Taylor Fraser of the St. Albert Steel is the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s player of the week.
Fraser, 19, tallied four goals and 10 points in four games during the opening week in 2011.
The third-year Steel right winger is tied for eighth place in the AJHL scoring race with 48 points, on 22 goals and 26 assists in 40 games. He is currently riding a five-game point streak of five goals and six assists.
The former captain of the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders recorded a five-point night in Friday’s 6-5 road win against the Drumheller Dragons. His two goals against the Dragons included his 10th on the power play and second shorthanded marker.
In 156 career games with the Steel, he has accumulated 44 goals, 96 points and 126 penalty minutes.
Fraser is the first Steel player this season to receive player of the week honours.
The St. Albert Steel shuffled their roster through additions by subtractions at Monday’s trade deadline.
The Steel dealt defenceman Jesse Altheim to the Camrose Kodiaks, the host team for the 2011 Royal Bank Cup, for future considerations. Altheim, 19, had five assists and 73 penalty minutes in 33 games with the Steel. Last season the former Canmore Eagle collected two assists and 90 PIM in 30 games with the Steel.
In another transaction, forward Jeremy Olinyk was sent to the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League for future considerations. Olinyk was the Steel’s top rookie scorer, with seven goals and 16 points in 31 games.
Arriving from the Drayton Valley Thunder for future considerations is forward Shawn Proulx. The 20-year-old posted four goals, 17 points and 71 PIM in 40 games with the Thunder. The Slave Lake product brings much needed grit to the line-up, with 323 PIM in 147 games with the last-place north division team. The career totals for the third-year AJHL player includes 12 goals and 37 points.
The Steel also acquired the rights of defenceman Nate Engert, 18, from the Drumheller Dragons for future considerations. The six-foot-four, 210-pound Red Deer midget AAA product started the season with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 18 games he was pointless, with nine PIM and was minus-11.
The St. Albert Steel are back on the road tonight after splitting two games last weekend in southern Alberta.
Game time against the Olds Grizzlys is 7:30 p.m. The Steel (22-16-2) are ranked sixth in the north and Olds (17-19-6) is fourth in the south.
The Steel are coming off a 6-5 win in Drumheller against the Dragons (15-21-6) and a 5-2 loss to the Brooks Bandits (23-14-5). Sunday’s game in Calgary against the Mustangs (16-27-1) was postponed because of weather conditions.
Taylor Fraser led all Steel scorers last weekend with three goals and three assists. Reed Linaker potted a pair and added three assists.
Rhys Hadfield (22-14-2, 3.61 GAA) was in net for both games. The Steel were outshot 44-32 in Drumheller and 43-33 in Brooks.
The road trip signalled the start of seven away games in 12 days. The team’s record on the road is 9-8-1.
This weekend the Steel visit the AJHL champion Spruce Grove Saints (34-4-4) Saturday at 7 p.m. and the Lloydminster Bobcats (26-17-3) Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Next Wednesday the Steel host the Bobcats (26-17-3) at 7 p.m. at Performance Arena. They are nine points back of the Bobcats with six games in hand in the race for fourth place and home-ice advantage in the opening best-of-five playoff round.
Patrick Gora stopped 14 shots Sunday in Sherwood Park, as the St. Albert Sabres shut out the Flyers 2-0 in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League.
Joshua Perrott and Brett Smythe scored first-period goals in support of Gora’s first shutout of the season. Gora (10-3-2) is second in the league in goals-against average at 2.24.
The victory lifted the Sabres (16-6-3) eight points ahead of the third-place Flyers (13-10-1) in the division standings. In first place are the SSAC Southgate Lions (17-3-3).
Tonight at 6:45 p.m. the Sabres host the Camrose Kodiaks (4-13-6) at Akinsdale Arena.
The last game before the John Reid Memorial Tournament is Friday against CAC Lehigh Cement (10-13-2). Puck drop is 7:30 p.m. at Callingwood Arena.
The schedule for the 33rd annual St. Albert bantam AAA tournament is on page 53.
The St. Albert Slash returned home from Calgary last weekend with a two-game split in the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League.
In the 4-3 win against the Chaos (9-9-7), the Slash rallied with three unanswered goals by Krystal Reithmayer, Melissa Kueber and Deanna Morin, who sniped the game winner with 66 seconds remaining. Jessica Kampjes knotted the score at one apiece in the first period. Lindsay Cox picked up two assists. The Slash outshot the host team 32-21. In net was Emily Mitchell.
Matana Skoye opened the scoring in the 2-1 loss to the Flyers (10-13-4). Chloe Sanderson stopped 12 shots. Flyers’ goalie Megan Parkyn faced 31 shots.
The Slash (17-4-3) are back in action Saturday against the Lloydminster Steelers (6-19-2) at 6 p.m. at Mark Messier Arena. On Sunday they battle the rival Edmonton Thunder (21-0-4) at 2 p.m. at Castledowns Arena. The Slash trail the north division-leading Thunder by nine points with one game in hand.
