RED DEER – Sixteen AEHL U15 AAA teams are vying for the chance to be crowned league champion.
The first round begins on Tuesday, March 5 when Parkland (PAC) Saints travel to Sherwood Park to take on the United Cycle Flyers. The remaining first round matchups start Wednesday and Thursday.
The top two seeds in the regular season were St. Albert Raiders Sabres and the Calgary Flames (NWCAA), who lost a combined six games in their respective 34-game seasons.
St. Albert recorded 31 wins, with a regulation loss, an overtime loss and a tie to round out their season (.941 win percentage). They scored nearly seven goals a game (237 total), allowed 66 goals, won 22 of their last 23 games for 64 points, 23 points ahead of Sherwood Park atop the North Division.
In the South Division, a pair of Calgary teams fought for top spot with the Flames edging out the Northstars by eight points. The Flames finished the season with 27 wins and a goal differential of +88. They also come into the playoffs winning seven of their past 10 games.
St. Albert not only found themselves at the top of the standings, but the top of the statistical categories as well. Forward Ossie McIntyre posted the most points (104) and goals (55) this season. McIntyre averaged over three points a game, which includes seven game winning goals on the season. His 104 points were 38 points better than the league’s second leading scorer. Raiders Sabres goaltender Pacey Thomas finished first in wins (18), goals-against-average (1.69), and was tied for first in shutouts with four. Red Deer Rebels goaltender Grady Gardiner had the league’s best save percentage at .932.
All series are best-of-three. The first-round matchups are as follows:
North Division Quarterfinals:
St. Albert Raiders Sabres vs Lloydminster Lancers
Sherwood Park United Cycle Flyers vs Parkland (PAC) Saints
Golden Arrow GP Storm vs Knights of Columbus (KC) Squires
Fort Saskatchewan Enhance It Rangers vs South Side (SSAC) Southgate Lions
South Division Quarterfinals:
Calgary Flames (NWCAA) vs Calgary Royals
Calgary Northstars vs Calgary Bisons
Red Deer Rebels vs Okotoks Oilers
Airdrie Xtreme vs Lethbridge Val Matteoti Golden Hawks
For complete schedules and links to the FloHockey broadcasts, check out the Playoffs tab on the U15 AAA website.