TOUGH WEEKEND FOR GPAC TEAMS
Grande Peace Athletic Club teams have had a pretty good run of it for the first 3 1/2 months of the 2019-20 season with several teams near the top of the standings in their leagues.
On the weekend, however, only two of them got points as GPAC teams went 1-6-1.
And one GPAC team, the Dreger Racing Team Storm, went off the grid taking part in a tournament in Lethbridge and came home with silver.
The Ernie's Sports Experts Storm managed two points after a 4-1 win over the visiting Lloydminster Bobcats on Saturday in the Alberta Midget Hockey League Showcase in Red Deer.
Nolin Flint, Devin Aubin, Tye Evans and Ethan Boucher got the goals and McCoy Bidewell made 25 saves in net helping ESE to their 11th win of the season.
There was no more ground gained on Sunday in Red Deer following a close 2-1 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Dayne Tews got the Storm goal and Terris Lappenbush made 24 saves for GP.
ESE continues to hold down second place in the Dodge Division of the AMHL with 23 points, five back of division-leading St. Albert Raiders.
The team is back home for a pair this coming weekend with games Saturday in the Coca-Cola Centre (vs. Calgary Buffalos at 2:30 p.m.) and Sunday in the same rink (vs. the Red Deer Chiefs at 2:30 p.m.).
The only other GPAC team go gain any points on the weekend was the Golden Arrow Storm following a 3-3 tie with the Bobcats in Lloydminster on Sunday in Alberta Bantam Hockey League action.
Connor Bak, Steel Burke and Jaxon Young got the goals and Vaugh Kaliel made 42 saves.
On Saturday in the border city the Bobcats were 4-2 winners. Carter Hensch and Cade Reber scored in that game and Nathan Crawley made 25 saves.
Golden Arrow sits in second place in the Charger North with a 8-6-4 record, just two back on division-leading Lloydminster.
They play the PAC Saints in games at the Crosslink County Sportsplex in Clairmont on the weekend - Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m.
In Lethbridge, Dreger Racing Team Storm won two of three round-robin games - 4-1 over CAC Red Arrow and 5-4 over Strathcona Warriors - and lost 5-1 to the Calgary Blazers.
In the semifinal they defeated the Calgary Rangers 4-3 and then fell 6-2 to the Warriors in the championship final.
The Peaceland Directional Drilling Storm had a close one on Sunday in Northern Alberta Midget AA Hockey League action at home falling 3-2 to the Peace River Royals.
Aiden Brown and Denon Bamber scored the goals and Owen Taylor made 31 saves for GP, who head to Edmonton to play SSAC Don Wheaton on Saturday and SSAC Canadian Brewhouse on Sunday.
Peaceland is in third place in the Milltech Group Division with a 9-4-1 record, just two back of division-leading NEBC Trackers.
The Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League Boston Pizza Storm hit the road for three on the weekend losing 9-2 to the Sherwood Park Squires on Friday; 4-1 to the Cochrane Avalanche on Saturday; and 7-1 to the Calgary Rangers on Sunday.
Levi Pratt and Brody West got the GP goals on Saturday and Connor Stojan made 38 saves; Carter Kreller got the goal and Tye Georgeson made 56 stops on Saturday; and Rhys Doyle got the goal and Georgeson made 27 stops on Sunday.
BP has a 2-12-5 record in 11th place in the North Division, 16 points back of the division-leading Squires.
Grande Prairie hosts the Edmonton Leafs in games Saturday (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday (12 noon) in the Coke Can.
The Access Dental Storm of the Edmonton & Rural Midget 15AA Hockey League were idle on the weekend, but continue their season-long road schedule with games Saturday in Sherwood Park against the Senators and Sunday against the Royals in St. Albert.
Higson Dental Group Storm lost a close 3-2 game to the Peace River Sabres at home on Saturday in Northern Alberta Bantam AA Hockey League action.
Jett Fogle had both GP goals in that game and Shannon Sexton and Logan Sawatzky shared the netminding making a combined 52 saves.
The other local NABAAHL club, Dredger Racing Team, following their trip to Lethbridge on the weekend head to Peace River to take on the Sabres on Saturday while Higson hosts Peace River on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in Clairmont.
Higson sits in second in the Black Division with a 6-7-2 record while Dreger is with at 2-11-0.
