The St. Albert Storm got beat up by the Battle River Shock in Thursday’s crushing defeat in midget spring league football at Clarke Park.
It went from bad to worse in the 44-18 loss as the Shock (2-0, 70 PF/30 PA) returned the opening kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown. The Storm quickly fell behind by 24 points as they missed numerous tackles and were badly losing the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
The first half ended with a quarterback keeper by Mike Spagnolo from the one, as the Storm got on the scoreboard at 30-6. The score was set up by a long Grayson Baker run inside the 10-yard line as time expired. The Shock were flagged for a late hit on Baker so the Storm had a free play with no time on the clock from the one.
In the second half the Storm showed more willingness to compete. A quarterback sack by Cody Andresen and Nathan Mitchell’s interception seemed to spark the team. Also turning in strong efforts defensively were linebacker Kieran Fraser and defensive back Brandon Jennings.
Tayler White took over at quarterback in relief of Spagnolo towards the end of the third quarter. Spagnolo had limited success through the air, but did connect with Spencer Duff on a short crossing route that resulted in a 40-yard TD.
White scrambled for several highlight-reel runs for big gains. He also capped off an impressive drive with a one-year plunge.
It was 38-18 when a Shock player was ejected for a dirty shot to White’s head long after the whistle and 40 yards behind the play. Head coach Chad Hill was incensed by the flagrant foul and was upset the Shock bench cheered mockingly in celebration of the hit. White is doubtful for the next two games and Hill believes the Shock culprit will be suspended for his actions.
Hill declared it was the chippiest game he had ever coached, with numerous fouls for late hits and cheap shots.
The Shock rubbed salt into the Storm’s wounds by scoring on the final play of the game. They even tried a two-point conversion with no time remaining but were stopped short of the goal line by defensive back Adam Anderson.
Hill emptied the bench as everybody on the 45-man roster of Grade 9, 10 and 11 players got to play. There were fewer mental mistakes than the season-opening 14-14 draw with the Edmonton Mustangs, but Hill was concerned by how the Storm were overwhelmed physically at times by the bigger, stronger Shock.
On the injury front, defensive standout Cam Joseph suffered a badly hyper-extended elbow with a possible fracture. He is expected to miss a minimum two games.
The next game for the Storm is Wednesday against the Edmonton Chargers. Kickoff is 8 p.m. at Foote Field. Admission is $5.
St. Albert product Nate Fleming and the Spruce Grove Saints celebrated winning the Alberta Junior Hockey League championship Tuesday at Grant Fuhr Arena.
In game seven against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, former midget AAA St. Albert Raiders’ forward Brett Cameron scored four goals and added one assist in the 6-0 rout.
Fleming finished the series with three assists for seven points in the post-season. Last year the former Raider had four goals and six assists as the Saints were swept by the Grande Prairie Storm for AJHL honours.
After completing his third and final regular season with the Saints, the 21-year-old centre was awarded the Don McNabb Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the AJHL player judged the most dedicated to his team. With the number-one ranked junior A team in Canada, the Paul Kane High School graduate finished second in team scoring and tied for 16th place overall in the AJHL’s point race with 61 in 59 games. His 23 goals included seven game winners in addition to eight power-play markers.
Fleming’s AJHL career totals include 54 goals and 154 points in 180 games.
Up next for the Saints is the best-of-seven Doyle Cup against the defending Royal Bank Cup champion Vernon Vipers. Game one was played Friday in Spruce Grove, but the score was unavailable at press time. Game two is tonight at 7 p.m. at Spruce Grove. If the first two games are split, game three goes Sunday in Spruce Grove before the series shifts to Vernon. The winner advances to nationals, May 1 to 9 at Dauphin, Man.
The St. Albert Trekkers are making tracks next Saturday as hosts for the Volkssport Association of Alberta convention at the St. Albert Inn.
The gathering starts with a walk at 10 a.m., followed by the annual general meeting in the afternoon.
The Trekkers organize walking events, called volksmarches, on planed trails that are safe, scenic and circular, so you finish where you started. They are usually 10 kilometres or longer, and are held in all weather conditions.
For more information, contact Dave Luscombe at 780-475-7211 or visit www.trekkerswalks.ca
