Combining for 16 points between them, Blayne Bailer and Tanner
MacKay helped a 19th-ranked peewee squad win a playoff banner for the rafters in
the Ice Box.
Facing the Wabamun Blue Thunder, Bailer, MacKay and cousin Doug MacKay caused
headaches offensively for the 16-60 Hockey League visitors in the opening game,
an 8-2 triumph.
“Those were my go-to guys,” said Apple Auto Glass Raiders coach Ken Sande in
his post-game assessment of the Raiders winning the two-game, total-goals series
11-8.
“They just clicked (on offence). We only won one game all season, and two more
by default, but the last three weeks, the kids just gelled.”
In the post-season the adage goaltending can win a team games held true for the
Raiders.
Sande credits netminder Bobby Chawner, a transfer here from Nova Scotia, for
holding off a strong Wabamun team in the second game, a 6-3 setback.
“Bobby was night and day from the start of the season how he’s come a
long,” noted Sande. “The last three weeks, 60 per cent of our success
(winning) is because of our goalie.”
Sande also praised the blueliners for their improvement from October to March.
“They’ve come a long way for me, but then all of the kids had a season that
was disheartening. They never got down, just had fun.”
After the lopsided opening win where Tanner MacKay scored three and set up four
goals, and Bailer had four markers and three helpers, Sande knew the Blue
Thunder would not roll over and surrender on home turf.
“We knew they’d come out at us. We caught them in the first game, but were
flat-footed for the start of the second.
“We knew they had good shooters, but we just wanted to keep it close after
they went up 4-1.
“Our goalie (Chawner) played well. He made some big saves for us when they
peppered him with shots.”
Mickey Bell had a single marker in the opening victory, while Tyson Zielke added
two helpers.
Wabamun’s offence was supplied by Kurtis Rain and Steven Keating, with a goal
and an assist each.
Tanner MacKay, Kale Michielson and Bailer scored in their 6-3 loss, while Merle
House paced the Blue Thunder with a hat-trick.
Bailer’s empty-net goal with 4:48 to play and his team up 10-8 sealed the
victory for the Raiders. Wabamun pulled their goalie looking to erase a two-goal
deficit with under five minutes to play.
This past weekend at the Ice Box, Wetaskiwin’s midget girls and atom AA squads
were looking to add their own playoff banners, while the bantam Millet Moose
were in a similar situation at the Agriplex facing the Blackfalds Bulldogs.