Kelly makes convincing case for Raider spot; Blades 6 Raiders 3

Kelly played on the Sherwood Park Kings Midget AAA hockey club last year, the same Midget team Raider defenceman Brendan Guhle suited up for. As a 15-year-old rookie, Kelly finished third in team scoring with 25 points in 32 games.

Throughout the preseason and at camp, he’s earned the liking of the Raiders coaching staff, including bench boss Marc Habscheid.

“I like him. I think he’s smart and he can skate,” said Habscheid. “Those are two ingredients and I think he’s got a little passion in him.

“At times, you want to see what they do naturally. There was an instant tonight…there’s a place where guys don’t like to stand really is in front of the net. He saw that no one was there and he went in front of the net. Those little things help his positioning where they are concerned as coaches. It shows his character, he’s got a lot going for him and he’s got to offer for us.”

Scoring summary

Cameron Hebig had a hat trick for the Blades, scoring one goal in all three periods. Logan Christensen had a pair, including the empty netter, while Chasetan Braid also scored.

Luke Coleman and Josh Maser each scored for the Raiders, both now have two in the preseason. Dane Schioler got his first exhibition goal.

With the loss, the Raiders now fall to 0-3 in the preseason. Habscheid probably doesn’t know where the panic button is yet, but said his team needs to be better and play with more jam.

“Once you throw on the jersey, we expect ourselves to win—there’s no question. But no matter what, we’re still tied for first place. You gotta put things into perspective,” said Habscheid. “I thought Saskatoon was edgier today. It seemed like when we got that goal in the third period, then we got into it. But until then, I didn’t think our edge was as good.”

Goalies unite

Back in the 2012-2013 season, Rylan Parenteau and Brock Hamm were goaltending partners for the Saskatoon Contacts Midget AAA club. They were opponents in Friday’s game, as Parenteau took the net for the Raiders and Hamm for the visiting Blades.

Hamm had 31 saves on 34 shots for the Blades for the victory. Parenteau stopped 21 shots on 26 shots for the loss.

Looking forward

The Raiders are now halfway through their preseason schedule. They’ll head down to Warman to take on the Blades once again on Saturday, before taking on the Regina Pats on Wednesday on the road.

They’ll cap off their exhibition schedule at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday against the Pats. The regular season kicks off on Sept. 25 against the Blades at the SaskTel Centre, before the home opener Sept. 26 at the Art Hauser Centre.

jdandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea

by Jeff D'Andrea

Kelly makes convincing case for Raider spot; Blades 6 Raiders 3

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