Golden Suns see seasons come to a close

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Taber Times

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

It was the final weekend of Taber Golden Suns action as the U11s, U13s, and U18s all saw playoff action to wrap up the Elite Alberta Hockey League season.

U11

After defeating the Okotoks Oilers, the U11 Golden Suns were in tough against the undefeated Lethbridge Hurricanes in the second round. The best-of-three series kicked off on Friday night in Lethbridge. Taber jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from forward Paxton Foote while Nash Dyck drew the assist. The period would end in favour of Taber as Lethbridge was held off the board. The second saw Lethbridge claw back with two of their own to take a 2-1 lead into the final frame.

In the third, Lethbridge solidified their lead with two quick goals before putting the game away late as they skated to a 5-1 win. Rem Jardine got the start in net for Taber and made 39 saves on 44 shots. Taber would fire 23 shots on the Lethbridge net and go 0-1 on the powerplay and 3-4 on the penalty kill.

With their season on the line, Taber hosted Lethbridge on Saturday. Unfortunately for Taber, the Canes were able to score early and often as they cruised to an 8-0 win. Jardine made 10 saves on 15 shots while Tove Morgan had 23 saves on 26 shots. Taber mustered 16 shots on net and went 0-6 on the powerplay while allowing three powerplay goals on seven chances.

The final four teams heading to the South Division Final are Red Deer, Olds, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat.

U13

The U13s were in Medicine Hat this weekend competing in the Regional Round-Robin for the South Division. Thursday saw the Suns match up against the Okotoks Oilers. Travis Jackson and Declan Okell scored in the first to give Taber a 2-0 lead after one. Callaghan Tjeerdema had the lone assist in the period. Okell doubled down in the second to extend Taber’s lead to 3-0 as Taber looked to close out the Oilers in the third. Jackson and Boston Constant had the assists on Okell’s second goal of the game. Jackson and Tjeerdema scored early in the second while Okell completed the hat trick as the Suns started off with a 5-1 victory. Okell and Tkeerdema also collected another assist each in the third. Drew Tame was the starter for Taber in net and the goalie posted a 28-save win.

Thursday evening saw the Suns back on the ice as they took on the Wheatland Braves. The first saw plenty of goals as Taber took a 3-1 lead. While neither team scored in the second, Taber would add another three goals to take the game 6-1. Constant had a hat trick and an assist, Jackson and Tjeerdema scored once and added two assists, Shawn Mrowil hit the back of the net, and Okell, Eli Robb, and Blaze Wenzel all had an assist. Tame was back in between the pipes and made 21 saves on 22 shots.

Looking to stay undefeated in the round-robin, Taber took to the ice on Friday against the East Kootenay Avalanche. Tjeerdema scored on the powerplay at 10:01 to give Taber a 1-0 lead in the first. Constant and Jackson notched the assists. 

The Aves would tie the game 17 seconds into the second period but Taber would answer back with four straight. East Kootenay would score two early goals but Taber would hit the back of the net late to take the game 6-3. Jackson would score twice and add an assist, Robb had a goal and an assist, Deacon Webb scored his first of the tournament, Wenzel had two more assists, and Okell notched an assist. Nash Stober got his first start and made 21 saves on 24 shots.

The round-robin finished up on Saturday when the Suns took on the Foothills Bisons. Foothills would score twice in the first and then kicked off the second with two more as the Suns saw a 4-0 deficit. Jackson would get Taber on the board late in the second as they looked to come back down 4-1.

Okell would score early in the third on the powerplay as Jackson had the assist. The Bisons would score twice in a row to get back up 6-2. Constant and Tjeerdema would score but the Suns fell 6-4. Jackson and Constant had the assists on the final Suns’ goals. Tame made 25 saves on 31 shots while Stober made five saves on five shots in relief.

With a 3-1 record in the round-robin, the Suns were headed to the South Division Semi-final on Sunday. Facing off against the Medicine Hat Hounds, Taber would draw first blood as Mrowil gave Taber a 1-0 lead heading into the middle frame. Cooper Lutz and Webb notched their first assists of the tournament. Medicine Hat would score the lone goal of the second as the teams were tied at one heading into the third.

Medicine Hat would score twice early before Mrowil got the Suns back on track as Okell had the assist. Seconds later, the Hounds scored again to regain a two-goal lead. Okell would score at 17:36 but that would be all Taber could muster as they fell 4-3. Lutz and Wenzel had the assists on the last Taber goal. Tame was the starting netminder, making 28 saves on 32 shots.

In the other South Division matches, Lethbridge beat up Foothills 11-4. In the South Final, the Hounds prevailed with a 7-5 victory and now take on Red Deer in the South Conference Championship.

U18

After a disappointing regular season, the U18 Suns looked to pull off a big upset in their Regional Round-Robin tournament. Thursday saw the Suns kick off the tournament with a game against the Okotoks Oilers. Unfortunately for Taber, they were outshot 54-25 and outscored 6-0. Dagrin Bahr-Hemsing made 48 saves on 54 shots in the Suns’ net.

Thursday evening offered the Suns another chance to get in the win column as they squared up against the Foothills Bisons. In the first period, the two teams scored twice each, as Tage Jensen and Hunter Simpson found the back of the net for the Suns. Nathan Rijkens, Grayson Beigel, and Heston Hansen all had an assist in the period. Neither team scored in the second, but Hansen would give Taber their first lead early in the third as Foster Weatherhead and Kylan Odland had the assists. From there, the Bisons would battle back with three unanswered as they took it 5-3. Dakota Hurst got the start for Taber, making 40 saves on 44 shots.

Friday saw the Suns take on the East Kootenay Avalanche. Weatherhead would score at 1:17 with Blake Smith drawing the assist. The Aves would tie the game a few minutes later as the period ended 1-1. East Kootenay would score the lone goal in the second and follow it up with a pair in the third as they won 4-1. Bahr-Hemsing was back in net and made 48 saves on 52 shots.

The U18s played their final game on Saturday when they took on the Medicine Hat Hounds. The Hounds would jump out to a 2-0 lead and never look back as they skated to a 4-1 win. Hansen had the Taber goal while Simpson had the assist. Hurst made 36 saves on 40 shots in the Taber net.

Foothills would emerge as the South Division Final winner as they beat East Kootenay 5-4. They play Olds in the South Conference Championship.