Sabres lose sharp edge

The St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres are refocused on regaining their winning edge after the John Reid Memorial Tournament.

The bantam AAA Sabres repeated as C finalists by scoring two goals while going 0-2-1 in pool play, then in the playoffs pumped in seven unanswered goals to end the game against Dallas Stars Elite to win by six before losing to the Calgary Bisons, the first-place Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League team.

“It wasn't the result that we were looking for but I think it was a good learning lesson for us. We just have to come together now before playoffs,” said defenceman Ethan Edwards of the 1-3-1 Sabres at the 38th annual St. Albert tournament.

The fourth-ranked AMBHL team was 20-4-5 before resuming league play Tuesday against the 0-28 Maple Leafs (43 GF/220 GA) but the score was unavailable at press time.

The Sabres host the Camrose Red Wings (12-14-1) Thursday at 7 p.m. at Akinsdale Arena and Saturday play the SSAC Southgate Lions (16-8-3) at 5:15 p.m. at Confederation Arena.

“We're in a hole right now,” Edwards said after the 4-1 loss to the Bisons (23-2-3) in Sunday's C final at Mark Messier Arena. “That's what we're trying to focus on; get out of this hole. We're going to get back at it against MLAC on Tuesday and hopefully we build on that and just keep going and get out of that hole.”

Hopes were high for the first winning record since going 3-1-1 in 2010 after surpassing last year's win and point totals in the AMBHL by the 16-12-5 Sabres.

“We didn't really do as expected. We kind of ran into a slump but our last two games we were slowly crawling out of it,” said captain Brady Nicholas. “We're going to go into the rest of the season with our heads held high and play our best until the end.”

The Sabres have six games remaining after Tuesday before the best-of-three nitro north playoffs start Feb. 16. The Sabres are 10 points in front of the third-place SSAC Southgate Lions (16-8-3) and two back of the first-place Sherwood Park Flyers (23-2-1) but the tournament bronze-medallists had three games in hand.

“We don't really think about tournaments as a tournament, we just think of it as individual games so when we play MLAC on Tuesday we're going to go in there with a good mindset as an individual game that we've just got to win and get the two points and then move on to our next game on Thursday,” said Nicholas, a returning centre who joins forward Kye Buchanan from last year's 2-3 C finalists.

“It's an amazing tournament. There are lots of good people running it,” said Nicholas, 15. “This year I feel there is a bit more talent but as a tournament it's a good experience. It's fun and everyone here loves it.”

Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Notre Dame Hounds in the tournament opener put the Sabres behind the eight-ball and they were only able to sink two goals before Saturday's outburst in the 9-3 defeat of Dallas.

Nicholas struck first in the 1-1 draw with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings in Thursday's feature game after the opening ceremonies and Buchanan put the Sabres on the board in the middle period of Thursday's 2-1 loss to the North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks after the Sabres fell behind by two in the first frame.

“We had our ups and downs in the tournament. We started off with a bad loss but we came back and against L.A. we probably could've won that one,” Edwards said.

Notre Dame, 3-2 in the tournament, scored 84 seconds into the match, tallied twice in the second while killing off back-to-back penalties and outshot the Sabres 28-25 overall.

“We missed a few open nets. We had lots of opportunities but we just couldn't capitalize on our chances and we lost because of it,” said Nicholas, the team-leader in points at the tournament with four.

Los Angeles, 1-3-1 at the four-day event, potted the equalizer halfway through the third and outshot the host team 25-23.

North Shore, winner of the B final to finish 3-2, had the edge in shots at 23-12 as the Sabres racked up the penalties in the last pool game for both teams.

In the playoff against 1-4 Dallas, the Sabres fell behind 2-0 before pulling even on goals by Brandon Iwaschuk and Ryley Morgan. It was 3-2 Dallas when Iwaschuk, Dominik Cesarz and Logan McKinley replied in the last 10 minutes of the second and Austin Spiridakis, Cesarz, Buchanan and Blake Sydlowski lit the lamp during a 6:09-minute span in the third.

“It's a stepping stone those two periods in that game to where our bench mark could be already and will be soon,” said Nicholas, a Grade 9 Vincent J. Maloney student.

Cesarz and McKinley notched three points apiece and Brett Bamber, Ethan McKinley, Stuart Dovey and Nicholas chipped in with two assists apiece.

Shots were 38-33 for the Sabres as Ryley Osland (1-0-1, 2.00 GAA) posted the win.

The 2-2-1 Bisons led 2-0 before Spiridakis scored in the third. The penalty-riddled Sabres gave up two power-play markers and the Bisons ended the C final with an empty netter.

Shots were 30-17 for the Bisons and Evan Fradette (0-3, 3.03 GAA) of the Sabres was in net.

“We just weren't communicating. We weren't coming together as a team,” said Edwards, the player of the game against the Bisons.

John Reid award

The night before at the tournament banquet, Edwards was the centre of attention as the recipient of the John Reid Memorial Award for heart and hustle.

“It was a great honour to win that award,” said the Grade 8 Richard S. Fowler student. “I was really not expecting it but I guess my face was pretty funny, the guys were telling me. It was just such a shock.

“This is way up there on my list (of achievements), probably No. 1. It was again a great honour.”

The John Reid award is presented annually to the Sabre who symbolizes the person and hockey player Reid was.

Previous winners were Noah Fayad, Ryan Cooper, Jake Warawa, Joshua Perrott, Tyler Mrkonjic, Jake Mykitiuk, Jed Groenenboom, Josh Winquist, Ryan Harrison, Steve Wall, Blaine Bokenfohr and Nate Fleming.

“I just go out there every game and try and do stuff for the team. If you try and work as hard as you can good things come out of it,” said Edwards, 13.

The five-foot-two Sabre picked up one assist in the tournament and in league play had three goals and two assists in 26 games.

“I'm not a big guy but I like to get down in the corners and take a hit to make a play,” said the newcomer to St. Albert from Grande Prairie, where he played for the peewee AA Knights last season.

“I moved here just before tryouts,” he added. “I was very welcomed in this community and I just really thank everyone or accepting me. The odds were against me for the tryouts because I'm a small guy and no one really knows me but I really thank my coaches for giving me this opportunity.”

ICE CHIPS: The 6-0 Yale Hockey Academy defeated the 5-1 Delta Hockey Academy Wild, last year's champion, 4-1 in Sunday's A final.

Lukas Svejkovsky of the Wild was recognized as the tournament's most outstanding forward and MVP.

Bowen Byram of the 3-3 Lethbridge Golden Hawks was named the top defenceman and Blake Wood of Yale received netminding honours.

Visit www.johnreidmemorial.com for tournament info.