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Liam Horrobin

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Crusaders Halfway Awards

written by Liam Horrobin

At the Christmas break, the Sherwood Park Crusaders find themselves in unfamiliar terriority at the top of the Viterra North Division. They’ve already matched their season total from last year (54) with 25 games still left on the schedule.

That means it’s time for the BTI crew to hand out their Halfway Awards for the players that have stood out so far in this memorable season!  Let’s hand out some hardware!

MVP:

Liam: Matt Berlin

Since rejoining the team back in September, Matt Berlin has elevated this team’s play with arguably some of the best goaltending displays in the AJHL. The team plays with so much confidence knowing he’s between the pipes, and it’s extremely rare that he lets them down. Berlin brings a lot off the ice too with his great leadership and has been able to mentor the team’s rookie goaltender Carter Gylander. Without him in goal every night, the Crusaders wouldn’t be in the spot they are right now.

Tyler: The Goalies

I was going to say Matt Berlin, but then I decided that would be unfair to his partner in crime, Carter Gylander.

While Berlin has been one of the best and most consistent goaltenders in the entire AJHL this season, Gylander is right with him in almost every statistical category. In 12 starts, Gylander has a 9-2-1 record. While Berlin has handled the bulk of the workload, Gylander has played in some tough games and delivered win after win. They both are a huge reason why the Cru are where they are at this point in the season.

Ian: Carter Savoie:

Savoie leads the team in scoring this year and has been a play-maker for the Cru all year long. He’s a danger to score every time he’s on the ice for them.

Rookie of the Year:

Liam: Carter Savoie

I am not sure the AJHL has seen a 16-year-old come into the league and dominate as much as Carter Savoie has. He started the season out playing with Arjun Atwal on the top line, but then Atwal was hurt. It was going to be interesting how well he played without Atwal considering how dominant they had both been. However, Savoie excelled scoring 30 points in 21 games while also making his teammates around him look great. He leads the team in points with 49 points and is second in the AJHL behind only William Lemay from the Brooks Bandits. At the rate Savoie is going, we will see him be a first-round pick at the 2020 NHL Draft.

Tyler: Carter Savoie

Are we going to be super lame and all vote for Carter Savoie? PROBABLY! But how can you not! He’s top five in AJHL scoring, and HE’S ONLY 16-YEARS-OLD! What he’s doing this year is ridiculous. This is going to go down as one of the best seasons by a 16-year-old in AJHL history. He’s that good. Michael Benning has been great as well and deserves a lot of credit. What he’s doing as a defenseman is incredible for a player of any age, never mind a 16-year-old. Benning is a straight up stud. Gylander has been spectacular as well. But I’m hearing Savoie could be in the conversation for league MVP, that says a lot.

Ian: Carter Savoie….again:

Once again the importance of Savoie to this team shines through in him being my Rookie of the Year. Not only does he lead the team in scoring he currently sits in third place in the league.

Defenceman of the Year:

Liam: Michael Benning

Much like his fellow Denver Unversity commit Carter Savoie, Michael Benning has taken this league by storm. You can see the confidence growing in his game every night at both ends of the ice. Often, when you have an offensive defenceman, they can be a defensive liability. That is not the case with Benning. In 35 games, Benning is almost a point-per-game player with 32 points (3 goals, 29 assists) and is tied for third amongst the defenceman across the league in points. At the season end awards, he may be not only a candidate for Rookie of the Year but also Defenceman of the Year in the AJHL.

Tyler: Michael Benning

I suspect there’s going to be a lot of consistency when it comes to how our voting goes, but my vote here goes to Michael Benning. He’s almost a point-per-game as a defenseman. That’s impressive no matter how old you are. To be doing it in your rookie season is spectacular. His defensive game continues to get better, and I suspect he’ll be even more impactful in the second half of the season.

Ian: Michael Benning:

Benning is a true play-maker on top of being a solid shut down defenseman. He’s the Cru’s fourth-leading scorer on the team, and his passing is something to be amazed by. At just 16 years of age, he was also a candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Most Improved:

Liam: Michael Bentz

Michael Bentz was the team’s Most Improved Player award last season, and at the midway point, he could easily win it, again. He came into the season a much better player, and a little dental work a couple of months ago has really benefitted him. Since he’s had to wear a bubble cage, Bentz has been forced to focus more on his offensive game and be a more well-rounded defenceman. He’s getting time on the powerplay now which is something we would only see in blowouts last season. The second-year Crusader has taken massive strides in the first half of the season, and fans should be excited for what’s to come in the second half with him.

Tyler: Will Zapernick

The high-end talent on this team gets a lot of the attention, but the secondary scoring has been fantastic this year. A big reason why? Will Zapernick. Last season he played in 54 games and posted a stat line of 13-21-34. This year? 19-16-35 and he’s only played 34 games. That’s quite an improvement, and that doesn’t even shine a light on his improvement in the defensive zone.

Ian: Garrett Clegg/William Zapernick:

It’s hard not to throw Clegg in here as he’s already surpassed all last year’s point total by 11 in just 30 games. But I’m throwing Zapernick in here too he’s tied his points total from last year just 34 games in and shows a real veteran presence in just his second season with the Cru.

Acquisition of the Year:

Liam: Brett Wieschorster

Brett Wieschorster was brought in to bring a different level of play to the Crusaders organization, and he has done just that. He plays a heavy physical game and loves to get into the oppositions grill. However, he all brings an offensive element to the game and has already surpassed his career-high from last season with 18 points (9 goals, 9 assists) in 32 games. We’ve seen the Vermont commit play up and down the lineup and have success with it. There aren’t many players on any roster that can do that.

Tyler: Nick Bowman

The move to bring in Nick Bowman has worked out incredibly. He’s notched 11 points in 7 games and brings so much more than offence. He plays a physical brand of hockey, and his WHL experience gives this forward group a needed veteran presence — a very astute move by GM Kyle Chase.

Ian: Jack Hamly:

It’s still early with Hamly playing just under ten games with the Cru, but he’s averaged a point per game since recently joining the team and is proving to be a solid contributor.

Unsung Hero:

Liam: Brayden Hyland

With the injuries Brayden Hyland has had to go through in his junior hockey career it’s remarkable that he’s still playing. It also shows the type of player/person he is at the determination he has. Hyland is now in his final season of junior hockey but is technically still a rookie under the AJHL rule book after only playing a handful of games the past few seasons and all missing the entire 2017/18 year. The Edmonton native has worked his way into an everyday role on this team after being a healthy scratch to start out the season. In 26 games, Hyland has 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists) with very little (if any) top six minutes. He brings that depth scoring to the Crusaders which could be a big factor for them once March rolls around.

Tyler: Cody Laskosky

There are plenty of candidates, but I’ll say Cody Laskosky. Every time I watch him play, I notice him make a couple plays away from the puck that impresses me. He’ll bust his ass back and break up a scoring chance on a regular basis as well. I really like what he brings to this team.

Ian: Carter Gylander:

Both goaltenders have been outstanding for the Cru this year but add to that the back up in Gylander picking up a 9-2 record in 12 games and a 2.29 GAA which has allowed his team never to miss a beat when giving their starter a night off.

 

The season picks back up again on Friday when the Cru head to Lloydminster to take on the last place Bobcats from the Centennial Civic Centre Arena. With 25 games left to play it will be exciting to see how this year’s team will wrap things up!

December 26, 2018 0 comment
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AJHLCrusaders

Cru Wrap: Game 33 Crusaders vs Wolverines

written by Liam Horrobin

Sherwood Park Crusaders 4 Whitecourt Wolverines 1

The Sherwood Park Crusaders were on home ice tonight against an opponent they played just last Sunday in the Whitecourt Wolverines.

Carter Gylander got the start between the pipes, and in front of him both Tyler Jette and Arjun Atwal made their return to the lineup.

Here’s how this one played out:

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December 15, 2018 0 comment
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Cru Wrap: Game 31 vs Lloydminster Bobcats

written by Liam Horrobin

Sherwood Park Crusaders 3 Lloydminster Bobcats 2

The Sherwood Park Crusaders were back on home ice for the first time since falling 6-1 to the Brooks Bandits. Since that loss, the Crusaders have rebounded well winning three games in a row while averaging six goals a game. 

Tonight, Carter Gylander got the start in goal with Matt Berlin getting the night off after playing the last three. Tyler Jette, Arjun Atwal, Jayden Platz, and Jacob Franczak were all up in the press box tonight which left the Crusaders shorthanded on the back end. With the two defenceman out, 2003-born defenceman Matt Smith stepped in to fill the void on the backend. 

Here’s how this one went: 

First Period

The top line for the Crusaders (Savoie-Bowman-Clegg) got the fuel following for the offence early with a couple of chance on their first shift. The best of them came while Carter Savoie whipped the puck across the crease to Garrett Clegg, but Clegg could not quite get his stick on it to give the Cru an early lead. The chance kept following for the Cru with Nick Bowman also getting a great chance on the powerplay but was denied by Curtis Meger in the Bobcats goal.  

Brayden Hyland came the closest to giving the Crusaders a lead. He came in hard and with pace down the left flank and beat Meger but could not beat the back post. 

Defensively, the Crusaders were not kept very busy in their own end until the end of the period when the Bobcats managed to fire off five shots. The affiliate defenceman, Matt Smith made a number of excellent plays in the opening frame with the highlight being his breakup of a 2-on-1 opportunity for the Bobcats. It is surprising to think that he is only 15-years old with how well he played. 

Sherwood Park would break the deadlock with six minutes to go in the period. A bouncing puck eventually hit Brett Wieschorster’s body which then resulted in a goal to give the Crusaders a 1-0 lead. 

Second Period

Despite starting out the period on the penalty kill, the Bobcats really gave it to the Crusaders in the opening four minutes. The home team were forced to ice the puck a couple of times and struggled to get the offence moving. 

However, that did not last very long before the first line got the offence flowing again. The big opportunity on that shift came to Bowman who would have made it 2-0 Cru if it was not for a Bobcats stick. 

It became a much more of a heavier game in the second with somewhat of a playoff atmosphere on the ice. Every check was finished and finished with power. Luckily for the Crusaders, they do not shy away from games like this with the big bodies like Wieschorster, Hamly, and Bowman now all in the lineup. 

The second goal of the frame came right before the halfway mark. Good work by Jack Hamly behind the net; passed the puck out front to Will Zapernick who made no mistake make it 2-0 Crusaders with his 17th of the season. 

Carter Gylander was kept busy in the second. He was forced into action on ten occasions and would answer the call each time. The now Colgate commit looked extremely comfortable between the pipes in the opening two periods. 

Third Period

The Crusaders fell asleep for 45 seconds early on in the period which then saw their lead slip away. Lloydminster’s first goal came after the Crusaders defencemen were made a little to casual. Ty Mosimann through the puck out in front of the net from behind which then hit Brennan McDonnell’s skate and got by Gylander. Quickly after, Tucker Scantlebury made it through a couple of Sherwood Park defenceman and got a shot off which managed to through Gylander’s five-hole to tie the game up at 2-2. None of the blame should be put on Gylander for either of the goals. 

The Crusaders did respond well, and after HC Adam Manah called his timeout, they came out and created a number of opportunities. 

Less than two minutes later, Carter Savoie and Garrett Clegg found themselves on a two-on-one breakaway which is never a good time for any goaltender. Savoie placed the puck perfectly onto his linemates stick who made no mistake in giving the Crusaders another lead. 

For the remainder of the period Gylander was not given much else to do facing only three more shots.

In the final moments, HC Nigel Dube would have liked to have pulled Meger to give his team the extra man. However, the Crusaders did not give him the opportunity to do that holding the puck in the Bobcats zone for the final two minutes. 

The Ups:

  • Jack Hamly was rewarded tonight with two points after another solid performance in Cru colours. He works hard down low and in tremendous in the faceoff circle. Once the playoffs come around he’s going to be a key piece to whatever success the Cru have.
  • Carter Gylander had a strong night despite allowing two goals in the third period. He stood tall between the pipes and made a number of key stops. 
  • The top line of Savoie-Bowman-Clegg has gained so much chemistry in such little time which is very impressive. Although Bowman was kept off the scoresheet tonight, the three of them generated a number of opportunities and were unfortunate to do have three or four points each tonight.
  • Matt Smith seemed a lot more comfortable tonight than he did on Wednesday against the Saints, and that’s not discrediting how well he played then either. He broke up a two-on-one breakaway with ease in the first period, and later on in the third was even given some powerplay time. Whatever route he chooses to go whether it be the AJHL or WHL, he’s going to have a bright future. 

The Downs: 

  • This game should’ve been over before the third period even began. Instead, they allowed the Bobcats to get themselves back into the game and make it difficult on themselves. 
  • The powerplay didn’t look great tonight. They had a few good chances, but they couldn’t gain anything from their six odd-man opportunities.
  • With 49 shots on goal, you would’ve hoped the Crusaders could’ve scored a few more. Curtis Meger played well in the Bobcats goal but should’ve been beaten on numerous occasions.

Next Up

The Crusaders have a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Whitecourt Wolverines. The puck drops at 2:15 p.m. at the Sherwood Park Arena. 

December 8, 2018 0 comment
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AJHLCrusaders

Cru Wrap: Game Seven vs Camrose Kodiaks (Sept 29th)

written by Liam Horrobin

photo via Target Photography

The Sherwood Park Crusaders were looking to make three wins in a row tonight against the Camrose Kodiaks.

Head Coach, Adam Manah made a few changes to his lineup with Matt Berlin, Tyler Jette, Zafir Rawji, and Brett Wieschorster all sitting this one out. The four of them were replaced by Brandon Vogel, Connor Hart, Brayden Hyland, and Deklan Whillans.

Here’s how this one went down:

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September 30, 2018 0 comment
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Cru Wrap: Game 6 vs Calgary Canucks

written by Liam Horrobin

photo via Target Photography

The Crusaders took on the Calgary Canucks at the Encana Arena in Camrose at the annual AJHL Showcase. When these two teams match up, the goals usually come along with it. Last season, the two teams combined for 24 goals and split the season series 1-1.

The one notable change to the lineup was Matt Berlin getting the night off with Carter Gylander stepping between the pipes for the second time this season.

Carter Gylander made his first AJHL appearance last season in Calgary and it did not go to well for him. He definitely looking for some redemption in this one. 

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September 28, 2018 0 comment
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AJHL

AJHL Weekly #7

written by Liam Horrobin

We’re a little over two weeks away from the start of the AJHL preseason! The teams are the league are starting to add their final few pieces before camp starts up next week. That means we could see a few more deals be made not so long from now.

As for now, we only had one trade to report this week which involved two South Division contenders. Along with that, a couple of starts came out from Hockey Canada involving some AJHL names, a star committed to one of the top hockey schools in the NCAA, and a potential future star joined the Canmore Eagles.

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August 12, 2018 0 comment
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Okabe heading to the State of Hockey

written by Liam Horrobin

As the saying goes, one man’s loss is another man’s gain, or in this case, it’s one school’s loss, is another school’s gain as Grande Prairie Storm star Zachary Okabe commits to St. Cloud State University.

Okabe made it official via his Twitter account earlier this evening that he’d be no longer joining the University of Vermont Catamounts, as initially planned. Instead, he’ll be taking his talents the State of Hockey and suit up for the St Cloud State Huskies of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).

The Huskies finished with a 25-9-6 record in 2018 and were crowned NCHC regular season champions. Their season would end after losing 4-1 to Air Force in the NCAA Regional Semi-Finals.

The Storm forward is coming off a superb rookie season in the AJHL. It took him no time to adjust to the junior hockey game scoring 10 points in his first six games. Okabe continued his fine form all season long and would wrap up his first campaign falling just short off a point-per-game average with 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 58 games. He’d follow up his impressive regular season with five points in nine games during the Storm’s postseason run.

Although Grande Prairie was unable to take home any silverware as a team; Okabe filled up his trophy case nicely. First came a unanimous selection to the AJHL (North) All-Rookie team, then he was named the AJHL Rookie of the Year becoming the first Storm player to receive the award since 1998 (Blaine Bablitz), and, finally, he was nominated for the CJHL Top Rookie award which he would eventually lose out to Boston College commit Alex Newhook (Victoria Grizzlies).

It’s pretty simple really, Okabe is an elite talent. He’s got the speed, a great shot, and reads the game exceptionally well – to name a few traits.

However, one intriguing thing about Okabe is how he’ll perform this upcoming season. Coming into Grande Prairie last season, the 2001-born was surrounded by top-level veteran offensive players with the likes of Justin Bernier, Eduoard Michaud, and Dallas Comeau all on the roster. Now, heading into this year’s campaign the group is very different. Okabe will be looked at to be “the guy” which could take a little to adjust too. We saw a similar situation with Ty Readman in Sherwood Park last season. The Crusaders had a lost the like of Tyler Maltby, Tanner Younghans, and Matt Dykstra who were all huge contributors to the team. Of course, Readman figured it out and had a successful season and earned himself a scholarship. We should expect the same from Okabe, but again it could take a little time for him to adjust.

Although nothing has been made official, yet, it should be expected that the Huskies will want Okabe at his earliest availability which would be the 2019-20 season. With that being said, if the newest member of the Huskies is coming to your town, I would highly suggest you get out and watch this kid play.

August 10, 2018 0 comment
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AJHL Weekly – 23rd to 29th July

written by Liam Horrobin

It was a busy week of trades in the AJHL with a total of 10 players on the move.

We also had a couple of coaches being added with Allen York and Darren Reid joining the Camrose Kodiaks and Drayton Valley Thunder coaching staff.

Here’s now everything else that went on:

Bonnyville Pontiacs

Both Ryan Brushett and Ryan Miotto are leaving the Pontiacs after just shy of two months with the organization.

Brushett – a Providence College commit – is heading a little further north to join division rivals the Grande Prairie Storm. He joined the Pontiacs as part of the completion of the Derek Brown trade to the Vernon Vipers in the BCHL. Coming the other way to Bonnyville is 98 D Sean Thomson who’ll be entering his second and final year in the AJHL. Thomson had 14 points in 42 games for the Storm after joining them from the Chilliwack Bruins back in late September. He’ll be joining a defensive group that finished 216 goals against last season – fourth worst in the North Division.

Now, moving on Miotto. Miotto – who is another NCAA Div 1 commit heading to Canisius College – is moving back to the BCHL with powerhouses the Penticton Vees. This time, the Pontiacs will be getting some offensive firepower back in return in the form of Ty Enns. He’s another veteran 98-born player who has no trouble finding the net. In 167 career junior games – in both the NAHL and MJHL – Enns has scored 76 goals and 156 points. He’ll be bringing some much need offence to this Pontiacs lineup who’s leading point getter last season was PJ Marrocco who left in November.

Canmore Eagles

Before even suiting up a game for the Eagles Raihan Kheraj is out the door and heading for Manitoba. The New Westminster native will be playing for the Winkler Flyers in 2019 who finished with 35 wins in the MJHL last season. Originally, Kheraj was brought to Canmore from the Estevan Bruins (SJHL) in the completion of the Bryce Platt trade made back on January 10th, 2018.

Coming in to fill Kheraj spot on the backend is 01′ D Aidan West from the St Albert MAAA Raiders (AMHL). West played two games as an affiliate for the Eagles in 2018 collecting zero points.

Drayton Valley Thunder

New GM/Head Coach Eric Thurston continued to build up his roster with the addition of both 01′ D Brett Bamber and 99′ F Matthew Kinash.

Bamber played 13 games for the Thunder last season before being sent back to Midget AAA in St Albert. In his lone year of Triple-A, the new Thunder defenceman had 9 points in 23 appearances. He was also named an All-Star at the Mac Cup back in December.

Their other new addition, Kinash is coming in from the OHA Edmonton Prep (CSSHL) where he was the captain in 2018. He’s a highly talented playmaking forward who led his team in scoring with 62 points. He’s also joining the team with some AJHL experience after suiting up for a game for the Wolverines last season.

Drayton Valley also announced this week that they’d hired Darren Reid as their new Assistant Coach.

Grande Prairie Storm

The Grande Prairie Storm trade Brad Girard to Waywayseecappo (MJHL) in exchange for future considerations. Girard split time last year between the Olds Grizzlys and the Battleford North Stars of the SJHL. Through 7 games with the Grizzlys, he scored two goals and earned seven assists.

In 40 games with Battleford, he scored another 14 goals and 17 assists for a point total of 40 on the year. Grande Prairie then acquired him in June but now a little a month later has been traded again before even suiting up for the Storm.

The Grande Prairie Storm trade Sean Thomson to the Bonnyville Pontiacs in exchange for Ryan Brushett. Brushett played in 58 games last year for the Surrey Eagles. In those games, he put up 49 points (21G-28A) before being acquired by Bonneyville this past June.

Brushett is on the move before even suiting up for the Pontiacs again, with this trade. He has also committed to Providence College for the 2018/19 season.

Olds Grizzlys

The Olds Grizzlys did some wheeling a dealing acquiring 99 D Mathew Kasowski, “00 F Colby Wolter and a PDF from the Spruce Grove Saints.

Kasowski has spent the last two seasons with the Spruce Grove Saints. The Saint Albert native was in and out of the Saints line-up last season where he tallied one goal and seven assists. Kasowski does play a solid defensive game and should help an Olds team that struggled to keep the puck out of their net last season.

Olds also acquired ’00 F Colby Wolter. Wolter played his rookie season for the Camrose Kodiaks where he was also in and out of the line-up. In 33 games last season Wolter tallied three goals and 10 assists. The Falum native should an increased role in Olds with most of the roster turned over he could see his offensive numbers jump.

Spruce Grove Saints

Spruce Grove added a couple of offensive weapons on Saturday with Jake Ashton and Tyler Pang coming in from the Olds Grizzlys.

Pang, an elite puck-moving defenceman, had a stellar rookie season with both the Sherwood Park Crusaders and in Olds. Before his move down south at the deadline, the Victoria native was playing close to a point-per-game rate while around top offensive talent in Sherwood Park scoring 24 points in 26 games. His production dropped off a little after the move to Olds, but still managed to snap up 8 points in 16 games. With the talent that the Saints have, Pang could easily finish at the top of the defenceman scoring rankings towards the end of the season.

Also coming over is 98 F Jake Ashton. Ashton played for the Canmore Eagles in 2018 and boosted his offensive total from the year prior by 33 points – 47 points in 57 games. The Calgary native is a much need addition to the Saints lineup with five of their top seven scorers from last season all gone.

July 30, 2018 0 comment
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