Road Not Kind To GPAC Teams
The road was not kind to Grande Peace Athletic Club teams on the weekend.
Twelve times they suited up in unfriendly confines and 10 times they skated off disappointed, once they were really happy and once they had to settle for a tie.
Ernie’s Sports Experts Midget AAA Storm snatched the lone victory downing the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers 5-2 on Sunday.
Nolan Flint had two goals while Hudson Foley, Ty Toews and Austyn Hansen each netted one. Goaltender McCoy Bidewell made 31 saves.
On Saturday ESP fell 4-3 to the Lloydminster Bobcats with Dayne Tews, Kaden Reinders and Wyatt Day getting the goals and Terris Lappenbush stopping 22 pucks.
Ernie’s sits in second place in the Dodge Division of the Alberta Midget Hockey League with 31 points after 25 games including 15 wins and a tie. They are 12 back of division-leading St. Albert Raiders.
Saturday at noon in the Coca-Cola Centre Ernie’s hosts the Okotoks Oilers and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Crosslink County Sportsplex in Clairmont they are home to the Calgary Flames.
The Peaceland Directional Drilling Storm returned home empty handed after losing 9-2 to the St. Albert Steel on Saturday and falling 5-2 to the Whitecourt Wolverines on Sunday.
Spencer Lloyd and Jayden Gordey got the goals in the first game and Tyler Burwash made 39 saves while on Sunday Gordey and Mason Kyllo scored and Owen Taylor made 33 stops.
PDD sits in third place in the Milltech Group Division of the Northern Alberta Midget AA Hockey League with 23 points on 11 wins and a tie and are seven back of division-leading NEBC Trackers.
They host the Fort McMurray Barons on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Clairmont and entertain the Trackers on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in the Coke Can.
The Boston Pizza Storm of the Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League tried it twice two on the road on the weekend with no luck.
They were nipped 3-2 by the Edmonton SSAC Bulldogs on Saturday and then dropped a 6-1 decision to the Edmonton MLAC Leafs on Sunday.
Rhys Dolye and Sam Antonio scored in the first game while Connor Stojan made 34 saves. On Sunday Tyson Buchan got the lone goal and Tye Georgeson kicked out 19 pucks.
BP is in 11th place in the North Division of the AMMHL with three wins and five ties for 11 points, 24 back of division-leading Sherwood Park Squires.
They are off until the 18th and 19th when they host Edmonton CAC.
The season-long road trip for the Access Dental Storm in the Rural & Edmonton Midget 15AA Hockey League continued on the weekend. They lost 7-0 to the Sherwood Park Senators on Saturday and 5-0 to the Stratchcona Warriors on Sunday. Ethan Barron and Declan Parsons combined to make 44 stops on Saturday and Barron went the distance on Sunday facing 63 shots.
Access, in 12th place in the league with two points, get this weekend off and then hit the road for a pair against the PAC Saints the following weekend.
The road tie was recorded by the Golden Arrow Bantam AAA Storm on Saturday at MLAC Edmonton when the two teams battled to a 2-2 draw.
Zach Shantz had both goals for GP while Nathan Vaughn Kaliel made 34 saves.
On Sunday, Carter Hensch had both goals for the Storm and Nathan Crawley made 29 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Spruce Grove Saints.
The Storm are in a solid second place in the Charger North Division of the Alberta Bantam Major Hockey League with 28 points on 11 wins and six ties - just two back of division-leading Lloydminster Bobcats.
They have the weekend off as Shantz, Hensch and Wes Golden represent the team at the AMBHL All Star game in the Bill Hunter Arena in Edmonton on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
They are back in action on January 25.
Higson Dental Storm used a point in a 1-1 tie at home against the Sherwood Park Leafs on Sunday to take over top spot in the Black Division of the Edmonton Rural Bantam AA Hockey League.
Dale Horseman got the goal and Logan Sawatzky made 33 saves in that game.
Higson sits atop the division with 21 points on nine wins and three ties - one up on the Whitecourt Wolverines.
They hit the road for games at the Sturgeon Sting and Fort Saskatchewan Rangers this weekend.
The other GPAC team in the ERBAAHL, the Dreger Racing Team Storm, had a busy weekend with games Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
They fell at home 5-3 to the Sherwood Park Sabres on Friday. Zayn Knezevich and Caden Krebs, an affiliate player, got the goals and Keagin Kelln made 25 saves.
Saturday they were blanked 4-0 by the Rangers in Fort Saskatchewan with Kelln and Karson Bradford combining to make 30 saves.
On Sunday it was 10-1 for the Sturgeon Sting in another road game. Krebs got the goal and Kelln made a whooping 61 saves.
On Saturday Dreger hots the Wolverines at 2 p.m. in Clairmont.
