Strathmore players lead Rocky Mountain Raiders to 18-8-2 record

Times Reporter   

 

A quartet of Strathmore players has helped guide the Rocky Mountain Raiders to first place in the Ram South Division of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League.

The Okotoks-based triple-A bantam team features four Strathmore players – Scott Desserre, Kaden Hanas, Isaac Benoit, and Tyler Strath – and started the month of January with a 5-2-0 record.

“We’ve had a good month,” said assistant coach Paden Grant, who guided Strathmore’s Wheatland Warriors double-A bantam team last season. “We had a little bit of a stumble before Christmas, so I think the break was good for everybody to recharge their batteries. We’ve been in a situation all season where we’ve been close to the top but we’ve still had to fight for the standings.”

That fight was uphill on Jan. 25 against the Grand Prairie Storm. The Raiders were up 2-0 going into the second, thanks to Ty Budai and Dylan Prpich, but the team allowed two power play goals in the second period, and then another to lose 3-2.

“All the games are important,” Grant said. “Going into this weekend, Saturday was a rough one. Grande Prairie kind of surprised us a little bit. It wasn’t our best game, but those things happen. We went into Sunday, which was a big game because Red Deer is right on our heels in the standings for first place, and came out with a big win. We played really well.”

The next day, Rocky Mountain defeated Red Deer White 2-1, even with Red Deer opening the scoring. Kade Nagy tied it up late in the first, and Dakota Krebs scored the winner in the second. The Raiders had 32 shots on net; goaltending has been very successful this season in their own end, as they have the lowest goals against in the division with 77.

The top four in each division qualify for the playoffs; the winner of the Ram Division will play the winner of the Calgary division before advancing to later rounds. The club sits at 18-8-2, thanks largely to the four Strathmore boys and a number of other former Wheatland Warriors.

“They’ve had good seasons,” Grant said of returning bantam players Desserre and Hanas. “Kaden was injured but just came back a few weeks ago. Scott’s a solid defenseman, you can count on him in your own end all the time, while making some improvements along the way. Tyler and Isaac, they’ve stepped in as first years – and it’s a tough league to play in. They’re great kids – they listen and work hard every day. It’s been good showing from all four of them, and it’s good to see.”