Another weekend of games for Suns

Times Photo by MEG NOGUCHI. VICTORY: The U18 Suns played against the East Kootenay Avalanche on Saturday in Vauxhall winning 5-2.

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

The second weekend of 2026 has come and gone, and Taber Golden Suns teams were back on the ice for the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL).

U11

The U11 Suns were in action for the U11AA Alberta Showcase. Game one on Jan. 9 saw the Suns cruise to a 16-0 win over the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers. Blake Bryan was unstoppable with five goals and five assists, Rhett Schooten had five goals and three assists, Walker Perlich had three assists, and Heston Honess had a goal and two assists. Parker Avison hit the back of the net twice, Liam Beckie and Eisa Muminovic each had a goal and an assist, Carter Wiest and Madden Nakamura had two assists, Wyatt Foote scored, and Maddex Howg and Grayson Walker each had one assist. Tove Moran collected the win in net with a 12-save shutout.

Next action came later in the day when the Suns matched up against the Lakeland Panthers. Nine goals over the final two periods meant the Suns were able to secure a 9-5 win. Schooten scored four more goals and added two assists, while Avison had a hat trick, Bryan had a goal and two assists, Foote scored, and Walker Perlich, Honess, Howg, Grayson, Wiest, and Muminovic all had one assist. Remington Jardine was in net and turned away 37 of 42 shots on net.

Saturday saw the Suns return with their first game against the Sylvan Lake Lakers. Taber filled the net once again as they took the game 10-6. Bryan had a hat trick and an assist, Avison scored twice and added two assists, Schooten had two goals and an assist, and Madden Nakamura had a goal and two assists. Honess and Howg had two assists each, Wiest and Foote each scored and had an assist, and Timber Davey and Bentley Dyck contributed with an assist each. Morgan made 27 saves on 32 shots while Jardine made two saves on three shots.

The round robin finished with a matchup against SSAC ZerOne. A big five-goal period propelled the Suns to a 7-3 win. Bryan added four more goals and two assists, Honess scored and had three assists, Schooten had two goals and two assists, and Howg and Muminovic chipped in with an assist each.

In the quarter-final, Taber lined up against the first-place team from Pool E — the Sherwood Park Barons. Taber would take a lead in the first, but Sherwood Park would answer back early in the second. Despite the quick goal, Taber would battle and add two more to take the game 3-1. Howg, Bryan, and Avison had the goals, while Beckie, Davey, and Schooten all collected an assist. Morgan took the win in net with 14 saves.

The semi-final saw Taber take on the St. Albert Raiders Lightning after they beat Leduc in the quarters. Taber would continue to see their offence dominate as they won 11-4. Bryan scored five goals and had two assists, Honess scored four and had an assist, Schooten had four assists, and Wiest had a pair of goals. Perlich, Howg, Avison, and Nakamura all had an assist. Jardine was back in between the pipes and made 25 saves on 29 shots.

A birth in the final saw Taber match up against Three Rivers. Despite a spirited battle, Taber was unable to find their explosive offence as they fell 7-3, and they took the silver. Avison had two goals, Bryan had a pair of assists, Honess had the other goal, while Howg and Schooten had an assist each. Morgan made 28 saves on 35 shots in net.

The Suns now have a few weeks off from AEHL games as they return on Jan. 31 to play the Wheatland Warriors on the road at 10:45 a.m. The following day, the Suns are headed to Lethbridge to take on Hurricanes Red at 11 a.m.

U13

It was a one-game weekend for the U13 Suns as they looked to continue their hot start to the second half. On Saturday, they were in Vauxhall to take on the Medicine Hat Hounds. Despite firing 26 shots on goal, Taber was unable to solve the Hounds’ netminder as they fell 5-0. Lance Leusink made 16 saves on 20 shots while Dylan Volk turned away 12 of 13.

The U13s look to rebound this coming weekend as they prepare for two games. On Jan. 17, they are on the road to take on the Central Alberta Selects at 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, they are back on the road to take on Red Deer at 12:45 p.m.

U15

Two games were on tap for the U15 Suns as they took to the ice in Vauxhall for both. Friday’s action saw the Airdrie Lightning come to town. The game was tied near the midway point of the third period, but Airdrie was able to score the game-winner a few minutes later as Taber fell 4-3. Ryder Nielsen had a goal and an assist, Blaze Wenzel and Travis Jackson had the other goals, and Everett Kiist, Hudson Stenger, Rudy Wojszel, and Cohen Kleisinger all had an assist. Talen Sarathlal was in net for Taber and made 31 saves on 35 shots.

Taber returned to the ice on Sunday when they took on the Wheatland Warriors. This game was also tied near the midway point of the final frame, but this time neither team could break the tie, as it ended 3-3. Stenger had a goal and an assist, Nash Skanderup had two assists, Cole Swanson and Jackson scored, and Wojszel had an assist. Drew Tame was in net for Taber and made 42 saves on 45 shots.

Only one game comes this weekend for the U15 squad as they head to Lethbridge on Sunday to face the Hurricanes. Puck drop is set for 12:45 p.m.

U18

The U18s had a single matchup against the East Kootenay Avalanche on Saturday in Vauxhall. Thanks to a Chase Stronge hat trick, Taber was able to skate to a 5-2 win. Foster Weatherhead had a goal and an assist, Nixen Miller and Breton Villemaire had two assists each, Madix Miller hit the back of the net, and Hunter Simpson and Ryler Kiss each notched an assist. Jack Lukacs made 24 saves on 26 shots in the Taber net.

Friday sees the lone U18 game as the Suns hit the road to face the Wheatland Warriors at 7:30 p.m.