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| Stars captain Mackenna Parker leads the SFMAAAHL in scoring. |
If you want to see some of the best that have graced any ice
surface in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League, you might want to
stop at the Agriplace Arena this weekend.
When the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats take on the
host Saskatoon Stars at 7:45 p.m. Saturday and 2:15 p.m. Sunday, those clashes
will feature four of the top 14 all-time leading scorers in the history of the
SFMAAAHL. They include Mackenna Parker, Grace Shirley and Anna Leschyshyn of
the Stars and Taylor Lind of the Wildcats who have all scored over 100 points
in their SFMAAAHL regular season careers.
It isn’t very often an SFMAAAHL regular season or playoff
game will feature four of the circuit’s players that have scored 100-or-more
points in their careers when they are all active at the same time. All four
will likely see a lot of bright days playing hockey long after their midget AAA
careers conclude.
Parker is the 17-year-old captain of the Stars and is the
second all-time leading scorer in the SFMAAAHL in regular season play piling up
79 goals and 76 assists for 155 points in 102 games. The skilled centre is
trying to become the second player in the history of the SFMAAAHL to net 80
career regular season goals.
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| Grace Shirley is the SFMAAAHL’s 10th all-time leading scorer. |
Having helped Canada win bronze at the International Ice
Hockey Federation’s Under-18 Women’s World Championship that wrapped up Jan. 13
in Dmitrov, Russia, Parker leads the SFMAAAHL in scoring this season netting 30
goals and 27 assists for 57 points in 21 appearances with the Stars.
The Clavet, Sask., product has a chance to break the Stars
record for most points in one regular season currently held by Emily Clark, who
posted 26 goals and 34 assists in 26 regular season games for the Stars in the
2011-12 campaign. Clark is playing for Canada’s women’s hockey team at the
Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Shirley is the 10th all-time leading scorer in
the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play recording 69 goals and 47
assists for 116 points in 80 games. She is trying to become the fourth player
in the history of the SFMAAAHL to record 70 career regular season goals.
The 16-year-old centre was a teammate with Parker on the
Canadian squad that won bronze at the under-18 women’s worlds in January.
Shirley sits fourth in SFMAAAHL scoring this season netting 29 goals and 17
assists for 46 points in 21 appearances. She is trying to become the second
Stars player to score 30 or more goals in one regular season after Parker in
the current campaign.
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| Anna Leschyshyn sits second in the SFMAAAHL scoring race. |
Leschyshyn is the 12th all-time leading scorer in
the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play posting 52 goals and 59
assists for 111 points in 85 games. The 16-year-old winger sits second in
SFMAAAHL scoring this season with 22 goals and 29 assists for 51 points
appearing in all of the Stars 26 games.
She became the third player in the history of the Stars to
record 50-or-more points in one season regular season along with Clark and
Parker.
In just two seasons, Lind has become the 14th
all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play
posting 62 goals and 45 assists for 107 points in 53 games. The skilled forward
is already the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Wildcats.
The Shaunavon, Sask., product, who turned 16-years-old in
early January, sits third in SFMAAAHL scoring this season with 26 goals and 23
assists in 25 appearances. Lind topped the SFMAAAHL in scoring last season netting
36 goals and 22 assists appearing in all 28 of the Wildcats regular season
games.
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| Taylor Lind, seen here last season, is the Wildcats all-time leading scorer. |
The two head-to-head encounters between the Stars and
Wildcats will be the final regular season contests for both clubs in the
2017-18 campaign. The Stars, who have a 22-3-1 record, need to earn three more
points in the standings to lock up first place in the SFMAAAHL and earn a bye
into the second round of the league playoffs.
In the SFMAAAHL, three points are awarded in the standings
for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra
time setbacks.
The Stars have 64 points in the standings coming on 19
regulation wins, three extra time wins and one extra time setback.
The Prince Albert Northern Bears, who have a 20-5-1 record,
sit second in the SFMAAAHL with 60 points in the standings coming off 19
regulation wins, one extra time win and one extra time setback. The Bears have
two games remaining on their regular season schedule.
The Wildcats, who have a 13-9-4 record, are cemented into a
fifth place finish in the SFMAAAHL.
Blades comeback attempt falls short against
Hurricanes
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| Captain Evan Fiala scored for the Blades on Friday night. |
A horrible start ultimately did in the Saskatoon Blades on
Friday night in Lethbridge.
The Blades fell behind the host Hurricanes 4-0 and came up
on the short end of a 5-4 final favouring the host side before 4,918 spectators
at the Enmax Centre.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring 18 seconds into the
contest on the 39th tally of the season coming off the stick of
captain Jordy Bellerive. Lethbridge’s edge expanded to 4-0 at the 5:02 mark of
the opening frame with Dylan Cozens, Matthew Stanley and Calen Addison each
scoring once for the host side.
The surge chased Tyler Brown from the Blades goal after
stopping 4-of-8 shots sent his way in his sixth start with the team. Nolan
Maier turned away 9-of-10 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.
The Blades cut the Hurricanes lead to 4-2 before the first
period ended with singles coming from the sticks of Logan Christensen and
captain Evan Fiala.
After a scoreless second period, Blades winger Eric Florchuk
scored 47 seconds into the third to further trim the Hurricanes edge to 4-3.
Stanley added his second of the contest and his second goal
of his WHL career at the 5:37 mark of the third to put the Hurricanes up 5-3.
Blades star overage winger Braylon Shmyr potted Saskatoon’s
final goal inside of the final 10 seconds of the third.
Overage netminder Logan Flodell turned away 35 shots to pick
up the win in goal for the Hurricanes, who improved to 27-24-6 to sit second in
the WHL’s Central Division.
The Blades fell to 29-27-2-1 to sit in the second wildcard
position in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a four point edge over the Prince
Albert Raiders (23-23-9-2). The Raiders have two games in hand on the Blades.
The Brandon Wheat Kings (30-22-3-2) have fallen into the
first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with a four point lead over
Saskatoon. The Wheat Kings have two games in hand on the Blades.
The Blades return to action on Sunday, when they travel to
Calgary to take on the Hitmen (17-32-5-2).
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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