Dallas Smith scored four of the St. Albert Steel’s six goals in two losses against the Sherwood Park Crusaders last weekend.
The Steel rookie tallied once in Friday’s 5-2 defeat in Sherwood Park and recorded his first Alberta Junior Hockey League hat-trick in Saturday’s 7-4 setback at Performance Arena.
Smith was selected the Steel’s player of the game in both losses.
After the offensive outburst the 18-year-old right winger has six goals and three assists in 13 games with the Steel after going 5-4-9 in 25 games with the Spruce Grove Saints before arriving in St. Albert in a trade in early December.
Friday the Steel were outshot 29-18 with Rhys Hadfield (3-21, 4.95 GAA) in net. Jamie Johnson of the Steel scored in the opening period.
The next night the Crusaders (30-13-4) racked up five unanswered goals after Smith opened the scoring in the opening minute of play. It was 6-2 when Bryce Sauers tallied with 6:33 left in the game. Shots were 28-24 for the visitors. In net for the Steel was Tanner Kovacs (1-6, 4.91 GAA).
The loss was the fourth in a row and the 21st in 23 games for the AJHL’s last-place team.
This weekend the Steel (7-38-2) head south to play the Brooks Bandits (35-6-6), Drumheller Dragons (11-32-3) and Calgary Mustangs (22-8-4).
The next home game is Jan. 28 against the Grande Prairie Storm (16-26-3) at 7 p.m. The Steel have won only four games on home ice this season.
The Vincent J. Maloney Marauders repeated as the girls’ champions at the SAPEC junior high basketball tournament.
In Saturday’s final the Marauders defeated Meridian Heights School of Stony Plain 32-20 at Ecole Secondaire Saint Marguerite d’Youville.
Jessica Ivicak, Riki Steward and Jamie Cole led the attack as the Marauders captured their third tournament title in six years.
In the boys’ final the Marauders lost 44-34 to St. Thomas Aquinas of Spruce Grove.
Meanwhile, the SAPEC league schedule tipped off Tuesday. Last year the Marauders beat the Lorne Akins Gators by 22 points in the boys’ final and in the girls’ championship the Gators defeated the Marauders by five points.
Two St. Albert football players were named to the development team roster for the third annual International Bowl.
Nathan Mitchell, a Grade 12 defensive back with the Paul Kane Blues, and Tanner Doll, a Calgary Dinos’ linebacker and high school product of the St. Albert High Skyhawks, are among five U20 players from Alberta that will attempt to crack the world team’s line-up for the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) game against the top graduating high school players in the United States.
Five more U20 players in Alberta were picked to try out for the world team.
Overall, more than 100 players from all over the world earned invites in hopes of making the world team’s 46-man roster for the Feb. 1 game at Kelly Reaves Stadium in Austin, Texas.
Four players from the development team will be added to the main roster and 61 players will get an opportunity to make the 2013 world team.
Mitchell and Doll will report to Austin on Jan. 26 for a six-day training camp prior to the game.
The United States is 2-0 against the world team after winning 21-14 last year.
The IFAF is the sanctioned international body for American Football with 59 member countries.
