CANMORE – The best of seven playoff series between Canmore and Camrose has turned into a best of five, after the teams split the first two games of the series.
The south division rivals opened up the series in Camrose, where the Eagles swooped in and drew first blood in game one, earning a 5-3 victory.
Special teams played a large role with the first six goals of the game being scored on the man-advantage.
“Special teams were pretty evenly matched, and then we got a break and scored the game winner in the third and held on with an empty netter,” said Eagles head coach Andrew Milne.
Game one was a seesaw battle with four lead changes in the contest. Camrose opened up the scoring just under three minutes into the opening frame, but Eagles captain Connor Lyons reversed the deficit with a pair of power play goals just 75 seconds apart.
Heading into the final period, the teams were locked at three-a-piece, but Canmore's Lukas Jirousek only needed 15 seconds to scored the eventual game winner thanks to a fortunate bounce off the end boards.
In game two, the script was switched in Camrose’s favour but shared many similarities to the first game of the series. said Milne.
“Again, it was an evenly matched game, they caught a break early in the third and we missed a couple of chances then they won the game,” Milne said. “It’s been exciting good hockey – playoff hockey.”
Eagles star forward Alex Young opened up the scoring in game two with his third goal of the series. The Kodiaks scored the next two, grabbing a lead before Lyons notched his third goal of the series. Each side traded goals in the second before Camrose scored the game winner early in the third. The penalty kill for each team was more structurally sound in the second game of the series, each only allowing a single goal.
Through the first two games, the Eagles power play has been operating at 31.5 per cent efficiency, while the penalty kill is sitting at 57.5 per cent.
Milne said his side’s discipline has seen a drop in the number of penalties per game since the final week of the regular season, but stressed there is still room for improvement.
In game two, Jirousek’s roughing penalty in the third led to the Kodiaks’ power play game winner.
“They are such emotional games," Milne said. "There is so much on the line and you’re asking the boys to play so hard and so competitive. We have to play hard and physical and in your face, and they have to do the same.
“They took their fair share [of penalties] and so did we. It’s something we can’t focus all our attention on but we still have to maintain our discipline and our composure.”
With little advantage separating the two rivals, the series switches to the Canmore for games three and four this week.
The Eagles will rely on the team’s top scoring duo of Young and Lyons, who sit atop the playoff points race with six and five points, respectively. Health is also a factor, especially in the playoffs, and more important for a team like the Eagles who caught the injury bug throughout the season.
“There’s nothing that we can put our finger on that’s going to be the big difference in the series," said the Eagles bench boss. "Game one was a break for us and game two was a break for them … It’s going to come down to the focus, the concentration and the health. We are feeling confident heading into game three and it’s going to come down to one or two plays every night that make the difference.”
Games three and four will be held at the Canmore Rec Centre at 7 p.m., Wednesday (March 4) and Thursday (March 5).
