Junior B coverage
Four points separate the fourth-place Morinville Jets and sixth-place St. Albert Merchants in the west division of the Capital Junior B Hockey League after last weekend’s results.The sixth consecutive victory for the Jets (8-7-1) was 6-2 over the Edmonton Mustangs (9-7-1) Sunday at Bill Hunter Arena. The score was also the same against the Merchants (5-9-3) Saturday at Ray McDonald Sports Centre.
Lee Gadoury opened and closed the scoring against the Merchants as the Jets led 3-1 after two periods.
Josh Mcrae, Dylan McFatridge, Zach Mcrae and Brett Dubuc (shorthanded) beat Brandon Boughen (2-9, 4.32 GAA) while piling up 44 shots, compared to 33 for the Merchants.
Connor Tuppala, a former Merchant, picked up three assists.
Marco Runco and Jack Langenhahn replied for the Merchants against netminder Colton Kuchar (4-5, 3.04 GAA).
The night before at Akinsdale Arena, the Merchants knocked off the division-leading North Edmonton Red Wings 2-1 for the team’s first win in regulation time while going 0-4-3 since the 8-3 decision against the Stony Plain Flyers (8-9) Oct. 14 in St. Albert.
Ryan Deets (shorthanded) and Runco made it 2-0 in the second before the Red Wings answered late in the period.
Shots were 38-37 for the Red Wings (12-3-1) and Boughen tended the twine.
Sunday the Merchants host the Spruce Grove Eagles (4-15) at 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Merchants’ annual Pub Night fundraiser is Friday at the Bourbon Room. Admission is $10 for those 21 and over.
As for the Jets, the next home game is Friday against the Red Wings at 8:30 p.m.
Dubuc is the CJHL’s top scorer with 35 points and ranks second in goals with 19 (three power play and two shorthanded) after his hat-trick performance against the Mustangs.
Zach Mcrae capitalized on the power play to put the Jets up 2-1 in the first and Josh Mcrae finished with a pair of goals
Regan Regimbald had three assists and Gadoury added two helpers.
McFatridge’s assist on Dubuc’s first goal was his 16th point in nine games since joining the Jets.
Gadoury is second in team scoring with 11 goals and 22 points.
Kucher (two GA on 24 shots in 50 minutes) and Luke Hall (six saves) saw action for the Jets.
Shutout for Slash
The third shutout of the season for Brianna Sank was also the fifth in 13 games for the first-place St. Albert Slash in the Alberta Female Hockey League.Sank (5-1, 0.71 GAA) a third-year netminder with the two-time defending Esso Cup midget AAA national champions, was tested 20 times in Sunday’s 3-0 decision against Calgary Fire (7-5-1) at Mark Messier Arena.
The contest was scoreless until the third period when Madison Willan tallied twice, including a short-handed effort with 2:02 to play, and Bronwyn Boucher also connected.
The Slash (11-1-1) generated 28 shots.
Willan leads the AFHL in scoring with 11 goals and 25 points.
The Slash, winners of four in a row, skate Friday against the Edmonton Pandas (4-12) at 7:45 p.m. at Bill Hunter Arena and Saturday against the host Red Deer Chiefs (6-7-2) at 3:30 p.m.
Next weekend the Slash are in Toronto for a tournament.
Midget AAA Raiders
The St. Albert Nektar Data Systems Raiders travel this weekend for games against south division teams in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League.Start times are 4:45 p.m. Saturday against the Red Deer Chiefs (11-2-3) and 1:45 p.m. Sunday against the Calgary Buffaloes (10-4-2).
The Raiders (7-7-2), third in the north standings, are 3-5-2 against the southern opponents after splitting last weekend’s games at Akinsdale Arena.
Scores were 4-2 against the Lethbridge Hurricanes (12-3) and the 5-2 loss to the Calgary Northstars (10-5-1).
Eric Perneel, Matt Offenberger, Mathew Rathbone and an empty netter by captain Erik Boers provided the goals against Lethbridge, the 2018 AMHL champion and Telus Cup bronze medallist.
Rathbone snapped a 2-2 tie with 8:19 remaining.
Robert Kincaid also drew three assists for a team-high 15 points.
Shots were 26-24 for the Raiders in support of Andreai Proctor-Ramirez (5-3-1, 2.87 GAA), who also went the distance against the Northstars while facing 32 shots.
The Northstars broke open the contest with three unanswered goals in the third and the last marker was deposited into an empty net.
Carson Henry and Mathieu Gautier struck in the middle frame as the Raiders managed only 18 shots in the team’s third loss in six games.
The Raiders are also 5-3-2 on home ice.
Meanwhile, defenceman Tanner Sklaruk of Stony Plain played two games last week for the Grande Prairie Storm as the latest Raiders’ call-up in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Flyers climbing
The St. Albert Flyers kept pace with the north division leaders in the Alberta Minor Midget AAA Hockey League with back-to-back wins last weekend.The midget 15 Flyers (11-2-1) posted identical scores of 5-2 against CAC United Cycle (4-8-1) at Akinsdale Arena and Lloydminster Bobcats (7-6) in the Border City.
The Flyers and PAC Saints (11-1-1) share second place behind the Leduc Oil Kings (11-2-2) with games in hand.
Payton McDonald-Corea pumped in a pair on the power play and Palmer Strang, Ethan Sundar and Chase Visser notched singles against the CAC. Dylan Leslie also chipped in with three helpers.
The shot count was 31-22 for the Flyers and Ethan Kadatz (5-2, 3.58 GAA) was in net.
Leslie, Visser, Isaac Kinsella, Kaleb West and Jordan Irwin lit the lamp against the Bobcats. Visser and Shea Spofford also collected two assists apiece.
Carson Ironside (6-0-1, 2.25 GAA) stopped 30 shots while the Flyers directed 34 shots on net.
The win was the fifth in a row and the seventh in eight games.
Friday the Flyers face off against the KC Centennials (0-12) at 8 p.m. at Castledowns area and Monday’s game against the CAC is 8 p.m. at Callingwood Arena.
Midget AA results
St. Albert’s midget AA teams in the Northern Alberta Hockey League exchanged third-period goals in Friday’s stalemate at Go Auto Arena.Brady Harroun’s unassisted marker for the Blues tied it at one 2:44 minutes after Ethan Pool of the Source for Sports Crusaders opened the scoring at 7:25 of the period.
Shots were 13-9 in the third and 24-19 for the Crusaders.
The netminders were Tanner Schnirer (2-1-1, 1.61 GAA) of the Blues and Cole Crozier (4-2-1, 1.43 GAA) of the Crusaders.
In the Besa division, the Crusaders (9-2-2) are first and the Blues (3-4-3) are seventh.
The Blues, 1-2-2 in five games, are in action Sunday against CAC Butchers & Packers (4-5) at 5:30 p.m. at Millwoods Arena.
Harroun is the top scorer on the Blues with eight points and shares the team lead in goals with Cameron McConnell at five apiece.
The Crusaders are 4-0-1 in five games after Saturday’s 1-0 outcome against the Lakeland Panthers (3-7-2) in St. Albert.
Ronin Pusch scored early in the contest and Evan Hergott (5-0-1, 1.67 GAA) stopped 17 shots for his second shutout of the season and the team’s third. The Crusaders were credited 31 shots.
Pusch leads the Crusaders in scoring with 10 goals and 16 points.
Friday the Crusaders host the Beaumont Braves (8-2) at 8:45 p.m. at Mark Messier Arena.
In the 2018 NAMHL final, the Crusaders defeated Beaumont in four games in the best-of-five series.
The final was also the fourth in five years for the Crusaders, the 2014 champions.
