U11 Suns compete in AEHL playoffs

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

After a first round bye, the Taber Golden Suns were back on the ice this past weekend for Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) playoffs. Playing out in Olds in a division with Medicine Hat, Wheatland, and Lethbridge, the Suns opened up with a game against the Hounds on Friday.

Taber jumped out early and filled the net en route to an 11-1 win. Rhett Schooten had a pair of goals and five assists, Blake Bryan scored a hat trick and two assists, Maddex Howg and Heston Honess scored twice and added two assists, and Parker Avison and Eisa Muminovic notched three assists. Wyatt Foote scored and had an assist, Carter Wiest hit the back of the net, and Bentley Dyck contributed with an assist. Tove Morgan was in net for Taber and was sharp with 29 saves on 30 shots.

Saturday saw a pair of games to wrap up the round robin portion of the second round. First was a game against the Wheatland Warriors. Taber once again jumped to an early lead as they left the ice after the first period up 5-1. Despite a push from Wheatland in the third, Taber was able to skate to a 7-4 victory. Howg notched four assists, Schooten scored twice and had an assist, Bryan scored and notched two assists, Wiest hit the back of the net twice, and Avison had two more assists. Honess had a goal and an assist, Muminovic had a goal, and Dyck tallied an assist. Remington Jardine was in net and made 14 saves on 18 shots in the Taber net.

Taber rounded out the day with a game against Lethbridge as they looked to go undefeated. Lethbridge would score the first goal, but it was the Suns who were able to score plenty of goals en route to an 11-2 win. Howg continued his hot play with four goals and two assists, Schooten notched four assists, Avison and Wiest scored and added three assists, and Bryan had a hat trick. Honess had a goal and an assist, Madden Nakamura chipped in with two assists, Timber Davey scored, and Dyck and Muminovic each had an assist. Morgan was back in net and made 21 saves on 23 shots.

Moving on to the semi-final, Taber took on Brooks while Wheatland played Olds. Taber would take a 3-1 lead after the first period and continue to pour it on over the final two periods as they took the game 7-1. Honess and Howg scored, Grayson Walker and Bryan notched two assists each, and Avison scored a goal and an assist. Walker Perlich and Schooten scored, and Wiest and Foote each had an assist. Morgan got back between the pipes and was rock solid with 32 saves on 33 shots.

Heading into the Plains Division Final, Taber was taking on Olds, who beat Wheatland 4-3 in the other side of the semi-final. Taber continued to fill the net as they cruised to a 10-3 win to take the banner. Bryan led the way with a hat trick and four assists, Schooten scored and had four assists, Honess had a pair of goals and assists, and Avison put three past the Olds’ netminder. Muminovic tallied two assists, Walker scored, and Foote had an assist. Morgan was in net and collected the win with 24 saves on 27 shots.

With the division win, Taber now moves forward to the U11 ‘AA’ Hockey League 2026 Provincial Championships in Brooks starting on March 26. Taber will compete in the round robin against the Lloydminster Blazers, Brooks Jr. Bandits, and St. Albert Jr. Raiders Lightning. The tournament starts on March 26 when Taber takes on the Blazers at 4:30 p.m. Game two goes on Friday against Brooks with puck drop at 3:45 p.m. It ends with a Saturday morning game at 8:15 a.m. against St. Albert.