Busy weekend for Suns

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

The Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) is well underway and all Taber Golden Suns teams have seen their regular seasons begin.

U11

The U11 squad finally saw the AEHL regular season begin with a two-game weekend. Saturday saw the team at home to start the season as they took on Red Deer Chiefs White. This one was all Taber as they skated to a 15-3 victory on home ice. Heston Honess led the way with four goals and four assists, Parker Avison and Blake Bryan each scored twice and added three assists, and Rhett Schooten had a hat trick and a pair of helpers. Wyatt Foote had two goals and two assists, Maddex Howg had a goal and an assist, Eisa Muminovic had two assists, Walker Perlich hit the back of the net, and Grayson Walker and Carter Van Braak all had an assist in the win. Tove Morgan collected the win in net with a 28-save performance.

Sunday saw the team head out on the road to Strathmore as they looked for another win. The Wheatland Warriors would take a 6-4 lead into the third but Taber would score four goals en route to an 8-7 win. Schooten had a hat trick and two assists while Bryan had a hat trick and a single assist. Howg and Honess had the other Taber goals while Bentley Dyck had two assists and Foote had a single. Remington Jardine started and made 13 saves on 18 shots while Morgan came in and posted 17 saves on 19 shots.

This coming weekend sees a single game on the calendar as the Suns welcome in the Medicine Hat Hounds at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

U13

Two games on the road came and went for the U13 Suns as they looked to add some wins to their total. Friday night was a game against the Lethbridge Hurricanes that saw Lethbridge score five goals across the final two periods as they took the game 7-2. Burke Williams and Ben Wojszel had the Taber goals while Dane Beckie and Jackson Wiest found the scoresheet with an assist each. Lance Leusink made 23 saves on 30 shots in the Taber net.

Saturday’s action saw the team take on the Foothills Bisons. This time, the teams were deadlocked late in the third but neither team was able to score a game-winner as it ended tied 3-3. Wiest, Beckie, and Williams scored while Justin Siemens, Levi Hanf, Cole Di-Loreto, and Ben Souter had an assist each.

Upcoming this weekend for the U13 Suns is a two-game homestead. Saturday sees the Suns take on the Wheatland Warriors at 5:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon sees the Suns battle the Medicine Hat Hounds at 3:30 p.m.

U15

A single game was on tap for the U15 Suns as they were on the road to take on the Hounds. Taber would jump out to an early lead and never relent as they skated to a 5-0 victory. Ryder Nielsen collected three assists, Travis Jackson had two goals and an assist, Hudson Stenger scored twice, and Cole Swanson scored. Drew Tame collected the shutout in the Taber net with 32 saves.

It’s a busy end to October for the Suns as they have three home games this coming weekend. On Friday night, the Suns welcome in the Lacombe Ford Central Alberta Selects for an 8:15 p.m. puck drop. The Suns return to the ice on Saturday for a matchup against the Bow Valley Timberwolves at 3 p.m. The weekend wraps up with a 1 p.m. game against the East Kootenay Avalanche on Sunday.

U18

Another two games were on the U18 Suns’ schedule this weekend as they were on the road for both. On Saturday, it was a matchup against the Foothills Bisons. While both teams scored plenty of goals, it was Taber who walked away from the rink with a 7-5 win. Foster Weatherhead led the way with a goal and four assists while Heston Hansen scored twice and added an assist. Nixen Miller hit the back of the net twice, Chase Stronge had a goal and an assist, Liam Okell notched two assists, and Hunter Simpson scored. Lincoln Weiss and Ryler Kiss also added an assist each. Jack Lukacs was the winning netminder with a 26-save performance.

Sunday saw the Suns back in Calgary as they took on CNHA Gold. The Suns fell back 3-0 and were able to cut the lead to one, but it wasn’t enough as CNHA Gold would added another to double Taber up 4-2. Okell and Weatherhead scored the Taber goals as Kiss, Miller, and Stronge all notched an assist in the loss. Lukacs was back in between the pipes and made 38 saves on 42 shots.

Saturday is the lone game for Taber this weekend as they play CNHA Black at home with puck drop at 8 p.m.