Airdrie Xtreme slump continues

A frustrating run of results continued for the Airdrie Xtreme Jan. 13, when the AAA bantam team lost 3-2 on the road to the Okotoks Oilers. The result means Airdrie has gone six games – and more than a month – without a win in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League (AMBHL). The team’s last victory came Dec. 8, 2018 in a 6-3 triumph against the Oilers. Airdrie is now bottom of the AMBHL’s five-team Ram South Division, with a 7-14-2 record. With just 10 games left in the regular season, the Xtreme will have to step up its play to have a chance of competing at the AMBHL playoffs. The Xtreme will return to the ice in Calgary Jan. 20 to take on the Calgary Royals.

Bisons in playoff spot

The Airdrie CFR Chemical Bisons climbed up a spot in the Alberta AAA Midget Hockey League’s (AMHL) Chrysler South Division following a weekend split at the Ron Ebbesen Arena Jan. 12 and 13. The Bisons’s weekend started with a 2-0 blanking by the first-place Lethbridge Hurricanes (21-5). Considering the strength of the Hurricanes this season, Airdrie’s head coach, Dustin Taylor, said he was still proud of the Bisons’ performance. “Lethbridge is currently ranked fifth in the country [for AAA midget hockey], and for the majority of the game, we outplayed them,” Taylor said. “We had 81 total attempts – 41 were on the net – so we were able to generate a lot of offence and we managed the puck very well.” According to Taylor, the Hurricanes’ goals came following the Bisons’ only mental lapses of the game. “We just had two plays where we had some breakdowns,” he said. “When you give a team that good opportunities, they’re going to capitalize.” Airdrie was back to winning ways the following afternoon, defeating the Knights of Columbus Pats 3-2. The home team’s goals came from captain Jett Jones, Wade Jackson and Nick de Beurs, with all three tallies coming in the second period. The team (14-12-3) is now sixth in the eight-team Chrysler South Division – albeit with multiple games in hand compared to the seventh- and eighth-place teams. The Bisons will enjoy a weekend of rest before returning to the ice Jan. 27, to take on the seventh-place Okotoks Bow Mark Oilers. Entering the homestretch of the 2018-19 season, it will be a crucial match-up for both teams to remain in the AMHL playoff race. “We now hold the sixth and final playoff spot,” Taylor said. “We have five games left, and we have to be on the better side of that five to secure a spot.”

Lightning still second

After 19 games, the Airdrie Lightning is still second in the south division of the Alberta Female Hockey League’s (AFHL) Midget Elite league. The AA team’s positive performances continued in Dewinton Jan. 12, with a 4-2 road win over the Rocky Mountain Raiders. The victory moves Airdrie up to a 13-6 record this year, with just seven regular-season fixtures left to play. Seventeen-year-old forward Sarah Nusl picked up two goals in the game – her fourth and fifth of the season – while Emma Hoppins and Clare Hurley also found the net for Airdrie. The only team in the south ahead of the Lightning is the Calgary Fire White (16-4), which has extended its lead at the top of the division to 10 points. The Lightning’s next game will be against the high-flying Fire White, Jan. 27 in Calgary. The last time the two sides met, Dec. 8, 2018, Airdrie upset the division toppers 1-0.