Great run to open the season
Mario Prusina
Times Editor
The Wheatland Warriors have a foul taste in their mouths after losing their first game of the season.
The local double-A bantam team, which entered the weekend with an undefeated record, beat the Foothills Bisons 3-2 on the road Oct. 22, before falling 3-1 the following day to the Lethbridge Raiders at the Strathmore Family Centre.
Despite the loss, the Warriors still boast an impressive 7-1-1 record and remain the top team in the North Division.
“It’s been going good – the boys have bought (into the system) off of the start,” said Warriors head coach Paden Grant. “There has been some ups and downs, but for the most part I’m really happy with the season so far.”
The team opened the season with a win and a tie, before ringing off six straight wins.
According to Grant, the team has a very deep roster, which helps spread the ice time for everyone.
“Our forwards are pretty deep and we’ve been using that to our advantage, rolling four lines,” said the coach. “Dump and chase seems to work well for us so far this year – (players) going hard on the puck.
“Our defence, when they’re moving the puck well, that’s their strong suit. They move the puck well and make that first pass. For the most part, they are getting better at that.
“Like I said, we’re (very) deep this year – we have a very balanced lineup.”
The Warriors recorded their seventh win of the season versus the Foothills Bisons to start the weekend. Shane Fraser scored all three goals for the Warriors, while Jayse Wilson recorded two assists in the win. Goaltender Matt McDonald posted the win by recording 33 saves.
Unfortunately things did not go as smoothly the next day, as Lethbridge build a 2-0 lead early in the third period. Shane Fraser scored his fourth goal of the weekend midway through the final frame when he converted a feed from Brendan Lizotte and Cole Busslinger. However, the Raiders scored with 4:54 left to hand the Warriors their first loss.
According to Grant, there are things the Warriors need to work on to remain successful.
“We need to work a little more on our own zone,” he said. “We’ve got a few problems getting trapped in our own end and we need to make sure that the defencemen are (getting the puck to the wingers) and out and winning the battles in our own end.
“Those are the things we need to work on the most.”
The Warriors will have a chance to work on those things this coming weekend, when they host a pair of Red Deer teams at the Strathmore Family Centre.
The team will host the Red Deer Ramada on Oct. 28 (7:30 p.m.), before hosting the Red Deer Steel Kings on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
Chiefs back on winning track
After suffering a pair of losses, the Wheatland Chiefs got back into the win column with a 7-3 win over the Cranbrook Ice Oct. 21 at the Strathmore Family Centre.
Despite going down 3-0 in the first period, the Chiefs fired off seven unanswered goals to post the win.
Aaron Durant led the way with two goals, while Curtis Zeiler recorded a goal and three assists for the double-A midget team. James Price, Brooker Pretty Youngman and Connor McCallum each added a goal and an assist, while Dalton Dubetz also tallied for the Chiefs.
The team will now host the Medicine Hat Venom on Oct. 28 (7:30 p.m.) at the Hussar Arena, before traveling to Brooks the following day at 2:30 p.m.
Break from league play
The Wheatland Braves have another bye weekend from league play and are preparing to host the Okotoks Oilers Nov. 4 in Hussar.
The double-A peewee team is coming off an 8-4 win over the Innisfail Flyers on Oct. 16.