By Ryan Laverty
It’s a well-known fact that rookies are supposed to make mistakes.
Actually, it’s so well known, that it bred a term used universally in all facets of life. So, after four wins in five starts it has become abundantly obvious that someone forgot to tell St. Albert Sports Raiders first-year goalie Liam Liston that he’s supposed to make a few ‘rookie mistakes.’
Liston, who was cut by the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings late in camp, has been almost impenetrable thus far for the Raiders, allowing a measly 1.25 goals against and stopping 94.4 per cent of the shots he’s faced, putting him atop the Alberta Midget Hockey League in both statistical categories this season.
“I think certainly Liam was a little disappointed he didn’t make the team in Brandon, especially with them hosting the Memorial Cup this year, so I think he’d be the first to tell you he didn’t play his best in the pre-season for us,” said Raiders head coach Sandro Pisani.
“But that said, he has handled it very maturely and once he got that first win under his belt, his confidence just started to grow again and certainly he’s been very solid for us so far.”
The odds-on favourites to capture the North Division title since the pre-season, the Raiders have been about as good as expected, rolling to a 5-1-2 record to start the year.
At press time, they were still back of both the Lloydminster Tanroc Bobcats and the Leduc Schwab GM Oil Kings, who had 15 and 13 points respectively, but after allowing only 14 goals in eight games, it stands to reason the Raiders could make a charge at the top of the standings soon.
Of course, the Raiders aren’t the only team showing signs of brilliance in the AMHL North this year.
The rookie-laden South Side Athletic Club Boston Pizza Athletics have shown that 15-year-olds can still make an impact at the Midget AAA level.
Six members of last year’s dominant SSAC Bantam AAA team cracked the squad this year, including defenceman Dane Phaneuf, who has netted eight assists in eight games and forward Brandon Magee, who, at press time, was tied for second in the AMHL in scoring with his teammate Stephane Legault with 16 points.
It’s worth noting the third member of that scoring line, Caleb Belter, currently leads the league with 10 goals and 18 points in eight games.
With nine points in nine games, the Athletics sat one point back of the CAC Gregg Distributors Canadians, who held down fourth place in the North but will need to lock down their defensive zone if they hope to hang with the league’s best down the stretch.
The Athletics have scored a league-high 49 goals so far this year, but have also allowed a league worst 41 goals against.
For their part, the Canadians have been paced by Preston Admundson and Branden Troock, who have each registered 13 points in 10 games, but with only four more goals for than against, the Canadians will also need to solidify their backend going forward.
“When you get into the playoffs, games are typically a lot tighter so you have to play well defensively,” explained Pisani, noting his team has given up an average of only 23 shots a game this year.
“Teams that don’t take care of their own end well typically aren’t around too long at that time of year.” |