Matteo Gennaro scored twice and Patrick Dea stopped 45 shots for the St. Albert Sabres in Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over the first-place SSAC Southgate Lions at Akinsdale Arena.
Joshua Perrott opened the scoring in the first period and Gennaro sniped his 16th goal in the second and team-leading 17th goal and 27th point in the third. Ethan Lazaro added two assists as the Sabres improved to 10-3-5 in the nitro division of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League. The loss was only the second in 18 games for the Lions.
Last weekend against the Lloydminster Heat, the top team in the charger division at 14-3-1, the Sabres won 3-1. Gennaro, Curtis Peck, and Thomas Friesen scored and Dea turned aside 35 shots.
The third-place Sabres are undefeated in five games. Today they host MLAC Scott Pump (4-14) at 5:45 p.m.
The Lorne Akins Crushers pinned down five spots on the Zone 5 Black Gold/Yellowhead wrestling team for the 2012 Alberta Winter Games.
Winning their weight categories at Wednesday’s zone trials in Edson were the following Crushers:
Chance March, Grade 8, 43 kilograms.
Logan Brubaker, Grade 9, 65 kg.
Lauren Rogers, Grade 9, 42 kg.
Sarah Weihmann, Grade 8, 46 kg.
Annie Boyd, Grade 9, 60 kg.
Four Crushers were also named as alternates after placing second overall:
Connor Beuerlein, Grade 9, 51 kg.
Tegan Barnes, Grade 9, 65 kg.
Nadia Ryks, Grade 9, 70 kg.
Danielle Riege, Grade 7, 42 kg.
Finishing third were Grade 8 student Telly Gurney at 55 kg and Grade 7 student Mike Serra at 76 kg.
Twenty-five Crushers competed in nine weight categories for the boys and seven for the girls in Edson.
The Feb. 9-12 Winter Games will be staged at Stony Plain, Spruce Grove and Parkland County.
Meanwhile, 24 out of 29 Crushers made the podium at the St. Cecilia novice tournament last weekend in Edmonton. Only first-year wrestlers were eligible to compete.
Placing first were Riege, Heather Heron, Rebecca Sundby, McKenna Marthiensen, Makena Krueger, Evan Rogers, Jamie Spring and Samuel Lee.
Finishing second were Serra, Danielle Petter, Samantha Duckworth, Sebastian Strembiski, Aulden Maj-Pfleger, Carlin Baerg, Chris Edgeworth and Braedin Hogue.
The third place grapplers were Abby Schuttler, Mackenzie Fry, Will Heron, Diego Guzman, Jordan Lewis, Noah Carreau, Connor Graham and Jerry Du.
This is the 34th season for the junior high wrestling program at Lorne Akins. At the 2011 Provincial Junior Olympics the Crushers won five gold, four silver and two bronze medals.
