The Spruce Grove Saints are the 2014 Alberta Junior Hockey League Champions and winners of the AJHL Gas Drive Cup. Spruce Grove defeated the Drumheller Dragons 2 – 1 in overtime tonight to sweep the series. League Commissioner Ryan Bartoshyk and Gas Drive Sales Manager Cory Brow awarded the Gas Drive Cup to AJHL Coach of the Year Jason McKee and the Saints.
Saints Team Captain Corey Chorneyko was awarded the 2014 Gas Drive AJHL Playoff MVP Award by AJHL Vice-President Fran Gow. Chorneyko is a fourth year veteran of the Saints and has played 247 games for the franchise. Corey was a finalist for the AJHL Outstanding Defenceman Award in 2013-2014.
The Spruce Grove Saints captured the League Title twice previously in 2010 and 2011. The Saints have advanced to the League Final five times in the six last years, most recently in 2013 where they were defeated by the Brooks Bandits who went on to capture the 2013 RBC Cup National Championship.
The Saints will now advance to the 2014 Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup in Dauphin, MB for a chance to represent the West at the 2014 RBC Cup National Junior A Championship in Vernon, BC.
2014 AJHL Gas Drive Cup Schedule and Results:
· Game 1 April 11, 2014 Drumheller 3 @ Spruce Grove 5
· Game 2 April 12, 2014 Drumheller 1 @ Spruce Grove 6
· Game 3 April 14, 2014 Spruce Grove 4 @ Drumheller 2
· Game 4 April 15, 2014 Spruce Grove 2 @ Drumheller 1 (OT)
The Spruce Grove Saints were the winners of the Dave Duchak Trophy as the 2013-2014 AJHL Regular Season Champions with a record of 47-10-3 and 97 points. The Saints have captured the regular season title four times in the last six years. Spruce Grove held a spot amongst the top of the AJHL Standings all year and were ranked as #1 in the CJHL Top 20 Weekly Rankings multiple times throughout the final months of the regular season. The Saints led the AJHL in Wins (47), Goals For (235), Goal Differential (+100) and Win Percentage (.808%).
Spruce Grove earned a first round bye in the AJHL Gas Drive Playoffs for a sixth consecutive season before eliminating the Sherwood Park Crusaders in Game 7 to advance to the North Division Final. Spruce Grove came back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Fort McMurray Oil Barons and capture the North Division title in Game 7.
Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup
The 2014 Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup will be held in Dauphin, MB from April 26 – May 4, 2014. The champions of the British Columbia Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, and Manitoba Junior Hockey League will compete in a five-team tournament with the host Dauphin Kings for the 2014 Western Canada Cup. The Western Canada Cup Champion and the runner-up will both represent western Canada at the RBC Cup National Junior A Championship in Vernon, BC from May 10 – 18, 2014.
For more information about the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup, visit www.westerncanadacup.com