Strong D by Slash
The St. Albert Slash continues to play staunch defence in the Alberta Female Hockey League.The fourth shutout in a row and 13th of the season by the midget AAA team was registered Sunday at Mark Messier Arena.
Brianna Sank (11-2-1, 0.93 GAA) handled 24 shots for her league-high seventh shutout in the 7-0 outcome against the Edmonton Pandas (8-18) and the day before Holly Borrett (12-0, 0.67 GAA) stared down 16 shots for her sixth shutout in the 3-0 decision for the visitors against Calgary Fire (5-8-3).
The Slash (23-2-1) have let in only 21 goals in 26 games.
Jaden Bodgen potted a pair, Tianna Yaremko also scored and Madison Willan added two assists against Calgary as the Slash were credited with 37 shots.
The Slash led 3-0 on 22 shots after two periods against the Pandas as Makenna Schuttler, Bronwyn Boucher and Mackenzie Kordic on the power-play tallied before cranking it up in the third. Boucher's third goal and fourth point of the night was produced on the power play. Jenna Goodwin also filled the net and Willan's AFHL-high 23rd goal and 46th point was also her seventh on the power play as the Slash finished with 34 shots.
Kordic and Riley Smith chipped in with two assists apiece
The victory against the Pandas was the 11th straight on home ice for the Slash, winners of four straight in league play after losing 3-2 to the Fire on Jan. 27 in Calgary.
The Slash have four games left before hosting the AFHL provincial Final Frozen Four, March 22 to 24, and the next contest for the two-time defending Esso Cup national champions is Sunday against the Lloydminster Steelers (19-5-1) at 10:15 a.m. in the Border City.
Raiders win big
The St. Albert Nektar Raiders didn’t allow a goal in two home games last weekend as the north division leaders in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League.Evan Fradette (7-5-1, 2.30 GAA) stopped 15 shots in the 5-0 decision against the Maple Leafs (1-31-1) and Andreai Proctor-Ramirez (10-5-3, 2.66 GAA) was tested 12 times in the 8-0 result against the Lloydminster Bobcats (7-21-4) at Akinsdale Arena.
The Raiders (18-11-4), winners of three in a row while going 6-3 since winning the Mac’s Cup on Jan. 1 in Calgary, have one game left until the playoffs and Saturday’s faceoff time against the host Leduc Oil Kings (8-23-2) is 2:30 p.m.
The Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (18-13-2) trail the Raiders by two points with the same number of games played and the Canadian Athletic Club (15-10-7) is three points back with a game in hand.
The top two finishers received first-round byes in the best-of-five series.
Power-play goals by captain Erik Boers, Brad Adams and Eric Perneel and even-straight efforts by Perneel and affiliate Maddux Nollski did the damage against the Maple Leafs.
Breck McKinley and Brady Nicholas collected two assists apiece.
Ethan Barwick, who started the season with the Raiders, faced 39 shots.
The Raiders were credited with 44 shots against the Bobcats as Boers lit the lamp four times for 14 goals in 32 games and added two assists for 27 points on the season.
Nollski, who has 24 goals and 33 points in 28 games for the midget AA St. Albert Source for Sports Crusaders (22-4-2), Tyson Greenway, Perneel and Tye Pedersen also found the back of the net.
Perneel, the team leader with 21 goals and 36 points in 33 games, chipped in with three assists and Tyson Kowaluk had a pair of helpers.
Meanwhile, St. Albert netminder Ryley Osland (10-7-1, 2.23 GAA) of the Southside Athletic Club was the AMHL’s player of the month for January.
Osland, who played for the 2017-18 midget AA St. Albert Blues, was 3-0 last month with a 1.67 GAA and .950 save percentage.
Royals stop Sabres
The first loss for the St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres after going undefeated in eight games was Sunday’s outcome in Calgary.The Royals scored three times before the Sabres pushed back with a pair by Liam Cochrane in the third period before running out of time in the 3-2 setback.
Captain Levi Fesyk assisted on both goals by the team’s top scorer with 40 points. Cochrane and Zakk Makeiff are also tied for the most goals on the Sabres with 18 apiece.
Shots were 36-25 for the Royals (5-20-5) and Luke Roberts (5-4-3, 2.94 GAA) tended the twine.
The day before in Calgary, the Sabres rallied from a 3-2 deficit after two periods against the Northstars (12-12-6) with four goals for the 6-3 decision.
Declan Dika’s second goal of the third was slotted on the power play and Connor Dale, Andon Coles also struck with the man advantage as the Sabres posted 14 shots in the third and 35 overall.
Michael Romeo and Cochrane scored in the middle frame.
Cochrane and Elijah Pool also notched two assists apiece.
Teagan Kendrick (6-9-2, 2.78 GAA) backstopped the Sabres to their sixth win in seven games with 38 saves.
The Sabres and SSAC Southgate Lions (11-14-5) share third place in the nitro north division of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League.
The regular season ends Feb. 24 before the best-of-three divisional semifinals start and the Sabres have four games remaining leading up to the playoffs.
The next game is Saturday versus the GPAC Storm (3-23-2) at 4:15 p.m. at Akinsdale Arena.
Sharks results
The St. Albert Sharks closed out the midget elite team’s regular season last weekend in the Alberta Female Hockey League.The Sharks finished 17-9 after wins of 3-1 against the Peace County Storm (11-11-2) in St. Albert and 2-1 against the Edmonton Pandas (7-14-3) at Bill Hunter Arena.
League play ends March 3 and the AFHL provincial playdowns start March 8. Provincials are March 28 to 31 in Grande Prairie.
The Sharks are six points in front of the Sherwood Park Fury (14-5-4) for the north division pennant but the Fury have four games in hand. Wins are three points, overtime wins are two points and OT/shootout losses are one point each in the AFHL.
Calgary Fire White (19-4-1), the defending provincial champion, and Calgary Fire Red (19-2-1), are tied for top spot in the south standings.
Katie Charko led the 2018 provincial finalists in scoring with 18 points in 23 games and was the co-leader in goals with Libby Langenhahn at 10 apiece.
Annika Neset, Regan Ackroyd and Langenhahn also produced 13 points each.
Layla Hood (10-6, 2.10 GAA) is also tied for the AFHL lead for netminding wins.
