-time defending Esso Cup midget AAA national champions blanked the Rocky Mountain Raiders 6-0 and Calgary Fire 5-0 Saturday and defeated the Red Deer Chiefs 6-2 Sunday during the inaugural AFHL showcase weekend at Clare Drake Arena.
Two of Madison Willan’s three goals against Red Deer were scored on the power play.
Makenna Schuttler, Jaden Bogden and Mackenzie Kordic tallied singles while Riley Smith and Allison Reich chipped in with three assists apiece.
Holly Borrett faced 11 shots while the Slash racked up 44 shots.
Borrett, the 2017/18 AFHL midget elite top netminder award recipient with the St. Albert Sharks, was also tested five times by the Raiders.
Kordic potted a pair, Isabelle Lajoie on the power play, Willan, Reich shorthanded and Jenna Goodwin, the AFHL bantam elite MVP last season with the Sherwood Park Royals, also scored as the Slash recorded 34 shots in the season opener.
Bogdan scored a pair and Dayle Ross, Willan and Kordic found the back of the net against Calgary.
Shots were 25-19 for Calgary and Brianna Sank was in net for the Slash.
Tonight the Slash face-off against the Edmonton Pandas at 7:45 p.m. at Bill Hunter Arena.
The Slash home opener is 7:45 p.m. Saturday against the Lloydminster Steelers at Go Auto Arena.
The teams play again Sunday in the Border City at 1 p.m.
Merchants games
The St. Albert Merchants are back on the ice tonight in the Capital Junior B Hockey League.Puck drop is 8 p.m. against the North Edmonton Red Wings (5-0) at Londonderry Arena.
The Merchants are coming off Sunday’s 6-3 road loss to the Wetaskiwin Icemen (4-1). The two-time defending CJHL champions struck three times in the second period to lead 4-1 and the team’s sixth goal with 3:33 to play was also the second of the night on the power play.
Bryce Sturm’s fifth goal and team-high ninth point cut the deficit to 4-3 for the Merchants at 6:45 of the third.
Also lighting the lamp were Ryan Cooper in the first and Peter Corrigan shorthanded in the second for his team-leading sixth goal.
Shots were 28-12 in the third and 58-34 overall for Wetaskiwin as Brandon Boughen (1-3, 4.19 GAA) drew the start for the Merchants.
The second win in a row for the Merchants was Friday’s 8-0 stoning of the Strathcona Bruins (0-6) at Akinsdale Arena.
Robert Putt pumped in a pair and Marco Runco, Adrian Parth, Andy Barr, Sam Milner, Ryan Deets shorthanded and Strum on the power play also scored.
Putt and Strum finished with three points apiece.
The Merchants tallied four times on 29 shots in the second to open the scoring and were credited with 61 shots overall.
Colton Iwaschuk (2-0, 1.24 GAA) blocked 18 shots for the shutout.
The next home game is 8 p.m. Sunday versus the Stony Plain Flyers (3-2).
Jets fall in OT
The Beaumont Chiefs scored the extra point in overtime after pulling even with the Morinville Jets late in Sunday’s third period at Ray MacDonald Sports Centre.Beaumont knotted the count with 1:31 left in regulation time and potted the winner on the team’s fourth shot in the five-minute period to edge the Jets 5-4 in the Capital Junior B Hockey League.
Jaron Coles and Connor Tuppala tied it at two in the opening period and Brett Dubuc and Ryan Denton tallied in the third to put the Jets up 4-3.
Tuppala’s power-play marker came with 35 seconds left in the first.
Dubuc’s goal was his seventh and team-leading 10th point.
Beaumont (5-1) struck twice on the power play while out-shooting the Jets 47-32. In net was Luke Hall (1-2, 4.00 GAA).
The Jets (1-3-1) visit the Fort Saskatchewan Hawks (2-4) Friday at 7:45 p.m. and Sunday’s game time against the Edmonton Royals (3-3) is 8 p.m. at Coronation Arena.
Raiders split two
The St. Albert Nektar Data Systems Raiders returned home from the weekend road trip with a series split against south division teams.The Raiders (3-1) lost 4-3 to the Lethbridge Hurricanes and beat the Airdrie Bisons 6-4.
The Raiders and Lethbridge (3-10) potted three goals apiece in the third period and the third marker of the frame for the 2018 Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League champions broke a 3-3 tie with 9:17 to play.
Eric Perneel on the power play, Carson Henry and Mathew Rathbone scored for the Raiders.
Shots were 13-10 in the third and 36-28 overall for Lethbridge and in net for the Raiders was Andreai Proctor-Ramirez.
Logan McKinley and Perneel tallied twice, including once on the power play, and Noah Kramps added two assists against Airdrie.
Tanner Sklaruk and Robert Kincaid (empty netter) also scored as the Raiders were credited with 32 shots.
Ethan Barwick (4 GA on 14 shots) and Proctor-Ramirez (12 saves) split the game in half.
The Raiders skate Saturday against the host Sherwood Park Kings (0-3-1) at 5:15 p.m. and Sunday against the KC Pats (2-2) at 11:45 a.m. at Bill Hunter Arena.
Perneel leads the Raiders in goals with four and Kincaid is the top point producer with six.
Sabres at home
Tonight’s bantam AAA game between the St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres and KC Squires starts at 7:45 p.m. at Akinsdale Arena.Last week the Sabres (0-2-1) lost 4-3 to the Squires (4-0) at Clareview Arena.
Saturday the Sabres play the Maple Leafs (0-5) at 7:30 p.m. at Londonderry Arena.
