Chiefs punish second place Hounds
Tyler Lowey
Times Reporter
The Wheatland Chiefs left no doubt about who is the top dog in the South Central Alberta Hockey League.
The local double-A midget team defeated the second place Medicine Hat Hounds 4-2 Feb. 5 at the Strathmore Family Centre.
The Chiefs are now 2-1 against the Hounds (20-5-4) this season.
Michael Murphy opened the scoring for the Hounds 2:11 after puck drop, but Zachary Suntjens answered seven minutes later on the man advantage from Lucas Muenchrath and Wacy Sandum.
Riley Romashenko supplied his 18th on the power play in the second from Chayse Hnatowich and Scott Desserre. Again in the second, returning the favour, Hnatowich buried his 22nd from Romashenko.
Up 3-2 late in the third, Robert Butterwick added the insurance marker from Muenchrath, as Ty Tarvyd made 27 stops between the pipes.
The Chiefs (25-2-2) return to action Feb. 11 when they host the NWCAA Stamps (7-1-2) at the Strathmore Family Centre. Puck drop is slated for noon. Playing in the big city, the Chiefs take on the CBHA Blackhawks (7-2-4) Feb. 12 at the Max Bell Centre #2.
Braves improve with win
The Wheatland Braves cranked the Airdrie Lightning White 5-1 Feb. 5 at the Strathmore Family Centre.
After a scoreless first frame, Cole Whelan found the back of the net at the 13:50 mark in the second from Nolan Mahussier and Cyle Clayton.
Mahussier and Nolan Bell added snipes to start the third, before the Lightning struck in the middle of the frame. Clayton registered a power play marker with just under eight minutes to go and Garrin Gosling bagged the empty-netter with three seconds on the clock, as the local double-A peewee team improved to 7-17-2.
Rhett Harten didn’t have to work too hard to pick up his sixth win, only making 11 saves in the process.
The Braves look to turn their strong play into a winning streak when they host the Taber Golden Suns (11-10-4) Feb. 10 (7:30 p.m.) at Hussar Arena. Hitting the road the next day, the Braves take on the Red Deer Parkland Transmission (15-8-3) at the Dawe Centre.
Warriors settle for a tie
The Wheatland Warriors and the 8-15-3 Medicine Hat Hounds skated to a 5-5 tie Feb. 4 at the Moose Recreation Centre.
Kage Yellowfly netted a pair of goals and one assist, Adam Kirkpatrick picked up three helpers, while singles came from Zach Stangness and Mitch Tessemaker.
Not only did Logan Grant make 23 saves in net, he also got credited for his first goal of the season in the second period. A delayed penalty was called against the Warriors, so the Hounds pulled Gavin Angstadt for the extra attacker. A pass in their own zone went awry and into the open net. Grant was the last Warrior to handle the puck, so he earned the empty-net marker.
The local double-A bantam team will now (9-15-3) host the Lethbridge Hurricanes (14-8-4) Feb. 10 at the Strathmore Family Centre with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. Two days later, they travel to the Tom Hornecker Recreation Centre to battle the division-leading Okotoks Oilers (16-5-6).