The Rocky Mountain Raiders showed the importance of Strong Safe Minds over the weekend.
Rocky Mountain made its Alberta Female Hockey League home finale on Feb. 29 at Pason Centennial Arena one to remember as it raised just shy of $1,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association in honour of Okotoks Classic Source for Sports manager Tavis MacPhee who lost his brother to suicide.
“It was really good just to be able to acknowledge mental health and acknowledge Tavis and our community and what they’ve gone through and what they’re going through now,” said Raiders head coach Dustin Borbandy. “We had a great turnout, good support from all sorts of people, from our own to Calgary Fire to just locals coming to the game.”
The Raiders, sporting lime-green third jerseys designed by MacPhee with the S.S.M. Strong Safe Minds logo on the shoulders, sent the home crowd home happy with a dramatic 2-1 win in the extra session.
Blueliner Abbey Borbandy potted the game winner in overtime after Raquel Ingram staked the Raiders to a 1-0 lead on a second period tally, her third of the season.
Calgary forward Lauren Younker forced overtime with a late third period marker for the Fire who were foiled by a 31-save performance from Ali Kieren in goal.
The Raiders closed out the regular season in a 4-1 loss on March 1 in Red Deer.
Sydney Benko had the lone Rocky Mountain tally in the defeat.
The game marked the final regular season action for the senior class in Raiders colours. All four graduating players are playing collegiate or university hockey next season with Okotokian Sydney Trotter, captain Kaia Borbandy and Benko headed to Mount Royal University and Alesha Santos to Red Deer College.
“Our last game of the season we didn’t play well, but I think it was a good eye-opener,” the coach added. “That it’s going to take a full 60 minutes and 20 players to go to have success.”
As the third seed in the AFHL Midget AAA, the Raiders (17-9-4) match up against the five seed Lloydminster Steelers in the best-of-three playoff series.
Games 1 and 2 are at the Scott Seaman Sports Rink in Heritage Heights on March 7 at 2:30 p.m. and March 8 at noon. If necessary, Game 3 is the following weekend in Lloydminster.
“Playing Lloyd, we’ve good success this year against them,” Borbandy said. “If we stay disciplined and play our game style we should be all right.
“But if we don’t come out prepared and ready to go, in this league it can be anyone’s given night who wants it.”
Kaia Borbandy finished with a league leading 15 assists, Benko was second in the AFHL in goals, 13, and points, 22.
Isobel Pettem-Shand proved to be a shootout ace, finishing with a league high three shootout goals in 2019-20.
Kieren finished second in the league with 10 wins and her six shutouts and 1.62 goals against average placed her third in the six-team division. For more information go to midgetaaa.afhl.ca.
