The numbers are adding up for the streaking St. Albert Raiders.
A victory tonight against the Sherwood Park Kings would stretch the midget AAA team’s undefeated record to 11 games.
Faceoff is 7:45 p.m. at Akinsdale Arena.
“We definitely want to keep it going. We don’t want to have a loss as we go into the Christmas break,” said left-winger Colin Schmidt.
The Raiders (9-4-7) haven’t suffered a defeat since dropping a 5-3 decision to the Grande Prairie Storm (9-6-4) Oct. 26 in St. Albert.
“Right now we’re trying to take it one game at a time and keep it simple and not try and get too full of ourselves and make sure that we’re keeping down to Earth. If we do that the streak will continue,” said defenceman Ian Mitchell.
The Raiders are rolling at 7-0-3 after Saturday’s decisive 8-3 result against the visiting Leduc Oil Kings (8-9-4).
“We’ve been doing our systems well and our attention to detail has been strong. All four lines are going for us too,” said Schmidt of the team’s tidal wave of success. “All four lines are going for us too. All of us are chipping in as a team. There is no individualism.”
The fifth win in six games lifted the Raiders into a second-place tie with the Southside Athletic Club (10-5-5) in the north and one point ahead of the Kings (8-4-8).
“It was a big game for us with Leduc being lower than us in the standings. It creates a little bit of separation between us and some of the lower teams,” Mitchell said. “It was also a huge win for us moving into kind of the stretch run to secure a playoff spot.”
A string of seven consecutive goals turned a brief 2-1 deficit into a runaway. The score after 40 minutes was 6-2. Shots were 40-23 for the Raiders as they improved to 4-3-3 on home ice. Josh Dechaine (8-2-5, 2.98 GAA) was between the pipes.
“It was a strong game for the most part. At the beginning we started off really strong and towards the end we kind of tailed off a little bit. We kind of became a little too content with the game instead of trying to pour it on but it was definitely one of our stronger games in the streak that we’re on,” Mitchell said.
A pair of goals by Schmidt in the last 81 seconds of the opening period pushed the Raiders in front at 4-2. His second goal and seventh of the season was a power-play marker with seven ticks on the clock.
Cam Mazur doubled his goal total to four with two in the first. The underrated forward also added two assists to pad his point total to 12.
The first of two goals by centre Ryan Peckford was a shorthanded tally early in the second. Peckford also picked up two assists. The centre from Stony Plain ranks second in team scoring with nine goals and 17 points.
Riley Smith and Ryan Cox (power play) also scored and Parker AuCoin had two helpers.
“It was a good hard performance by all of us. We all chipped in offensively and we just kept going,” said Schmidt, 16.
The Spruce Grove PAC Saints’ bantam AAA and midget 15 graduate is a major contributor on a lethal line combination with Smith the centreman (seven goals and 13 points in 14 games) and AuCoin, the north division’s player of the month with nine goals and seven assists in November. AuCoin was scoreless once during the team’s 6-0-3 drive last month. In the league scoring race, he ranks third in goals with 17 and is seventh in points with 28 in 20 games.
“We’ve been doing really good together. We’ve got a lot of chemistry and speed. All of us can hit and score,” said Schmidt, who has 11 points in 20 games. “I guess I’m more of a power forward. I can hit when we need it and I can put the puck in the net.”
After tonight’s game, the best Alberta midget AAA team not invited to the Mac’s tournament in Calgary has three games remaining before the Christmas break and then 10 more before the playoffs start.
“We’re just looking forward to getting top spot in the standings and making the Telus Cup,” said Schmidt, a Grade 11 St. Peter the Apostle High School student.
The Raiders will skate into the playoffs without the services of Mitchell and Peckford because of commitments with U16 Team Alberta at the Canada Winter Games, Feb. 13 to 20 in Prince George, B.C.
“It’s a real honour for myself and Ryan to be honoured with that accomplishment,” said Mitchell, 15, a teammate of Peckford with the bantam AAA Saints last season.
The Calahoo resident and Peckford were invited to an August camp in Camrose featuring the top 80 hopefuls from the 2014 bantam Alberta Cup and then 35 players were shortlisted and scouted throughout the beginning of the season before the 20-man roster was announced last week.
“I was lucky enough to be named to the team and it was a really good moment for myself,” Mitchell said. “My goal since the beginning of the year was to get on to that team and I’m just really excited to have that opportunity.”
The Grade 10 St. Albert Catholic High School student is focusing on the big picture at the Canada Winter Games.
“With team success comes individual success so first and foremost we’re going there to win a gold medal for Alberta but obviously it would be nice for myself if I could have a strong personal showing and play my game well,” said the 32nd overall (round two) selection in the 2014 Western Hockey League bantam draft by the Brandon Wheat Kings. “I’m a puck moving defenceman who is not really afraid to jump up in the rush and likes to create offence from the point and is also not a liability in the defensive zone.”
