The St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres skated into their last game before the playoffs with one point after Thursday’s results at the John Reid Memorial Tournament.
The Sabres played the North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks in the Kal-Tire division of the John Reid pool Friday but the score was unavailable at press time.
North Shore was 0-2 after day one in the 16-team bantam AAA hockey tournament, while the Sabres lost 3-0 to the Notre Dame Hounds before settling for a 1-1 draw with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings.
Notre Dame was 2-0 and the Kings were 1-1 going into Friday.
The 38th annual St. Albert tournament consists of four divisions divided into two pools to determine today’s playoff pairings in the A, B and C brackets.
“If we lose (to the Kings) we pretty much have no chance of winning the tournament so we’ve got to win,” right-winger Kye Buchanan told the Gazette after Thursday’s loss to Notre Dame.
The final is 2 p.m. Sunday at Go Auto Arena.
Visit www.johnreidmemorial.com for the playoff schedule and scores.
Captain Brady Nicholas scored the Sabres’ only goal Thursday, with Carson Henry and Brett Bamber assisting on the first period tally.
The Kings, listed fifth in the latest Western United States rankings, replied with the equalizer halfway through the third.
The Sabres were penalized five times while the Kings stayed out of the box.
Shots were 25-23 for the Kings and Ryley Osland of the Sabres was in net.
The host team was unable to light the lamp against Notre Dame despite a number of quality opportunities against Aaron Mercer, who stopped 22 shots for the shutout.
“We played a little shaky out there but we could’ve came out with a win if we put the pucks in deep,” Buchanan said.
The stands were packed with students from several schools in attendance for the tournament opener.
“It was different but you’ve got to adjust to it,” said defenceman Mike Benning of the large crowd. “There was a lot of noise but you’ve got to communicate louder and be more vocal on the ice.”
Notre Dame fed off the energy inside Go Auto Arena by scoring at the 1:24 mark of the first and never looked back.
“Our guys got a little tense at the start but after we got out of that we started rolling but it didn’t go our way.” Benning said. “We had a pretty solid game throughout. We just had some little breakdowns and our communication could’ve been better.”
Notre Dame potted a pair in the middle frame and in between the goals killed off consecutive penalties as the Sabres buzzed the net.
Shots were 18-16 for Notre Dame after two periods.
“We had chances but we didn’t bury them,” Benning said. “These guys are a little bigger and faster so we didn’t really adjust to that really quick.”
Evan Fradette of the Sabres finished with 25 saves against the No. 5 team in the latest Western Elite Hockey Prospects rankings. The Sabres are eighth.
Last year the Sabres edged the Winnipeg Warriors 3-2 and lost 2-1 to the Colorado Thunderbirds on day one, en route to 2-3 record as the C finalists.
“Coming out for the first game and the crowd being all loud and having fun is what I remember the most (about last year),” said Buchanan, a returning Sabre along with the Nicholas.
So what did Buchanan tell the rest of the Sabres to expect on the eve of the tournament?
“Once you get the nerves over then you’ll be fine. Just come out and have fun,” said the Grade 9 William D. Cuts student.
The tournament brings together the best of the best bantam teams in western North America.
“We want to see how we can do against the better teams and see if we can play up to their potential and see if we can come out with a win against them,” said Buchanan, 14.
Last year he was pointless in five games.
“I get to play a little bit more this year so there is a lot more pressure,” Buchannan said of his second tournament appearance.
He has eight goals and 12 assists in league play after recording three goals and six assists last season.
“I’m basically a grinder. I like to get in the corners a lot and come out with the puck.”
Every year it’s a badge of honour for the Sabres to play in the elite-level competition.
“I was in the stands as a little kid and I’ve always dreamed of being on the ice in it and now that I’m on the ice I just need to make it happen and please the guys that are in the stands,” said Benning, one of five first-year bantams on the roster.
The Sabres rolled into the tournament with the fourth-highest record in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League at 20-4-5.
“We’ve had a great season. We had some strong players coming out and we’re just stepping up and playing as a team. There isn’t an individual agenda. We all chip in,” said Benning, 14, the second-highest scoring defenceman on the Sabres with 13 points.
“I’ve been going pretty good. At the start I kind of had a lull. I was behind the guys for a lot and then in the middle of the season I was going good. I was just playing my game and that’s what I do. My dad (Brian) says you can’t get a lot of points staying on the blueline, you get in there,” said the Grade 8 Richard S. Fowler student.
Brian is a former NHL defenceman with five teams. Mike’s older brother, Matt, is a Boston Bruins’ draft pick who plays at Northeastern University, and his sister, Abby, a member of the Alberta Pandas, also patrols the blueline.
“I just want to be better than the next Benning,” Mike said.
