(File photo)
The Drayton Valley Thunder are off to the North Division Championship in the AJHL.
The Thunder shut out the Fort McMurray Oil Barons 4-0 on March 29 to take the series 4-2.
Drew Sutton of the Thunder got things going, scoring on the power play at 6:21 of the first period. Rylan Brown and Noah Lamb picked up the assists. Ethan Browne then notched another for the Thunder, scoring on the power play at 14:47. Kadyn Chabot assisted on the play. At the end of the first, the Thunder had a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The Thunder increased their lead by one in the second when Kadyn Chabot scored at 16:23. Ethan Browne and Jack Silverberg were credited with the assists. The second ended with the Thunder leading 3-0.
Ethan Browne then got his second goal of the night, scoring on the Oil Baron’s empty net at 14:49 in the third. Jackson Berry picked up the assist. When the buzzer sounded, it was 4-0 for the Thunder.
Thunder netminder Jackson Berry was named the star of the game for deflecting all of the Oil Baron’s 39 shots on net. The Thunder kept pace with 38 shots on goal. The Thunder had the better power play, going 2 for 3, while the Oil Barons went 0 for 2.
With that victory, the Thunder win the AJHL second round playoff series 4-2. The Thunder will now face the Spruce Grove Saints in the Viterra AJHL North Division Championship. It will be an uphill battle for the Thunder though as the Saints are the defending North Division Champions. Spruce Grove finished the regular season in the top spot, earning a bye straight to the second round. In the second round, the Saints swept the Whitecourt Wolverines 4-0.
Game 1 goes April 8 in Spruce Grove.
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