The Sherwood Park Crusaders will look to begin their season at Home with a victory Friday night at the Sherwood Park Arena when they battle the Spruce Grove Saints in the first half of a home and home this weekend.
A victory Friday night would mean something that the team failed to do 6 months ago in the 2014 Playoffs. The Crusaders and Saints went punch for punch in a 7 game 2nd round series of the Gas Drive Cup Playoffs. A series that saw only one team win a home game, unfortunately it was Spruce Grove in the 7th and deciding game. A victory would definitely not make up for last season, but it would give Sherwood Park points in their first 2 games of the season.
The Crusaders are coming off a week break after opening the 2014-15 AJHL season in Lloydminster with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Bobcats.
The Crusaders will look to build some off the success from the game against the Bobcats and carry that into Friday and Saturday’s games which saw Captain Dane Phaneuf led the way with 2 Points, while rookies Tyler Maltby and Tanner Laderoute found the back of the net. At one point in the game Sherwood Park was up 3-1 before the Bobcats were able to tie the game in regulation. Sherwood Park had only 21 shots on goal in Lloydminster and went 0 for 2 on the Power Play.
Spruce grove bring back plenty of players from last year’s Gas Drive Cup championship team including leading scorer Parker MacKay, veterans Tyler Busch and Jarid Hauptman are also included in that returning crop of players. One of the big questions will be in goal as Kenny Cameron is no longer between the pipes of the Saints. Netminder Tanner McCoriston, who gave the Crusaders fits in last year’s playoff series, is back but has only played a total of 17 games prior to this season.
All we can expect for Friday’s game is that it will be tight. Both teams seem to bring out the best in each other when they play, especially at the Sherwood Park Arena, the games are usually within one or two goals.