Strathmore invades Raiders

Times Editor

 

The Keystone Raiders may call Chestermere home, but there is quite the Strathmore presence on the roster.

Seven of the 19 players on the triple-A minor midget team are from the Strathmore area, including head coach Doug Thurston, a former bench boss with the UFA Bisons.

Making the trip to Chestermere on regular basis are defencemen Jack Vergouwen and Blair Roszell, goaltender Reid Muenchrath and forwards Cody Willis, Brandon Russell, Tyler Sharuga and Brayden Biccum.

They provide the Raiders with a lot of intangibles that make a good hockey team, said Thurston.

“In the games that we’ve played well, it has been a solid team effort,” described Thurston. “We’ve been able to use the whole bench and we’ve limited our mistakes.”

While the roster is compiled of 15-year-old players, it has been a work in progress for the Raiders. 

They currently sit fifth in their division with a 2-6-4 record in the Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League.

This past weekend, the team hosted their annual prospects tournament, which brought 15 other teams together for the four-day event.

While the tournament was a great measuring stick for the players, there is some work to do, said the coach.

According to Thurston, he will lean on the Strathmore kids to get the team on the right track.

He describes the following traits of his Strathmore players:

Jack Vergouwen

“Jack has a tendency to be a stay at home defenceman. He’s a fairly decent skater, sees the ice pretty well and he has a positive attitude.”

Cody Willis

“Cody is a high-energy guy, he flies around the ice and he makes things happen.”

Brandon Russell

“Brandon has great skills and can shoot (the puck well).”

Tyler Sharuga

“He’s our captain and he has been a very consistent player for us all year. He has a great work ethic and a great attitude. He’s a very good captain.”

Blair Roszell

“Blair is huge, size-wise. We don’t have a real big team, so he’s a guy we lean on to use his size to his advantage. He’s physical, he’s dedicated – he has been a good, solid player.”

Brayden Biccum

“Brayden wears a letter for us as well (as assistant captain). He has been very solid – probably the most consistent player on our team. He’s a skill guy.”

Reid Muenchrath

“Reid has had a very good season. He hasn’t had the support from his teammates every night. Out of all the games he’s played, he might have had one soft game. For the most part he has been very good. I would like the team to match that (consistency). He makes the first save and that is the key.”