Local Raiders shine

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

For five Strathmore players on the Rockyview Raiders minor midget team, playing against other elite 15-year-olds have proved pivotal for furthering their development as individual athletes and for a possible successful junior career.
Kelton Travis, who only two seasons ago was playing bantam Tier 1 in Strathmore before going to Westerns with the Rocky Mountain Raiders last season, is now playing minor midget where he hopes to bring a winning chemistry to the locker room.
“It definitely helps you develop as a player for the next year when you get to play older kids,” said Travis. “It gets you developed in those smaller corners and details of the game and to develop those skills will help you further levels of hockey.”
Forward Isaac Benoit thinks his style of play has gone a long way in seeing results in the league.
“This level is really fast,” said Benoit. “I’ve always been one of the fastest players. I try to improve my other skills and my speed most of all. You have to be aware of getting hit and teams in this league are pretty rough, you have to be aware of that and come back strong whenever we get knocked down.”
Benoit added that he would not be where he is now without the guidance from coaches in the Strathmore Minor Hockey Association.
“Strathmore has always had good hockey,” he said. “The double- A teams were really strong when I grew up. (The) coaches helped me improve to make this team.”
He mentioned that minor midget is a good league and gets them prepared for the next level of midget and down the road in to junior hockey. Ideally he would like to make the CFR Bisons or get a crack at the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Ty Tarvyd, who was the goalie for the Wheatland Warriors last season, has noticed there has been a big difference in pace coming at him in the crease compared to what he was used to at bantam level.
“The play is a little quicker and shots are little harder,” said Tarvyd. “Other than that it’s a step up, reading the puck and reading the play is a bit tougher. Guys are a little bit smarter at this level.”
He thinks his strength between the pipes is talking and letting his teammates know what is happening on the ice, and he is known to have quick reaction time going from side to side.
“I’m not a very big guy, but I use my speed to my advantage,” he said.
Forward Joel Krahenbil has noticed the guys in this league are a bit stronger and faster, which he thinks is a reason to be smarter with the puck because guys are bearing down quicker.
“It’s a great development league not just on the ice but there’s lots of time to work hard off the ice,” said Krahenbil.
“The guys are faster, they’re stronger and make more plays, so you got to be heads up all the time and be ready to make a play.”
Having gone to Westerns with the bantam triple-A Raiders out of Okotoks a year ago, he hopes to bring in leadership and experience from that type of atmosphere he experienced in knowing how to win, and encouraging the guys to work harder.
Captain Tyler Strath has enjoyed digging into the league with the pace of play that has helped him work on the little areas of his game to be successful.
“The skill level is more even,” said the Lethbridge Hurricanes prospect. “There is a chance for players to make it and it’s just a very even league and you don’t know what’s happening next.”
Raiders head coach and Strathmore product Paden Grant thinks the local players have fit in well and credits the fact that they have played together for so long to be effective.
“They all know each other,” said Grant. “It wasn’t really a period of one from this town, one from the other, they all get along and to be honest I have to ask them where they’re from.
“This group, they know how to win; they’ve done it before. I think just about everybody on this team has won either at the double-A or triple-A level. It’s just making sure we go to work everyday. It’s not going to come easy for us.”
The Raiders hosted the Prospects Cup last weekend and lost in a shootout in the quarterfinals to the Edge School of Calgary.