The Raptors were back in action last weekend. Some big wins ensured the various teams remained at or near the top of their respective divisions.
This weekend was a tough one for the Bertram Drilling/Sports Room Midget Raptors, with their first two losses of the season. At the moment, the team is sitting in fourth of the Midget Tier 3 Division with 10 points.
The losses were dealt by two Tier 1 teams.
Landon Brown, right, leads the charge during the Midget Raptors game against Olds on Sunday. The Raptors started off strong with a 3-1 lead until late in the second when Olds turned up the heat. The Midget Raptors are currently in fourth place with 10 points and only several points from first.
On Saturday, they travelled to High River and lost to Foothills 10-3. The Raptors got out of the gate early with two goals by Reagan Burrows 25 seconds in and a second five minutes later. However, Foothills came back to dominate the remainder of the game.
The following day, the Midget Raptors were at home, where they lost 6-3 to the Tier 1 team out of Olds. The Raptors held on to a 3-1 lead until late in the second, then Olds took off with the rest of the game.
The Boston Pizza/Western Chev Bantam Raptors also had some crossover games with other tiers. On Saturday, they faced a Tier 2 team out of Rocky Mountain House, but were defeated 7-1.
The next day, the Bantams were in Cochrane, where they lost 5-3. The two were tied 1-1 after the first, but Cochrane managed to rack up four goals by 11:46 into the second. Dillan Witt and Ewan MacFadden gave the Raptors two more goals, but the Raptors couldn’t catch up.
The losses are their first of the season. The Bantam Raptors were moved up to the Bantam Tier 2 Division after spending the first part of the season playing in Tier 3.
The NGC PeeWee Raptors, which have been playing in Tier 3, are continuing to dominate their division. Over the weekend, they edged out Brooks 4-3 and Medicine Hat 5-4 to keep top spot in their division. In Medicine Hat, Noah Salvatore ensured a Raptors win by scoring a hat-trick.
The NGC Tier 6 PeeWee Raptors had a good weekend when they crushed Okotoks 9-1. The game was tied 1-1 after the first period, but the Raptors turned up the heat in the second and third. Ryan Fleming earned a hat-trick during the game and two assists.
The Yavis Tier 4 Atom Raptors earned their first win of the season with a 5-4 effort over Strathmore. The Raptors got off to a 2-0 lead early in the game, but Strathmore came back to tie things up by the end of the period.
Strathmore racked up two more goals early in the second and held a 4-2 lead into the third.
The Raptors bounced back and scored two quick goals early in the third to tie the game again. They then got a lucky break when Strathmore was called for a body checking penalty. Kyle Gridley then scored on the powerplay to give the Raptors the win.
The Encana Tier 6 Atom Raptors suffered a tough loss over the weekend against Kneehill, but remain tied for first place in their division.
The Canalta Tier 3 Novice Raptors racked up their second win on Sunday. They dominated Strathmore 9-3. Colin Black faced a flurry of 28 shots on net by Strathmore, but held firm in the Raptors net. Grayden Ewing racked up three goals and assists in the game, while Emanuel Clark contributed four of the Raptors goals.
The McDonalds Tier 6 Novice Raptors remain firmly on top of their division with a 10-2 win over Carstairs on Saturday. Kerric Chambers earned five points in the game, with two goals and three assists, while Connor Prieston-Johnston led in goals with five.
