Saturday, April 9, 2011

Saints Repeat as AJHL Enerflex Cup Champions

Press Release

The Spruce Grove Saints have captured their second consecutive AJHL Enerflex Cup by defeating the Camrose Kodiaks 5-1 in Game Five of the League Final tonight in Spruce Grove, AB. The Saints posted an impressive record of 12-1-0 in the post-season.

League President Craig T. Cripps presented the Enerflex Cup to the Saints in front of the hometown crowd at the Grant Fuhr Arena for a second straight season. AJHL Vice-President, George McCorry, presented the 2011 Source for Sports Playoff MVP Award to Saints Forward Scott Allen. Allen's dominate presence on the ice was instrumental in the Saints' commanding playoff performances.

The Spruce Grove Saints were Canada's number-one ranked Junior A team heading into playoffs. By securing 1st place in the AJHL North Division, the Saints guaranteed themselves a first round bye in the 2011 AJHL Enerflex Cup Playoffs. The Saints swept the Lloydminster Bobcats in Round Two and the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in the North Division Final to advance to the AJHL Enerflex Cup Finals versus the Camrose Kodiaks.

This was the third consecutive League Final appearance for the Saints. The 2010 Enerflex Cup was the first Alberta Junior Hockey League Championship for the Spruce Grove Saints. The Spruce Grove Mets were League Champions in 1975 and 1976; the St. Albert Saints captured the AJHL Title in 1981, 1982, 1996 and 1998.

The Saints captured the Dave Duchak Trophy in 2010-2011 as the AJHL Regular Season Champions for the third consecutive season. The Saints completed the Regular Season with a record of 50-6-4 and 104 points, the third consecutive 100-point season for the Saints.

The Alberta Junior Hockey League is proud to partner with Enerflex Ltd. as its Championship Sponsor. The AJHL's sixteen member teams battle annually for the honour to hoist the AJHL Enerflex Cup as League Champion.

The Spruce Grove Saints will now face off against the BCHL League Champion Vernon Vipers in the 2011 Doyle Cup (Alberta / British Columbia Championship Title). The Vipers defeated the Saints in Game Seven of the 2010 Doyle Cup Series and ultimately went on to claim the 2010 RBC Cup. The 2011 Doyle Cup Champion will qualify for the right to represent the Pacific Region at the 2011 RBC Royal Bank Cup National Junior 'A' Championship in Camrose, AB from April 30th-May 8th, 2011.

The best-of-seven Doyle Cup series starts Friday, April 15th and Saturday, April 16th at Wesbild Centre in Vernon, BC. If one team sweeps the games, the rest of the series will be played in Alberta. If the teams split the opening games, Game Three will be played in Vernon on April 17th before the series switches to Alberta.


(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

No comments: