Raiders super strong
The St. Albert Nektar Raiders maintained a tight grip on first place in the north division standings with a pair of home-ice wins in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League.
Highlighting last weekend’s 3-2 scores at Jarome Iginla Arena was Noah Wilson's unassisted shorthanded marker with 44 seconds remaining against the Calgary Northstars (3-2-3) to make it 3-1 and Matthew Reidy’s solo effort with 52 seconds to play was the winner to cap off a late two-goal surge against the Grande Peace Storm (5-2).
Evan Forrest pulled the Raiders (6-0-2) even at two with 1:26 left to play against the Storm, ranked second in the north.
Ronin Pusch (power play) opened the scoring in the last minute of the first period.
Shots were 29-24 for the Raiders in support of netminder Carson Ironside (2-0-1, 2.00 GAA).
The day before, Forrest snapped a 1-1 stalemate with 3:36 remaining against the Northstars.
Jaxon Dube also scored as the Raiders were outshot 13-8 in the third and 35-28 overall with Andreai Proctor-Ramirez (4-0-1, 1.40 GAA) in net.
The previous weekend, the Raiders and Northstars skated to a 1-1 draw in Calgary
The next home game is Saturday against the Okotoks Oilers (5-2) at 8 p.m. and Sunday the Raiders are in Lloydminster to faceoff against the Bobcats (5-3) at 2 p.m.
Merchants winning
The St. Albert Merchants can equal their longest undefeated streak of the season with a victory Friday in the Capital Junior B Hockey League.
Puck drop is 8 p.m. against the Edmonton Mustangs (0-10) at Jarome Iginla Arena.
Last weekend the Merchants (7-5) downed the Fort Saskatchewan Hawks 6-5 on Ryan Cooper’s overtime winner at JRC Arena and Bryce Sturm’s six points led all scorers in the 9-6 outcome against the Spruce Grove Regals in St. Albert.
In the last minute of regulation time against the Hawks (5-2-5), Sturm made it 5-4 Merchants with 41 seconds remaining and the Hawks tied it up with 15 seconds to go.
Cooper’s second goal of the night and fifth point was assisted by Matt Holzer and Zach Giacobbo with 10 seconds left in the five-minute extra period.
In league scoring, Cooper is tied for second with 25 points and his nine goals is second on the Merchants behind Stuart Dovey’s 10.
Dovey finished the win with a pair during a four-point outing, Sturm added three assists and Scott Lancaster also scored.
Shots were 8-3 in OT and 55-40 for the Hawks as Brett Akins picked up his first win as a Merchant.
Akins (2-0, 3.62 GAA) also stopped 15 of 17 shots in 35 minutes in relief of starter Mitchell Reidy (3-2, 3.88 GAA) as the Merchants were outshot 21-4 in the first and 44-26 overall.
Period scores were 2-1 and 4-3 for the Regals before five consecutive goals in a seven-minute span in the third pushed the Merchants ahead 9-4 as Kiegan Millar potted a pair and Sturm, Dovey and Josh Antunes also found the back of the net.
Antunes also connected in the first and Peter Corrigan and Sturm lit the lamp in the middle frame. Sturm finished with four assists.
Sunday the Merchants travel to Fultonvale to play the Strathcona Bruins (5-7-1) at 3:30 p.m.
Flyers results
The St. Albert Flyers returned home from last weekend’s road trip against south division teams with one point in two games in the Alberta Minor Midget AAA Hockey League.
The midget 15 Flyers (3-2-4) lost 8-3 to the SEAC Tigers in Medicine Hat and tied the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-4 on Gaege Johnson’s goal with 5:51 remaining.
The Tigers (5-2-2) opened the scoring with four goals, including a pair on the penalty kill, before Aidan Taylor replied with 6:42 left in the first period.
Marko Stolic connected on the power play in the second and added his second of the game in the third.
The Tigers made it 7-3 on the power play with 3:55 to play.
Damon Cunningham faced 39 shots while the Flyers were credited with 26.
Matthew Cesarz, Logan Hach and Zakk Makeiff (power play) also scored against Lethbridge and Stolic had two helpers.
Lethbridge (6-0-2) capitalized twice on the power play to lead 2-1 after 20 minutes.
Shots were 40-22 Lethbridge with Cunningham drawing the start.
The Flyers, 0-2-2 in the last four games, are in action Saturday against the host Leduc Oil Kings (3-4-1) at 7:30 p.m. and Monday’s game against the KC Centennials (2-4-2) starts at 8 p.m. at Callingwood Twin Arenas.
Midget AA games
The St. Albert Steel can make it six wins in a row without a loss in the Northern Alberta Midget AA Hockey League in Thursday’s home game against the PAC Saints
Faceoff is 8:15 p.m. at Go Auto Arena.
The fifth victory for the Steel was 6-2 against the Wainwright Polar Kings (2-4-1) Saturday at Jarome Iginla Arena.
Brett Reiter, Gabriel Moore and Luke Aston cashed in on the power play. Reiter wound up with two goals while Brooks Robinson and Matthew Waldbillig also scored and Joshua Cyr and Sean Mitchell chipped in with a pair of assists.
The score sheet listed the shots as 64-29 for the Steel and Liam Bell (3-0, 2.67 GAA) was in net.
In team scoring, the leaders are Jayden Antunes with five goals and Reiter with eight points.
Saturday the Steel visits the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (2-4) at 7:45 p.m. at JRC Arena.
The last game for the Rangers was Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the St. Albert Source for Sports Crusaders (7-0-1) in Fort Saskatchewan.
The top team in the NAMHL piled up five goals before the Rangers replied with a pair in the third period.
Shea Spofford on the penalty kill, Ethan Pool and Kaelan Shelton on the power play and even-strength efforts by Shelton and Brady Harroun paced the attack. Harroun also picked up two assists for a team-high 16 points.
The shot totals were 45-30 for the Crusaders and Jack Robinson (4-0-1, 1.80 GAA) backstopped the team to its fourth win in a row.
The next game for the winners of the last two Playoff Cups is Tuesday against the Saints (3-2-1) at 8:30 p.m. at Go Auto Arena.
Jets win at home
The first home victory of the season for the Morinville Jets also ended a five-game losing streak in the Capital Junior B Hockey League.
A three-goal outburst in the third period lifted the Jets (2-9) past the Edmonton Mustangs 5-4 Sunday at Landrex Arena in the Morinville Leisure Centre.
Josh Reagan, Connor Tuppala and Zach Mcrae replied after the Mustangs (0-10) made it 4-2 early in the period.
Dillon Watt in the first and Josh Mcrae (power play) in the second also scored and Tuppala finished with two assists.
The Mustangs led 3-2 after 40 minutes after capitalizing twice on the power play in the second.
The Jets outshot the Mustangs 13-10 in the third and 35-30 overall with Tanner Schnirer (1-1, 5.81 GAA) in net.
Friday the Jets faceoff against the Stony Plain Flyers (8-4) at 8:30 p.m. at Glenn Hall Centennial Arena and the seventh home game is against the North Edmonton Red Wings (8-3-1) Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
