Strathmore boys earn Prospect Cup silver

Times Reporter 

 

Five Strathmore hockey boys aided the Rockyview Raiders to their second Prospect Cup final in over 10 years, at the Chestermere Recreation Centre from Nov. 14-17. Forwards Alec Biletsky, Chris Rebeyka, and Kody Hammond, along with defensemen Brad Hendricks and Liam Rycroft, earned silver, after falling to Sherwood Park 3-2.

Raiders’ coach Doug Thurston believed penalties were the main reason the Raiders fell; the team had 26 minutes in penalties, twice as many as Sherwood Park.

“You got 40 minutes in penalties in a game; it was all special teams. It really determined the outcome in my mind. There were maybe half a dozen really soft calls. It was pretty frustrating,” Thurston said. “That’s the way the game went, it’s a learning curve for the boys.”

As for the Strathmore players, Thurston was pleased with their on-ice performance. Hendricks and Biletsky bring a lot of size to the team, at 6’4 and 6’1.

“They all played very well to be honest with you,” he said. “(Saturday) was a must-win situation and we needed to score some goals to even have a mathematical chance. All the things fell into place for us there.”

Having lost two of their round robin games, the Raiders won two straight on Nov. 16 against two of the toughest teams in their Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League to advance to the playoffs. They then played the semifinals the following morning, later falling to Sherwood Park that evening.

The Raiders have their next major tournament at The Edge School from Dec. 27-30.