AFHL January wrap-up

RED DEER - With the first month of 2018 in the books, the Rocky Mountain Raiders (Midget AAA), St. Albert Sharks (Midget Elite), and Calgary Fire White (Bantam Elite) lead their respective leagues.

Midget AAA

Heading into February, the Midget AAA Female standings are:

1) Rocky Mountain Raiders (53 pts)
2) St. Albert Ron Hodgson Slash (46 pts)
3) Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs (42 pts)
4) Lloydminster PWM Steelers (40 pts)
5) Calgary Fire (20 pts)
6) Edmonton Pandas (6 pts)

It’s a four-way tie atop the Midget AAA leaderboard between Rocky Mountain Raiders forwards Chloe Puddifant, Breanne Trotter, and Nicole Fry, along with Red Deer’s Cassidy Maplethorpe, all with 24 points through four months of play. Trotter and Fry lead the way with 16 goals and 15 assists, respectively.

St. Albert goaltender Brianna Sank is still tops the league with a 1.32 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage, and is tied for the league lead in shutouts (two) with teammate Camryn Drever, Lloydminster’s Molly Mitchell and Red Deer’s Chantelle Sandquist. Rocky Mountain Raiders goalie Stephanie Gross leads all Midget AAA goalies with 10 wins.

Midget AAA Leaderboard >

Midget Elite

After four months of play, the Midget Elite standings are:

North Division:
1) St. Albert Sharks (47 pts)
2) Sherwood Park Fury (39 pts)
3) Edmonton Pandas (24 pts)
4) Peace Country PCFAC Storm (22 pts)
5) Lloydminster Elite Steelers (21 pts)
6) North Central Impact (9 pts)

South Division:
1) Calgary Fire Red (40 pts)
2) Calgary Fire White (39 pts)
3) Airdrie Lightning (39 pts)
4) Lethbridge Cyclones (23 pts)
5) Rocky Mountain Raiders (17 pts)
6) Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs (16 pts)

Calgary Fire Red forward Sydney Benko leads the league in goals (19) and points (24), while Peace Country’s Karsyn May leads the way with 12 assists.

St. Albert’s Holly Borrett leads all Midget Elite goaltenders with a 1.02 goals against average, while Edmonton’s Josie-Leah Cardinal remains atop the leaderboard with a .960 save percentage. Airdrie’s Cianna Weir continues to lead the way with 12 wins, while Cardinal and Calgary Fire White netminder Cassidy Brown are tied with four shutouts each.

Midget Elite Leaderboard >

Bantam Elite

In the Bantam Elite division, it has been exciting first few weeks of league play. The Bantam Elite standings heading into November are:

North Division:
1) St. Albert Raiders (44 pts)
2) Sherwood Park Royals (38 pts)
3) Edmonton Pandas (37 pts)
4) North Central Impact (33 pts)
5) Peace Country Bonnett’s Storm (31 pts)
6) Lloydminster Junior Steelers (25 pts)

South Division:
1) Calgary Fire White (60 pts)
2) Calgary Fire Red (38 pts)
3) Rocky Mountain Raiders (31 pts)
4) Olds Grizzlys (29 pts)
5) Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs (21 pts)
6) Lethbridge Cyclones (15 pts)

Sherwood Park’s Jenna Goodwin ended January on a strong note, sitting atop the league in goals (20) and points (29), with North Central’s Jacquelyn Fleming leading the way in assists, with 12.

Alexandra Kieren continues her standout season with Calgary White, leading the way with a 0.81 GAA, a .950 save percentage, while St. Albert’s Layla Hood is tied for the league lead in wins (12) with Sherwood Park’s Asia Kachuk. Hood and Kieren both lead the league in shutouts, with 5 apiece.

Bantam Elite Leaderboard >

AFHL action will be on hold for the first weekend of February, as the AFHL Prospects Games take place on February 3 in Edmonton.

Midget Elite Prospects Rosters > | Bantam Elite Prospects Rosters >

Two forwards and one defence from each AFHL team were selected to their respective rosters by AFHL coaches, while goaltenders were selected based on their statistical ranking as of January 10. The coaches chosen to represent the North and South teams in each league are from the first and second place teams within each division.

Both AFHL Prospects games are set for February 3 at the NAIT Arena in Edmonton. The Bantam Elite Prospects Game goes at 2:30 p.m., with the Midget Elite Prospects Game to follow at 5:00 p.m.

Prior to each Prospects games, participating players will take part in on-ice goalie and skills sessions, as well as a team-building activity. CCM will also be on site to allow players the chance to try out various pieces of equipment throughout the day.

FORT MCMURRAY - Zone 2 swept the gold medals in the hockey competition, as the 2018 Alberta Winter Games wrapped up in Fort McMurray on Monday.

In the Female Division, Zone 2 eked out a 3-2 victory over Zone 6 in the gold medal game. Meanwhile, in the Male Division, Zone 2 blanked Zone 3, 2-0, to capture the gold.

In the bronze medal games, it was also a sweep, as Zone 7 captured third place honours in both divisions. On the Female side, Zone 7 defeated Zone 3, 3-1. In the Male Division, Zone 7 defeated Zone 6, 7-2.

Action started on Saturday, with round-robin pool play for the eight male teams and six female teams.

In the Male Division, Zone 7 finished first and Zone 3 second in Pool A, while Zone 6 and Zone 2 were tied atop Pool B, with Zone 6 being awarded top spot. In the semi-finals, both first-place finishers were upset, as Zone 2 defeated Zone 7, 8-1, and Zone 3 defeated Zone 6, 5-2.

In the Female Division, Zone 2 finished first and Zone 3 second in Pool A, while all three teams in Pool B tied with 2 points. Zone 7 was awarded first, and Zone 6 second. In the semi-finals, Zones 2 and 6 emerged victorious with identical 3-1 wins, to advance to the gold medal game.

For all the scores and complete standings:

MALE DIVISION >

FEMALE DIVISION >

EDMONTON - The 2018 Alberta Female Hockey League Prospects Games were a huge success, with the Midget Elite North and Bantam Elite South teams coming out on top in their respective games.

Both games took place at the NAIT Arena in Edmonton, complete with on-ice goalie and skills sessions, team-building activities, and a fitting booth with one of the day’s sponsors, CCM, giving players the chance to try out various pieces of equipment throughout the day.

In the Midget Elite All-Star game, the North team edged the South 3-2, with goals from Reagan Korber, Madison Porter and Brooklyn Schroeder. Madison Black and Brooke Palin scored for the South.

Midget Elite Prospects Rosters >

It was a tight match-up in the Bantam Elite Prospects Game as well, with the South coming out on top 4-3. Claire Hobbs, Megan Yakiwchuk, Hailey Wiltshire, and Sarah Gaiser scored for the South team, while North got goals from Ardyn Hawryshko (2) and Jenna Goodwin.

Bantam Elite Prospects Rosters >

Two forwards and one defence from each AFHL team were selected to their respective rosters by AFHL coaches, while goaltenders were selected based on their statistical ranking as of January 10. The coaches chosen to represent the North and South teams in each league are from the first and second place teams within each division.

Photos >

The Alberta Female Hockey League would like to thank all the parents, players and coaches for making the AFHL Prospects games such a success. The AFHL would also like to thank all of the event sponsors: Gatorade Canada, CCM, Two Point Photography and Skate to Excel.