Local Raiders ready for Westerns

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Rocky Mountain Raiders bantam triple-A team is ready to end the season on the right note as they prepare for the Western Canadian Bantam Championship in Winnipeg from April 2-5.
For five Strathmore area players, this has been a memorable time being on the most successful Raider squad in franchise history.
“The season went unreal this year, it’s a great group of guys that work hard on and off the ice,” said right winger Joel Krahenbil. “(We) really got together as a team at the end there and had a great playoff push and ended up winning it,”
Krahenbil felt that the team peaked at the right time and were able to come together as a team and battle through off nights as the playoffs wore on.
“We started off strong and took a few games off in the playoffs but when it really mattered we clamped down and won when we had to,” said Krahenbil.
He added that the team probably played their most complete game in the league championship final’s fifth and deciding game.
“I’d say our Game 5 there was one of our strongest all-around games,” said Krahenbil. “I like to be a two-way forward, like to help out my own end and contribute offensively every now and then and just play a complete game.”
His favourite part about playing for the Raiders program so far has been winning the league.
Defenseman Cole Clayton has been known to jump up in the rush and contribute offensively but likes to stay responsible in his own end.
“I think it’s a part of our game is two-way hockey. We come back hard and go down just as hard,” Clayton.
He felt that the team play has been dominant so far this playoff season and really praised his teammates for notching it up a gear when it mattered.
“We played really good hockey the first three rounds and in the finals in the first four games we did what we needed to do to win but it was what we did in Game 5,” said Clayton. “We went out there and everyone was playing good, got ice time and it was just an all around team effort.”
Clayton added that his role has been mainly to defend well in front of his net, chip in offensively and help on the power play.
First-year defenseman Kelton Travis has relished every opportunity with the Raiders, considering he was playing bantam Tier 1 hockey a season ago.
“It definitely was a massive jump, the tempo changed a lot. I was able to make the jump and get with it and ended up being a big impact on this team as long as everyone else was,” said Travis.
“I came in not knowing if I was going to make the team and everything, once I went out I knew I could play as hard as I could.”
For Travis winning the league it was an indescribable feeling.
“It felt amazing being with the team and win the league, it was just such a big celebration,” said Travis.
Throughout the postseason, Travis felt he’s stacked up well against other team’s top lines and has done well against them.
Left winger Lucas Muenchrath has been really impressed with how the team has been able to gel during the playoffs.
“We all got along really well,” said Muenchrath. “Our coaches are phenomenal, they’ve helped us improve a lot and every player on our team is improving game-by-game, they all get a fair amount of ice time.”
Tyler Strath admits he had slow start, but was able come into his own through the season and into the playoffs.
“After the New Year I played to my full potential and started scoring goals, getting more assists,” said Strath. “It’s intense but exciting at same time because you go into a game not knowing what’s going to happen but just play your hardest every shift.”
Strath added that what he is looking forward to the most is putting his skills to the test against the top players in western Canada at the championships.
Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountain bantam female Raiders were not so lucky as they fell to the Edmonton Lightning in third and deciding game in the league final 2-1 March 29 on home ice.
“Obviously to lose two out of the three games in overtime means you’re in it right to the end, unfortunately we got ourselves into penalty trouble and ended up losing a close one,” said head coach Jordan Fenton.
“Positives are the team played well 5-on-5. Edmonton couldn’t match our speed and our ability to play and late in the game they went on the powerplay and tied it up and another one in overtime and scored on it.
Fenton felt that the three Strathmore players played well and made an impact while they were on the ice.
“I think Karissa Hammond and Emma Borbandy, we called on them to play some pretty tough minutes against their top line and both battled very well. Karissa is a girl that there is no quit in her and she battled extremely hard all the time and plays well positional and Emma’s the same and works extremely hard,” said Fenton.
“Erin Fargey gave us an opportunity in all three games to win. When she was needed she kept us in it.”
Fenton would like to wish all three girls the best of luck in their future hockey endeavors.