The metro Edmonton high school badminton playoffs start Thursday for the top eight teams in the pool A and B standings.
The four highest-ranked teams in both pools advance to the premier conference playoffs and the next best four teams compete in the city conference bracket.
Going into Thursday’s quarter-finals the Sturgeon Spirits (7-1, 27 GW and 13 GL) stood second in pool B, followed by the Paul Kane Blues (6-4, 32 GW and 18 GL) in third, the St. Albert Skyhawks (4-3, 19 GW, 16 GL) shared sixth place and the Bellerose Bulldogs (1-7, 11 GW and 29 GL) were 10th.
League play wrapped up Tuesday for the Spirits, Skyhawks and Bulldogs.
In Monday’s playoffs a pool B team hosts the premier semifinals and medal finals and a pool A team hosts the city semifinals and medal finals.
Last year only the top four teams in both pools qualified for the playoffs. The fourth-place pool B Spirits (6-3, 23 GW and 22 GL) went on to lose the city gold-medal match 5-0 to the Fort Saskatchewan Sting.
The Spruce Grove Saints, led by a strong St. Albert and area contingent of players, will face-off against the Brooks Bandits or Okotoks Oilers for the Alberta Junior Hockey League championship.
Tuesday’s score from game seven in the south final between Brooks, last year’s champion, and Okotoks was unavailable at press time.
The Saints advanced to their fourth league final in five years by defeating the Whitecourt Wolverines 4-1 in the best-of-seven north final.
The Saints’ roster featured St. Albert forwards Kevin Lacroix, 20, and Connor Hoekstra, 20, Morinville forwards’ Tim Nolte, 21, and Jarid Hauptman, 19, and midget AAA Raiders’ products Spencer Galbraith, 20, at forward and Tyler Kunz, 18, on defence.
The Wolverines, formerly the St. Albert Steel, had St. Albert forwards Evan Warmington, 19 and Trace Elson, 18, defenceman Connor Dea, 19, and netminder Tanner Kovacs, 18, in their line-up.
Defenceman Michael Claffey, 21, is a midget AAA graduate of the Raiders.
Kovacs, defenceman Matt Abt, 19, and forwards Ryan Berlin, 19 and Colten Meaver, 20, of the Wolverines played for the Steel last season.
Saints’ forward Dallas Smith, 20, also skated for the Steel before they relocated to Whitecourt after the 2011/12 campaign.
