ACCESS PULLS OUT BIG ONE
When you’re 33 points out of first place before Christmas and have yet to win a game … the little things count!
Actually, for the Access Dental Storm of the Grande Peace Athletic Club, getting a point wasn’t a little thing - it was a pretty big deal for the first-year team that won’t get to play a home regular season game all year long.
Led by the two-goal performance of Rylee Benson and the 59-save effort of netminder Ethan Barron, the AD team played the hometown Red Deer Chiefs to a 2-2 draw on Sunday for their second point of the season.
What makes that point even more impressive is the fact the Chiefs are 30 points ahead of the Storm in the standings.
Benson, who got the game-tying tally with just 46 remaining in the third, now has eight points on three goals and five helpers to lead the team in scoring.
The Access Dental club entered the league on a bit of a trial basis for this year and could end up being accepted into the loop permanently and actually get some home regular season games in 2020-2021. Getting some points here and their definitely won’t hurt their cause for full acceptance.
Sunday’s tilt was their second of the weekend. On Saturday they fell 9-1 to the Sylvan Lake Panthers.
Evan Wagner had the GP goal and Declan Parsons was a busy boy making 63 saves. First action for the team in 2020 is Jan. 4 when they take on Edmonton CAC.
The GPAC Ernie’s Sports Experts Midget AAA Storm traveled to Edmonton for back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday against the Canadian Athletic Club (CAC) and the Knights of Columbus Pats (KC) in Alberta Midget Hockey League play.
On Saturday, the Storm would jump on the board first. Cam Wiebe would put the team up 1-0 with 13:57 left in the first period. CAC would grab the lead before the end of the period with two goals in less than three minutes to give them a 2-1 lead.
In the second, Wyatt Day and Ty Toews would score to put the team up 3-2.
In what was a tight checking third period, Toews would add an empty netter to seal the 4-2 victory for the Storm.
On Sunday the team would face the KC Pats.
The Storm’s offense exploded in the first period with four goals coming from Austyn Hansen, Devin Aubin, Ethan Boutcher and Hudson Foley making it 4-0 after one.
In the second frame, Jayden Watson would make it 5-0 Storm. That would end up being enough for the Storm as they would hold on for the 5-0 victory.
Goaltender Bidewell McCoy stopped 25 shots for the shutout.
They sit second place in the Dodge division with 29 points and a 14-8-1 record.
They will be back on the ice at the Calgary Mac’s Tournament right after Christmas and then return for AMHL action on January 4 when they travel to Lloydminster to face the Bobcats.
GPAC Golden Arrow Storm split weekend series.
The GPAC Golden Arrow Bantam AAA Storm saw a bit of everything on the weekend in Alberta Bantam Hockey League play.
On Friday, the team picked up a 6-3 win against the Canadian Athletic Club. The team saw five different players score in the game. Zackary Shantz would pick up two goals in the victory.
On Saturday, the Storm would fall 4-1 to the Red Deer Rebels. Connor Bak would score the only goal for the Storm in the loss.
Sunday, the Storm would earn a tie against the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers.
Zackary Shantz and Connor Bak added the Storm’s two goals.
Rangers goaltender Austin Dubinsky was a big reason for the tie, as he stopped 42 of 44 shots, helping steal a point from the Storm.
The GPAC Golden Arrow Storm head into the break first place in the Charger North division with 27 points and a 11-7-5 record.
They return to action on January 4 when they travel to Edmonton to face the Maple Leaf Athletic Club.
The Peaceland Directional Drilling Storm netted a 3-2 win over the visiting Wainwright Polar Kings on Sunday in Northern Albeerta Midget AA Hockey League action.
Denon Bamber, Jaydon Gordey and Aiden Brown had the goals and Owen Taylor made 37 saves in the win.
PDD sit in third place in the league with 23 points, five back of Milltech Drilling Division leaders NEBC Trackers. They head to St. Albert for a game January 4 to kick off the 2020 portion of their schedule.
The Boston Pizza Storm, in 11th place heading into the Christmas break, had the weekend off and will be hitting the ice for the first time in the new year on January 4 at SSAC in Edmonton.
GPAC bragging rights, for now, belong to the Higson Dental Group Storm following a 4-2 win over the Dreger Racing Team Storm on Sunday in Edmonton Rural Bantam Hockey League play.
Bowen Grycan, Jett Fogle, Austin Boyd and Josh Galla had the goals and Shannon Sexton made 28 stopes for Higson while Hicham Saurer and Ben Hilliar netted the goals and Karson Bradford stopped 36 pucks for Dreger.
On Friday, Dreger fell 3-1 to the Whitecourt Wolverines. Saurer had the goal in that game and Keagin Kelln made 36 stops.
On Saturday, Higson got goals from Wyatt Jones, Kyle Lefebvre, Fogle and Boyd and 34 saves from Logan Sawatzky in a 4-1 win over the Peace River Sabres.
Higson is tied with Whitecourt atop the Black Division standings with 20 points while Dreger sits fifth with five.
Dreger hosts the Sherwood Park Sabres on January 3 and first 2020 action for Higson is January 5th at home to the Sherwood Park Leafs.
- With files from Everything GP
