Raiders give Flames all they could handle

Times Reporter   

 

The Okotoks-based Rocky Mountain Raiders, featuring four Strathmore players, concluded their season with a loss in the regional finals of the AMBHL playoffs. 

The triple-A bantam hockey team was up-ended by the Calgary NW Flames, the top south team, three games to one.

“The Flames are a very good team, they play a very aggressive style. We had some trouble establishing our powerplay, and getting anything set up. Our penalty kill was good, we limited their chances,” Raiders assistant coach Paden Grant said. “The amount of penalties in the series was a factor, and played a role in our demise.”

“We were underdogs in the series,” said Kaden Hanas, one of four Strathmore boys on the team. “We proved ourselves in the first game but then we just let off the gas pedal in the next three.”

Hanas assisted on the game-winning goal on Feb. 26, as the Raiders had a 1-0 victory. 

“Game 1 was probably our best game of the series. We probably caught them off guard. I don’t think the Flames thought that we would take a game, and neither did anyone else,” Grant said. “After that, we still played well, but they rolled four lines and kept the pressure on us all the time. We fell a little short.”

Rocky Mountain lost 4-2 on March 1, 7-0 on March 5 (four Flames goals coming on the man advantage), and 8-5 on March 8 to lose the series.

Despite the quick exit from the playoffs, Grant expressed pride when speaking of his Strathmore players, Hanas, Isaac Benoit, Tyler Strath, and Scott Desserre.

“They all played well and contributed. Kaden and Scott played very well, and executed their roles – same with Tyler and Isaac,” said Grant. “Tyler and Isaac gained a lot of experience going into next season.”

According to Hanas, this season was very beneficial to his development.

“It definitely gave me a lot of confidence,” said Hanas. “We just did our thing I guess. We all play different roles. We did what we could – throughout the year and the playoffs.”