Magrath advances to CAHL round robin playoff series

By Garrett Simmons
Westwind Weekly News

Magrath’s U18 Tier 3 hockey team racked up the wins this season in the Central Alberta Hockey League with a 13-3 record in the regular season.

That earned the team a first-round bye and after a semifinal win over Foothills, a spot in the league championship against Nanton.

In game one on Friday, Magrath earned a 3-0 shutout win on the road. After a scoreless first period, Cruz Johnson opened the scoring, as Rigin Smith and Beckham Sugai drew the assists.

It stayed a 1-1 game until Smith scored a shorthanded goal in the third, assisted by Rushton Ripley, which took the wind out of Nanton’s sails.

Ripley added another marker, this time on the powerplay, to make it 3-0. Ross Ravoy had the helper.

That was all the offence Magrath needed, as Conner Schneyder made 26 saves to earn the shutout.

Saturday in Magrath, Nanton earned a 5-3 win, but it was not enough, as Magrath advanced in the two-game, total point series.

Kyson Johnson got Magrath on the board in the first with a powerplay goal set up by Luke Rodeback. But the 1-0 lead did not last, as Nanton scored shorthanded and the teams went to the dressing room at 1-1.

Nanton broke things open with three goals in the second period and carried a 4-1 advantage into the final 20 minutes.

Things looked bleak early in the third, as Nanton scored again to make it 5-1, before Magrath responded with two late goals.

First, Knox Tame scored on the powerplay, as Logan Jensen drew the assist. Then, Jensen scored a goal of his own to make it 5-3, as Cruz Johnson and Merek Neilson had the assists.

Schneyder made 37 saves in the game.

Now, Magrath moves on to the league round robin playoffs, where the team will face off against Brooks, Kneehill and Thorsby.

Magrath will visit Brooks on Friday and will then take on Thorsby on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. in Raymond. Sunday’s contest against Kneehill will be played at 2 p.m. in Raymond.

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