Red Deer Polytechnic has announced its RDP Athletes of the Week:
1. Tora Ward
Hometown: Saskatoon, SK
Open Studies (1st year)
It was quite an impressive start for goaltender Tora Ward to her Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) career as she earned her first shutout and win in her first ACAC start which led to her first Queens Athlete of the Week honour. A lot of firsts for Ward in her opening week of action.
Head Coach Kelly Coulter and the rest of the coaching staff recruited her from the Saskatoon Stars program in Saskatchewan where she posted a .901 save percentage, a 2.55 goals-against-average and had three shutouts in 31 games started over two seasons.
In the one month of pre-season, Coulter explained Ward worked tremendously hard and does everything right as a goaltender. She communicates well with her defensive pairings and is a very good puck-handling goaltender. Leading up to the opening game against the Olds College Broncos, the coaching staff wanted to give her a taste of college hockey right away, so she was given the opportunity to open up the Queens season as the starting goaltender. Ward did not disappoint the coaches as she stopped all 24 shots she faced in Olds and earned herself a shutout.
The Saskatoon goaltender, who is fluent in French, is an avid golfer on top of playing hockey.
Ward and the Queens will be in action this weekend as they take on the Lakeland College Rustlers in a home-and-home series that starts in Lloydminster on Friday night.
Congratulations Tora on the milestones of your first shutout and win. Looking forward to cheering you and the Queens on as the season continues!
2. Brian Murray
Hometown: Red Deer, AB
Bachelor of Education (1st year)
After earning his first ACAC clean sheet and player of the match, goalkeeper Brian Murray will add one more accomplishment to his list as he is this week’s Kings Athlete of the Week. Murray is part of an interesting story. He is not in the team photo as he was a last-minute addition to the team with Head Coach Admir Sarcevic looking for a keeper who can back up Garrett Thompson.
At the beginning of the season, Sarcevic’s plan was to give Thompson the starting duties but after two losses and a tie to start the year, something needed to change to spark the Kings. This happened to be a goalkeeper change 59 minutes into the match against the SAIT Trojans on September 17. Since then, with the exception of missing the match against the Kodiaks due to an injury, Murray has started. In those three games he has played, the local goalkeeper has earned two wins and allowed four goals.
But the biggest match of his ACAC career so far came against the Medicine Hat Rattlers. The Kings were in desperate need of a win and Murray backstopped the Polytechnic to a 2-0 victory, earning a clean sheet and the player of the match. He stopped all five shots he faced.
The Kings will be in action at home this weekend as they welcome the SAIT Trojans to the Red Deer Polytechnic field on Saturday for a 2 pm kickoff.
Congratulations Brian and we hope for many more wins for you and the Kings!
