Recipients of a pair of beatdowns at the hands of arch rival Okotoks Oilers last week, the Canmore Eagles took out their frustrations on the Calgary Mustangs, beating the AJHL basement dwellers 10-5 in their most lopsided win of the season, Tuesday night (Nov. 25).
Jordan Revie picked up four goals and an assist in the win to lead the Eagles attack, and now has 13 goals and 25 points on the year. Ryley Risling also picked up two goals and two assists in the win, while Joe Serpico had four assists. Defenceman Brett Schimmel and centre Matt Forchuk also had three-point nights.
“Our offence was clicking tonight and it was good to see Revie and Olson come out from their offensive slumps,” said Eagles Head Coach and General Manager Andrew Milne in reference to Revie, who had just one goal in his last 14 games, and Olson, who had just one goal in his previous 20 games. “A night like tonight is a good one for our guys to gain some confidence, and confidence is contagious.”
It was the first time the Eagles have scored 10 goals in a regular season game since Dec. 23, 2003, when they put up 10 against the Brooks Bandits.
While allowing five goals wasn’t what goaltender Ryan Ferguson had in mind, he made enough saves to get the win. The team is still waiting for Levi Nelson to return from injury in order to give Ferguson a rest.
The Eagles had picked up four points in five games heading into back-to-back games against Okotoks, but came out flat against their rivals. On Wednesday (Nov. 19), Okotoks staked out a 5-1 lead by the middle of the second period and weathered the storm as the Eagles pressed in the third. The Eagles scored three straight goals, but still dropped a 6-4 loss.
Milne said his team has proven they can compete with better teams such as Okotoks,
“That’s what makes it frustrating as a coach. You know you can compete with them. They got some momentum in the first, that gave them life. It took a long time for us to get some life. We’re fragile and we’re not feeling confident,” Milne said.
Poor play carried over into Friday’s game (Nov. 21), where the Oilers used a four-goal outburst in the second period to secure a 6-2 win over Canmore.
Milne said he doesn’t want to make excuses, but injuries are catching up to the Eagles. Without an experienced backup goaltender, Ferguson hasn’t had much relief, while Jakob Lavoie’s absence on defence has been very difficult to fill. The Eagles were also missing Nik Kosman.
Injuries are one thing, Milne said, however, a lack of effort from others is what’s really hurting the team. Several players are mired in slumps.
“We’ve been unlucky with injuries and timing of injuries, and we have some players who aren’t playing to their potential. We have some players that have to wake up. We have the dynamic to be a good club, but if they don’t figure it out, they don’t wake up, we’ll have to make changes,” Milne said.
He didn’t call out any players, stating that should remain in the dressing room.
The Eagles schedule doesn’t get any easier this weekend, as they face the reigning league champs the Spruce Grove Saints on Friday (Nov. 29) at Alex Kaleta Arena. On Saturday, the Brooks Bandits are in town. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
