The U16 AA Lloydminster Blazers have blazed a trail all the way to the provincial championship tournament.
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The Blazers swept the Strathcona Warriors 2-0 in their Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) Rural Conference championship series last weekend to advance to the five-team provincials, which run April 2-5 at the Ken Nichol Regional Recreation Centre in Beaumont.
Lloydminster joins the Southside Bulldogs, the Calgary Northstars, the Red Deer Chiefs and the host team, Beaumont.
During a dominant regular season, the Blazers posted a 27-3-2 record to win the AEHL’s Rural Division, finishing 18 points ahead of second-place Strathcona (16-10-6).
Lloyd was among 27 teams in four divisions at the U16 AA level provincially this season. Just one other club, the Metro Division-champion St. Albert Royals, equalled the Blazers’ record in the regular season.
In regional round-robin playoffs in mid-March, host Lloydminster won all four of its games. Strathcona also went 4-0 in that playoff round, which involved seven teams and 14 games.
In the best-of-three Rural Conference championship series, the Blazers doubled the Warriors 4-2 on Saturday in Strathcona, after posting a 7-4 victory last Thursday in Lloydminster.
LLOYD 4, STRATHCONA 2
In the series-clinching win, Jake Ruttan scored the final three goals, two of them on the power play, as Lloyd came back from a 2-1 second-period deficit. Jax Dougan also scored for the Blazers and Jax Munro assisted on two goals.
Jeremy Daub and Hunter Witholt tallied for Strathcona.
Warriors goaltender Micah Regehr faced 44 shots, while the Blazers’ Cooper Neurauter blocked 23 of the 25 shots that came his way.
LLOYD 7, STRATHCONA 4
In the series-opener at Servus Sports Centre, the Blazers outshot the Warriors 50-36 in the high-scoring game.
Ruttan, with a goal and two assists, led Lloydminster’s offence. Munro, Joey Clark, Carson Bergerud and Ty Tennant each contributed a goal and an assist.
The other Lloyd goals came from Zack Bell and Keaton Smith, with an empty-netter. Blazers defenceman Ryder Plamondon recorded two assists.
Jack Godin made 32 saves for Lloyd, which trailed 3-2 midway but scored five of the final six goals.
Lincoln Roma netted a pair of goals for Strathcona. Kohan Huisman Stewart, with three points, and Jeremy Daub also scored for the Warriors. Regehr, with 43 saves, faced the barrage in Strathcona’s net.
Specialty teams were impactful, as Lloydminster scored twice on power plays and once while shorthanded, and Strathcona connected on a pair of power plays.
MULTI-SPORT ATHLETES
Consistently winning games, the Blazers have made their mark all season with an athletic and eclectic group of multi-sport players.
The hockey team’s captain, Joe Kelly, is the starting quarterback with the Lloydminster Comprehensive High School Barons senior varsity football club.
Blazers’ teammates Smith and Reid Bannerman were leaders last summer with the St. Albert Cardinals 15U AAA baseball team.
Plamondon, Bergerud, Ryssan Thiessen and Bennett Amos play competitive lacrosse with the U17 Lloydminster Border Brutes.
Dougan, Neurauter and Tylan Ducherer stepped up to the plate with the 15U AA Lloydminster Prairie Pirates baseball team.
The list goes on.
PROVINCIAL SCHEDULE
In the U16 AA provincial hockey championship at Beaumont, Lloydminster opens against Southside at 10 a.m. Thursday
(April 2).
The Blazers play twice on Friday, against Red Deer at 9:30 a.m. and Beaumont at 5 p.m. In the final preliminary game, Lloyd meets Calgary at 4 p.m. Saturday.
On Sunday (April 5), the bronze-medal game is scheduled for 11 a.m., and the final is slated for 2 p.m.
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