ALTA NEWSPAPER GROUP PHOTO BY DALE WOODARD Lethbridge Headwater Hurricanes midget 15s forward John Vanden Elzen turns on a loose puck while on a power play in front of Medicine Hat SEAC Tigers defenceman Jackson Bowal and goaltender Kaiden Morin in Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League play Sunday afternoon at the Logan Boulet Arena.
Playoffs are a month away and the South East Athletic Club’s midget 15-year-old Tigers are right in the mix.
The Tigers split a pair of games this past weekend, beating the Calgary Royals Blue Saturday before a loss in Lethbridge Sunday.
They never trailed in Calgary, with first-period goals from Kyle Woolridge, Daniel Ganert and Braden Patey setting the tone in a 5-2 win. Woolridge added a second and Josh Drefs scored early in the third as SEAC outshot Blue 53-38. Landon Porteous made 36 saves in net, beat only on a pair of power plays.
The Hurricanes flipped the script Sunday, getting out to a 2-0 lead before Matthew MacPherson’s power play goal in the second. Kaiden Morin stopped 39 shots in a losing cause.
Currently seventh in the Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League’s South Division, SEAC is building towards the Sutter Cup playoffs which begin March 4 in Calgary.
South East is in Calgary Saturday but returns home Sunday to face the Calgary Blazers, 2:45 p.m. at Hockey Hounds.
Midget AA
A rare chance to play at Canalta Centre was the perfect stage for the Jasper Homes Hounds to play a key rival Friday night.
The Medicine Hat midget AA team entered the night having split its first two games with the Wheatland Chiefs, the team chasing them for the division lead.
What followed was a solid 4-1 win. Mason Mowat had a goal and an assist, Brady Dovichak had two helpers and other goals came from Kyden Moore, Vaughn Strutt and Cayden Dumanowski. Nate Hoffman made 23 saves.
Medicine Hat followed that up with a 4-2 win Saturday at the Kinplex over the Calgary Blackhawks. Trailing 2-0 early, they got two goals from Cameron Hall plus singles from Cole Rath and Moore to extend their unbeaten streak to eight games.
Brendan Olson made 23 saves and the Hounds now have an eight-point lead ahead of Wheatland atop the standings. Their next home game is Sunday against Airdrie.
Midget girls
The Lethbridge-based Southern Express had a big road weekend and are now on the heels of a couple teams in the standings.
Featuring a handful of Medicine Hat-area players, the midget girls team beat Red Deer 4-3 Friday, Sherwood Park 4-1 Saturday and Leduc 5-0 Sunday.
Hayley Whelen’s 13-save shutout Sunday were among the highlights for the Hat contingent. Kennedy King had one of the goals in that game, while sisters Madison King (two assists) and Brookelyn (one assist) chipped in during Friday’s win.
The team’s next two games are in Medicine Hat, with one this Sunday at the Family Leisure Centre against Rocky Mountain. At 9-8-3 the Express are tied with Red Deer for fourth in their division.
Bantam AAA
The SEAC bantam AAA Tigers lost 5-3 to the Calgary Bisons Sunday at the Hockey Hounds Recreation Centre, undone by not one, not two but three shorthanded goals.
The Tigers scored two power play goals of their own, but giving up the trio of goals while they had the man advantage was the difference in a game they never led.
Carson Christianson, Grady Martin and Deegan Kinniburgh scored and Silas Currie made 32 saves for the Tigers.
South East hosts Lloydminster Friday and the Calgary Royals Saturday in their final home games of the regular season. They’ve clinched a playoff spot with a 9-16-3 record putting them third in their five-team division.
Bantam AA
The bantam AA Hounds got one point on the weekend, tying the Lightning 1-1 Sunday in Airdrie after a 6-3 loss in Ponoka Saturday.
Quade VanderSpruit’s first-period goal held up in the tie as Kaige Schafer was credited with 38 saves on the online scoresheet. His shutout bid ended midway through the third period.
Zach Herman, Jesse Klimosko and Jacob Hazzard had third-period goals after Medicine Hat trailed 6-0 through 40 minutes against the Central Alberta Selects. Tyler Wakelam made 36 saves.
Peewee AA
Medicine Hat Orange won its lone game of the weekend, 3-2 Friday over Lethbridge Hurricanes Red.
Theron Bensler’s power play goal held up as the winner while Josiah Jackson and Tate Bowal had the other goals for the home team. Pryce Velichko made 41 saves in a game which saw Orange outshoot Red 46-43.’
As for Medicine Hat’s other peewee AA team, Black tied Foothills 3-3 Saturday before falling 6-4 at home to Taber Sunday.
Ryan Miller, Owen Bruins and Cole Fisher scored in the tie, which saw Foothills’ Marshall Williams make 43 saves in net, his team outshot 46-23.
Bruins, Colby Motz, Colson Werely and Ty Wasyluk each scored in Sunday’s loss, with Kolter Gans making 47 saves in a losing cause as the Golden Suns outshot the Hounds 53-31.
Peewee girls
The Wildcats peewee girls team beat Red Deer 2-0 Sunday with Riley Gramlich doing all the scoring.
