The St. Albert Merchants streaked into Friday’s game against the Beaumont Chiefs as winners of 17 in a row in the Capital Junior B Hockey League.
The score from Beaumont was unavailable at press time.
The Merchants (28-2-1) raised their winning percentage to .919 in Wednesday’s 6-4 win over the Stony Plain Flyers at Glenn Hall Centennial Arena.
At the CJHL’s rookie and all-star games today in Wetaskiwin, the Merchants will be represented by defenceman Jed Groenenboom and forward Thomas Rotundo in the 1:30 p.m. rookie game and netminder Justin Pawlenchuk, defenceman Dan Rombough and forward Casey Reid in the 4:30 all-star game.
Josh Jewell, the Merchants’ top scorer with 21 goals and 48 points in 26 games, was scheduled to play in the all-star game but is serving a four-game suspension for a check to the head match penalty in Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Leduc Riggers in St. Albert.
Merchants head coach Scott Rodda and his coaching staff of Alan Fraser, Zach Rodda and Taylor Fraser, along with trainer Steven Wall and equipment/room attendants Nolan Benwood and Chrisian Bayus, will run the west all-star bench.
Wade Campbell, a Merchants’ assistant coach and former NHL defenceman, will miss the all-star game because of holiday commitments.
Next week the Merchants skate Wednesday against the North Edmonton Red Wings at 8 p.m. at Londonderry Arena.
The next home game is Friday against the rival Morinville Jets at 8 p.m. on the Source for Sports Family, Friends and Fan Night.
Merchants fans will receive a ballot to enter the name of their favourite player in a draw for Source for Sports gift cards.
There will be other draws, plus the 50/50 draw.
Merchants 2014 calendars will also be available for sale, with proceeds supporting the St. Albert Food Bank and the junior B team.
The Merchants are 14-1-1 at Akinsdale Arena.
The St. Albert Skyhawks are 8-3 overall in high school men’s basketball after finishing fourth at the Holy Trinity Academy Knights Classic in Okotoks last weekend.
The Skyhawks, ranked sixth in 3A, beat the Kate Andrews Pride of Coaldale 65-48 in the tournament opener before suffering losses of 54-49 to the Knights and 75-50 to the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs of Calgary in the third-place game.
In the semifinal against the Knights, a 3A honourable mention, the Skyhawks rallied from a 14-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to pull to within one of the host team by the three-minute mark before running out of gas.
A few hours after the loss the Skyhawks played the Bulldogs, ranked ninth in 3A, and were unable to get their legs going.
Andrew Salcedo was the top Skyhawk in all three games and the Grade 11 forward was named to the tournament all-star team.
In league play the Skyhawks are 2-1 in pool B in metro Edmonton division two and their first game after the exam break is Feb. 4 against the Spruce Grove Panthers (2-1) at 5 p.m. at the SkyDome.
The Skyhawks are also hosting a tournament Feb. 14 and 15.
Meanwhile, the Skyhawks’ women’s tournament starts Jan. 30 with 12 teams entered.
Four games will be played on the tournament’s opening day at Paul Kane High School.
The final is Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. at the SkyDome.
