Mighty Merchants
The St. Albert Merchants skate into Friday’s home game against the defending Capital Junior B Hockey League champions with a season-high four victories in a row.
Puck drop is 8 p.m. against the Beverly Warriors (12-2) at Jarome Iginla Arena.
The seventh win in eight games for the Merchants (9-5) was Sunday’s 8-6 dust-up against the Strathcona Bruins (5-9-1) in Fultonvale.
The Merchants were charged with 13 infractions for 74 minutes, with Aidan West racking up 32 minutes in the fight-filled affair, and Strathcona was penalized 10 times for 42 minutes.
The teams also combined for eight goals in the opening period as the Merchants led 5-3 on markers by Cole Gupta, Scott Lancaster and Ryan Cooper at even strength and Bryce Sturm and Ryan Deets on the power play.
Stuart Dovey in the second and Gupta and Sturm in the third rounded out the scoring.
Jacob Karran finished with three assists and Adam Wilkins had two helpers.
Shots were 13-10 in the first and 36-35 for the Merchants with Mitchell Reidy (4-2,4.23 GAA) in net.
The fourth win in six home games for the Merchants was Friday’s 9-3 rout of the Edmonton Mustangs (1-12).
According to the score sheet, shots were a massive 36-2 in the third and 86-19 for the Merchants while compiling period leads of 2-1 and 7-2 in support of netminder Brett Akins (3-0, 3.41 GAA).
The lone non even-strength goal by the Merchants was scored by Wilkins on the power play for his second of the night.
Karran, Deets, West, Dovey, Sturm, Marco Runco and Zach Giacobbo also found the back of the net.
Dovey, Sturm and Giacobbo finished with three points apiece.
In the CJHL scoring race, Sturm and Cooper are second and third with 27 and 26 points, respectively, and Dovey is fifth with 25.
Dovey is also the team leader in goals with 12.
Slash unbeatable
The St. Albert Slash remain undefeated despite playing with a shorthanded lineup last weekend in the Alberta Female Hockey League.
With five players unavailable because of Team Alberta commitments at the U18 nationals, the Slash (9-0) posted victories of 4-3 in overtime against the Lloydminster Steelers (3-4-1) and 4-0 against the Edmonton Pandas (5-2) at Go Auto Arena.
Kali MacDonald sniped the winner 1:45 into the extra period against the Steelers, with Jenna Goodwin and Jaidia Pisani drawing assists, after Goodwin notched the equalizer with 27 seconds remaining in regulation time.
The Slash led 2-1 after two periods on goals by Cassidy Rhodes and captain Alli Reich.
Kelsey Hall added two assists.
Shots were 34-14 for the Slash with Mabel Maltais between the pipes.
Goodwin, Reich, Faith Greenough and Reece Mepham led the attack against the Pandas.
Shots were 18 apiece as Maltais (4-0, 1.22 GAA) recorded her second shutout of the season and the team’s fourth.
The Slash and Pandas faceoff again Friday at 8 p.m. in St. Albert and Saturday's game against the Rocky Mountain Raiders (3-4-3) starts at 2:30 p.m. in Dewinton.
The Esso Cup midget AAA national champions for three consecutive years will still be missing netminder Holly Borrett, defenceman Dayle Ross and forwards’ Jaden Bogden, Natalie Kieser and Brooklyn Schroeder because of this week's U18 nationals in Morden and Winkler, Man.
Sharp Sabres
The St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres continued their winning ways by sweeping last weekend’s two-game series in Grande Prairie.
Scores were 6-3 and 4-2 against the Storm (5-4-3) in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League.
In the first game, Carmelo Crandell’s two goals included a shorthanded effort while Jacob Goudreau, Evan Zazulak, Kieran Strauss and Blake Brezovski (power play) also scored.
Shots were 33-26 with Luke Roberts in net.
Crandell and Evan Sundar at even strength and Hayden Selin and Jack Ketsa on the power play lit the lamp in the next game.
Roberts (6-2, 3.20 GAA) faced 22 shots while the Sabres were credited with 36.
Crandell’s 20 points in 12 games is tied for third in the AMBHL and his 12 goals are three back of the leading scorer.
The Sabres (9-3) are winners of three straight and five of the last six games as the top nitro north division team for third place overall in the AMBHL.
The next game is Nov. 15 against the KC Squires (5-6-1) at 8:15 p.m. at Callingwood Twin Arenas.
Sharks thriving
The third straight win for the St. Albert Sharks was also the fourth in five games for the midget elite team in the Alberta Female Hockey League.
Saturday’s 5-2 decision against the Lloydminster Steelers (4-2) in the Border City featured a three-goal outburst during a 1:46 span in the third period to snap a 2-2 stalemate.
Sierra Whillans potted two of her three goals in the third and Elle Harapchuk notched the team’s last goal.
Janay Williams (power play) made it 2-0 in the first period.
Shots were 44-17 for the Sharks as netminder Natalie Balog started her first game of the season.
The night before in St. Albert, Williams slotted the 5-4 overtime winner against the Sherwood Park Fury (0-4-1) after the Sharks pulled even with Mikayla Sarapuk’s power-play tally with 2:17 to play.
Whillans potted a pair in her season debut and Jenna Kociuba also scored as the Sharks led 3-0 after the first.
Regan Ackroyd added two assists.
Layla Hood (3-1, 2.00 GAA) faced 29 shots and the Sharks directed 27 pucks on net.
Upcoming for the Sharks, provincial silver medallists the last two years, are the Edmonton Pandas (3-2-2) Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. at Go Auto Arena.
Flyers action
Friday’s midget 15 game between the St. Albert Flyers and Maple Leafs starts at 8 p.m. at Millwoods Arena.
The Flyers skated Monday against the KC Centennials and the score was unavailable at press time.
The Maple Leafs (0-8-1) and KC (2-6-2) are ranked below the Flyers (4-2-4) in the north division of the Albert Minor Midget AAA Hockey League.
The first win after two losses and two ties was 6-3 over the host Leduc Oil Kings (4-5-2) Saturday.
Liam Fitzgerald led the way with a pair and Gaege Johnson, Mason Comeau, Zakk Makeiff and Eric Ceh also connected as the Flyers generated 31 shots.
Liam Cochrane and Aidan Taylor each had two helpers and Damon Cunningham (2-2-3, 4.90 GAA) also chipped in with an assist while stopping a game-high 43 shots.
