Savoie update
Matthew Savoie of St. Albert is among 66 players chosen to represent Canada at the World U17 Hockey Challenge.
The No. 1 pick in the 2019 Western Hockey League bantam draft by the Winnipeg ICE will play for Team Canada White, one of three Canadian teams competing against the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States at the Nov. 2 to 9 tournament in Medicine Hat and Swift Current.
The projected top-two pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft is also one of eight players from the U16 Team Alberta squad at the 2019 Canada Winter Games to make the final cut off 66 from the 112 invitees to the week-long national U17 development camp in July, marking the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.
The 15-year-old centre is playing for the Winnipeg-based Rink Hockey Academy of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League and in seven games posted seven goals and 20 points.
Savoie has also dressed in five WHL games and recorded one assist with the ICE, the relocated Kootenay franchise from Cranbrook, B.C
Last season with the Northern Alberta Xtreme’s midget prep team in the CSSHL, Savoie registered 31 goals and 71 points in 31 games and was named the most valuable player in the midget prep division despite playing one year above his age group.
Savoie also recorded six goals and 13 points in six games at the Canada Winter Games.
Savoie’s last St. Albert minor hockey team was the 2016/17 bantam AAA Gregg Distributors Sabres as a second-year peewee.
Raiders unbeaten
The St. Albert Nektar Raiders and Calgary Northstars will pick up where they left off in Sunday’s tie in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League.
Saturday’s faceoff is 8 p.m. at Jarome Iginla Arena.
Both teams scored in the second period in the 1-1 draw at Calgary.
Mathieu Gautier struck on the power play and Andreai Proctor-Ramirez (3-0-1, 1.25 GAA) was in net as the north division leaders outshot the Northstars (3-0-3) 18-8 in the third and 41-32 overall.
The Raiders (4-0-2) opened the weekend road trip with Saturday’s 2-1 decision against the Airdrie Bisons (0-5-1).
Koehn Zimmer, the team's leading scorer with five goals and seven points, assisted on power-play goals by Evan Forrest in the second and Maddux Nollski in the third.
Airdrie pulled even at one on the penalty kill halfway through the third.
Shots were 50-30 for the Raiders in support of Carson Ironside (1-0-1, 2.00 GAA).
The Raiders also have a home game on tap Sunday versus the Grande Peace Storm (4-1), ranked second in the north, at 2:30 p.m.
Merchants results
A season high three-game winning streak ended Sunday for the St. Albert Merchants in the Capital Junior B Hockey League.
The Beaumont Chiefs scored six even-strength goals in a row, including three in the first period, before Cole Gupta put the Merchants on the board with 7:12 remaining.
The 51-22 shot advantage for Beaumont included a 20-7 margin in the third.
The 6-1 result left the Merchants (5-5) entrenched in fourth place in the west division while Beaumont (8-2-1) is the top team in the east standings.
Mitchell Reidy (3-2, 3.38 GAA) suffered his first loss in five straight starts and Brent Akins filled in for 16 minutes and stopped all nine shots directed his way.
The Merchants were also without their top scorer, Ryan Cooper, who was serving a one -game suspension for receiving a game misconduct in the last 10 minutes because of a five-minute goalie interference major with 4:57 left in Friday’s 5-1 win against the host Stony Plain Flyers (7-4).
Cooper is tied for fourth in CJHL scoring with 20 points in nine games after he picked up two assists against the Flyers for 13 on the season.
Goal scorers were Ryan Deets at even strength, Jacob Karran, Zach Giacobbo and Stuart Dovey on the power play and Adam Wilkins on the penalty kill with seven seconds to play.
Dovey and Bryce Sturm finished with two assists apiece.
Reidy faced 18 shots while the Merchants were credited with 30.
The teams combined for 25 infractions for 77 penalty minutes in the feisty affair.
Friday the Merchant are in Fort Saskatchewan to play the Hawks (4-2-4) at 7:45 p.m. at JRC Arena and Sunday’s visitors are the Spruce Grove Regals (0-10) at 8 p.m.
AFHL Sharks
Last weekend’s midget elite showcase event in Lloydminster marked the season debut for the St. Albert Sharks in the Alberta Female Hockey League.
The provincial finalists the last two seasons lost 2-1 to the Rocky Mountain Raiders (1-1) and posted wins of 4-2 against the Southern Express (1-2) and 3-0 against the Airdrie Lightning (1-2). Layla Hood stopped eight shots for the shutout while facing 43 shots overall in 178 minutes in the three games.
Jorja Werenka led the Sharks in scoring with three assists and four points while Mikayla Sarapuk and Regan Ackroyd potted a pair for three points apiece.
The first home game is Nov. 1 against the Sherwood Park Fury (0-3) at 8:45 p.m. at Mark Messier Arena.
Last season’s AFHL record for the Sharks was 18-8.
AFHL Chargers
Friday the bantam elite St. Albert Chargers skate after their first win of the season in the Alberta Female Hockey League.
Puck drop is 7:45 p.m. against the Edmonton Pandas (0-2) at Bill Hunter Arena.
The Chargers are coming off weekend losses of 4-2 to the Sherwood Park Royals (2-0) and 5-0 to the North Central Impact (2-0) in Leduc.
Mea Gallagher and Bailey Burritt scored for the Chargers.
Last season the Chargers, formerly the Raiders, finished 5-17-4 in the AFHL.
Jets struggle
The Morinville Jets remain winless at the new Landrex Arena after the team’s eighth loss in nine league games in the Capital Junior B Hockey League.
The fifth setback on home ice was 6-3 against the Leduc Riggers (6-4) Sunday.
Leduc ended the contest with five goals in the last 13 minutes of regulation time after Colby Maclean made it 3-2 Jets at 5:52 of the third period.
It was 2-0 Jets after 40 minutes on goals by Ryan Denton (power play) in the first and Maclean in the second. Bryn Soetart added two assists.
The Jets (1-8) were outshot 18-12 in the third and 38-29 overall.
Luke Hall (1-7, 4.54 GAA) stopped 30 of 35 shots over 56 minutes and Tanner Schnirer was credited with two saves on three shots in his first appearance with the Jets.
Tonight the Jets faceoff against the Edmonton Royals (6-2-1) at 8 p.m. at Confederation Arena and the next home game is 7:30 p.m. Sunday against the Edmonton Mustangs (0-9).
