The U18 AAA Lloydminster Lancers continued to make modest gains in the Alberta Elite Hockey League last weekend, winning at home and losing a road game.
Read more: Lancers’ Nickle values ‘magical’ moment with Bobcats
The Lancers dropped a 5-2 decision to the Edmonton Junior Oilers Orange on the road Sunday, after posting a 7-4 victory over the Sherwood Park Kings on Saturday at the Hub in Lloydminster.
Including a 2-2 record in December, Lloyd has registered a 3-2-1 slate in its past six games. Overall, the Lancers are 5-12-3.
This weekend, they conclude their pre-Christmas schedule with two games in Edmonton, against the Junior Oilers Orange (9-6-3) again Saturday (Dec. 20) and the Junior Oilers Blue (14-5-1) on Sunday (Dec. 21). Both games are set for Bill Hunter Arena.
On this past Sunday afternoon, 16-year-old forward Evan Dowling figured in all five goals for Oilers Orange, scoring one after assisting on the four others.
Cole Trimble netted a goal and three assists, while Braydon Franks’ three-point game included two goals.
Connor Nickle, with the game-opening goal, and Tripp Fischer replied for Lloydminster.
The Lancers gave up two second-period goals to fall behind 3-1, but Fischer tallied early in the third to cut the gap to 3-2.
Oilers Orange fired 35 shots at Lloyd goaltender Asher Ammann, making his first start in three weeks. Sickness had sidelined the 17-year-old Edmonton native for most of the past five weeks.
Lloyd registered 27 shots against Lukas Steinhubl, the six-foot-four Oilers Orange goalie.
The Lancers welcomed back their captain and one of their top scorers, Rhett Romanchuk, a 17-year-old defenceman coming off a two-game stint with the junior A Lloydminster Bobcats.
Romanchuk, who wasn’t available for the U18 AAA game in Lloyd on Saturday, dressed for the Bobcats for their two AJHL losses against the host Grande Prairie Storm on Friday and Saturday. Friday’s game, an overtime defeat, was his junior A debut.
In both of their weekend games, the Lancers were missing two other key players in forwards Ty Domshy and Brody Sunderland.
As part of the U18 AAA roster shuffle, Lloydminster called up defenceman Cobin Garnett, 15, and forward Shaun Going, 16, from the U17 AAA Lancers. The newcomers played in both games.
Going, now with three U18 AAA games under his belt, recorded his first point at that level Sunday, with an assist on the Nickle goal.
In his U18 AAA debut Saturday, Garnett picked up an assist in the Lloyd victory, as he and Fischer set up Gavin Pratt’s winning goal midway through the first period.
Pratt and Kelton Doolaege each scored two goals in Saturday’s game, which saw the Lancers go up 6-1 in the first period.
Sherwood Park (10-10-2) regrouped in the second and cut the Lloyd lead to 6-4. It was a two-goal game until the final five minutes, when Doolaege’s fifth of the year gave the Lancers a greater cushion.
Fischer collected a goal and two assists, while Lancers scoring leader Kael Scott had one of each. Alec Robinson also scored for Lloydminster, and Aiden Harman added two assists.
Stran Edge made 33 saves to net his fifth win this season.
The Lancers chased Kings starter Hayden Rinas after he gave up three goals in the first five minutes. Cole Chorostkowski allowed four goals on 29 shots the rest of the way.
Sherwood Park forward Michael Warawa scored two second-period goals as part of his three-point game. Kings defenceman Damien Wiebe supplied a goal and two assists, while 16-year-old forward Zak Stabbler — the team’s scoring leader — had one of each.
The Kings went on to post a 2-1 victory over the St. Albert Raiders (12-7-3) on Sunday. The Raiders blanked Oilers Orange 5-0 on Saturday.
Read more: Lloydminster Lancers make steady strides
