The St. Albert Nektar Raiders are turning the page on a storybook performance as the Mac’s Cup champions.
The next chapter for Raiders after Tuesday’s historic accomplishment starts this weekend with 10 games remaining before the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League playoffs.
“The end result has never changed. We have a picture of it in our locker room and it’s the Telus Cup. That’s the end goal and this is just part of getting there,” said head coach Jack Redlick on qualifying for the April 22 to 28 nationals at Thunder Bay, Ont. “The Mac’s is a tune-up for Telus Cup and that’s part of the process here.
“It’s funny because for something that means so much as the Mac’s it also means nothing in the grand scheme of things. That’s the beauty part of hockey.”
The Raiders had two days off after playing six games in seven days, including two playoff matches Monday, before the monumental 4-3 victory in the Mac’s final over the Lethbridge Hurricanes, last year’s AMHL champions and Telus Cup bronze medallists, before regrouping at practice Friday afternoon at Akinsdale Arena for a light skate and yoga.
“We’ve been taught to live in the 10 second evolution so we rode the highs for that night and a lot of guys are still riding but at practice we’ll get back to focusing on league play and just take care of bodies,” said left-winger/centre Brady Nicholas, the tournament’s playoff MVP.
As for the 10 second evolution rallying cry, “We were preaching to the kids the entire tournament (to) focus on the process, live within the 10 seconds in front of your face and don’t think about the end result,” Redlick said. “Good or bad with what happens you live in the 10 seconds.”
How the Raiders (12-8-4) adjust to the quick turnaround will be the focus of attention against the Calgary Royals (16-7) today at 5:30 p.m. at the Akinsdale rink and Sunday against the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (14-9-2) at 2:30 p.m. at JRC Arena.
The Raiders and Grande Peace Storm (12-7-4) are locked together in the second spot for a first-round bye in the north standings, two points behind the Rangers and two ahead of the Canadian Athletic Club (10-7-6).
Next weekend the Raiders play the CAC at Bill Hunter Arena and the Storm in Grande Prairie.
“The next four games are huge and our group knows that,” Redlick said. “We’re going to refresh them back to this is part of the process here. We set these goals out and this is just part of it. The year is not done. It’s not over. (The Mac’s) was one of the goals the guys set out for the year and not to downplay the tournament but it is what it is. It’s no different from the goal you set in regards to how many wins and losses you want or winning the league or going to Telus.”
The Raiders skated into the Mac’s as winners of five of their last six games before ramping it up with six tournament victories.
“We needed to have momentum going into Mac’s. We’ve been preaching that and that’s been the goal. Last year too we were on a roll peaking for the Mac’s and made the semis,” said Redlick of the 2017-18 Raiders finishing 4-2 after entering the Mac’s with an 4-1-2 mark in December. “Planning and preparation leads to confidence and our execution which in turn breeds success so you just can't show up at the event and flick the switch that you want to win it.”
Nicholas, Erik (Captain Clutch) Boers, Carson Henry and netminder Evan Fradette, the tournament’s MVP, top netminder and first-team all star, were returning Raiders from last season as the team dropped a 1-0 semifinal decision as the Red Deer Chiefs scored in the third period. Kye Buchanan also played at the Mac’s with Lethbridge.
“We had a lot more experience with the Mac’s after last year. A few guys had been in the tournament so we taught the first-time players what to expect and how to treat your body with the ice baths and how to prepare for games,” Nicholas said. “We had more preparation and more experience, and all the boys were super resilient battling adversity.”
The first St. Albert male team to capture the Mac’s Cup – the midget AAA St. Albert Kal-Tire Slash were the 2009 female champions – pulled off five one-goal triumphs out of six wins. The only setback was 4-3 to the Vancouver NE Chiefs in pool three of the 25-team tournament.
Tyson Greenway also buried the 3-2 winner in double overtime against the CAC in the quarter-finals, the Raiders overcame deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to sink the New York Islanders 6-3 in the semifinals and the team’s last two goals were empty netters.
Boers also put on his Superman’s cape to pot the 2-1 winning goals against the defending champion Regina Pat Canadians with 11 seconds to go and with 1:39 remaining against the Okotoks Oilers.
The Raiders were destined for greatness with a gift from above against the Calgary Buffaloes to close out pool play. Needing a win to ensure a playoff berth, Matt Rathbone fired the puck into the Calgary zone and it ricocheted off the boards towards the net while the Calgary netminder went to play it behind the cage and Buchanan calmly deposited it into an empty net with 49 seconds to go for the 4-3 outcome.
“Every game was a battle and it just showed the character in our dressing room how all 20 guys bonded together, played their roles and we made history. It's something we’ll be able to tell our kids,” Nicholas said. “It’s a group of guys that can overcome anything and that’s what made the difference.”
The final was another come-from-behind effort by the Raiders after falling behind to Lethbridge (18-3), the AMHL’s south division leader. Brad Adams tied it at one in the first, Buchanan made it a one-goal game at 3-2 late in the second and Greenway pulled the Raiders even with 11:21 to go, setting the stage for arguably the most important and dramatic goal in team history by Nicholas.
“It was just a quick rush up the ice. Erik Boers, our captain, drove the net really hard. The puck popped out and I was in the right place at the right time to put the puck home,” Nicholas said. “It was exhilarating. It’s probably one of the biggest goals I’ve scored in my hockey career for sure but we still knew that there was three minutes left in the game. We had to control our emotions for that time and finish out what we started.”
Nicholas took his playoff MVP accolades in stride.
“It’s special but it could’ve gone to any of the 20 guys. Everyone played a role but I was just happy that the team got the win and I was fortunate enough to have a pretty good playoff run and assist the boys to our first ever Mac’s Cup championship,” said Nicholas, an offensive threat along with Boers and Eric Perneel on the potent line combination.
However, the spellbinding goaltending heroics by Fradette lifted the Raiders over the top with countless saves, including a riveting game-high 24 against Lethbridge for his sixth win in six starts. The day after the final, Fradette was called up by the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League.
“A team plays different when they have confidence with the guy in the pipes,” said Nicholas, a Grade 12 St. Albert Catholic High School student who turns 18 on Wednesday. “He played unreal. He put the boys on his back at times and really carried us and helped us out. He was just what we needed.
"Big competitions like that are about goaltending, special teams and being a team and fortunately enough we had a phenomenal goaltender for that week.”
