Chiefs 3 Queens 2
Facing midget competition should give the RDC Queens an edge.
But that’s never been the case in the past nor is it now. That was once again evident Thursday when the Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs recorded a 3-2 victory over the Queens at the Arena.
The Chiefs are one of the premier major midget teams in the province, with talent up and down their lineup.
“For a midget team that’s a very good team,” said Queens head coach Trevor Keeper. “They have a lot of speed and individual talent with high level skills. And they can shoot the puck.”
But Keeper would have liked a little better effort from a handful of players.
“No excuses but we talked about being prepared for them as they would come in here hungry to beat us. We had four or five passengers who took it a little casual and the result of their play resulted in mistakes and gave them some opportunities.
“But still it’s the preseason for us and we can learn from that. We told the girls not to dwell on it and be depressed as the sky isn’t falling. We have one more exhibition game before we get into league play and we have to show we learned something. We can’t have passengers.
“That’s why we have 24 players, If someone doesn’t learn they will watch from the stands.”
Two players who were ready were goaltenders Camille Trautman, a Sutter Fund Chiefs grad, and veteran Kendra Lakeman. Trautman faced 20 shots and allowed two goals while Lakeman made 15 saves.
The Chiefs netminding duo of Megan Kirkland and Jennifer West were equally as good, combining for 29 saves — 15 by Kirkland, who allowed both RDC goals.
“I thought the way we played, especially in the second half, we deserved a goal or two more, but their two goaltenders played well as did ours,” said Chiefs head coach Mickey Girard, who was glad to get a chance to play the college team.
“Some of the teams we ran into in our league haven’t been that strong, but this was very good for us,” he said. “We’d like the opportunity to play them again a couple of times if they get a break in their season.”
The Queens, who were without veteran forward Megan Abt, led 1-0 after the first period on a goal by Angie Hodgson before Emma Malsbury and Jade Petrie connected at 4:11 and 5:44 of the second period. Taryn Stork tied the game for the Queens at 6:07 on a breakaway, but the Chiefs Reanna Arnold converted a rebound at 18:45 of the second period, which held up for the winning goal. The teams split eight minor penalties.
The Queens host the Edge Academy next Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Arena while the Chiefs face the Flyers in Calgary Sunday. They return home Oct, 15 against Highwood and Oct. 16 against Calgary Chaos.
drode@www.reddeeradvocate.com