The Lloydminster Bobcats were only able to dress a mere 13 skaters on the tail end of a long road trip through the southern division, but were still able to thunder past the Canmore Eagles 4-2 on Saturday (Dec. 20) at Alex Kaleta Arena.
It wasn’t the result the Eagles wanted to close out the 2015 AJHL calendar, but the promised return of a familiar face to the lineup has head coach has general manager Andrew Milne dreaming of bigger things for 2016.
The Canmore Rec Centre boards will need a thorough examination following the match, as the teams hurled thunderous body checks at one another for much of the second and third period, as the Bobcats, who will host the RBC Cup this spring, had several heavy hitters on the team. Hometown favourite Kyle Pauls and Braiden Doucette scored first period goals for the Eagles, who then let the Bobcats back in the game by giving up three unanswered goals.
“I thought we were sleepy. I thought we didn’t push the play enough and it caught up to us. You give them enough breaks, they’re a good team. I don’t care how many guys they dress. These guys are hosting a Royal Bank Cup. They know how to win,” Milne said.
“I’ve got no idea why our guys sat back. I thought our guys would come out with more passion than that. It’s frustrating. We’ve got to learn. We should have taken control of that from the second period.”
Ryan Bontorin took the loss in goal and kept the score close in the third period, until the Bobcats added an empty netter late in the frame.
Milne wasn’t happy with the loss, but he was happy to announce the Eagles’ 2014-15 leading goal scorer is returning to the club in January. Ryley Risling left the Eagles this summer to play with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL, however, after nine games has decided to return to the Eagles fold. Risling scored 26 goals with 20 assists in 54 games with the Eagles last year. He was sidelined with an injury in the USHL, where he scored one goal in nine games.
“When you can add a 6-foot-3, 220 pound guy that’s going to score 30 goals, we’re going to be instantly better,” Milne said. “He’s going to be a game changer. He’s going to give us an opportunity to win every night.”
The Eagles have maintained contact with the 19-year-old Risling, and opened the door for his return after his stint with the Black Hawks did not work out. He will begin skating with the club after Boxing Day, and Milne believes he will diversify the offence, which has relied heavily on Matt Forchuk, Logan Ferguson and Lane Olson this season.
“We’ve been in contact over the months. He had a knee injury that set him back a bit. It wasn’t what he thought it would be like there. Sometimes kids at those ages want to go and check things out. It’s no different than with the Western league,” Milne said. “He’ll have the opportunity to play the powerplay and penalty kill. He adds depth.”
After 35 games, the Eagles now sit at 18-13-4, two points out of third place in the AJHL’s southern division, and 16 points out of first place. Milne said that’s about where he expected the team to be.
“I knew we’d be competitive. I knew we’d be in the top group. Our objective was to be in the top half of the standings, and establishing a good plan. I think we’re right where we want to be. Obviously we’d like more wins, and we’ve probably (lost) about six points we should have, but we’re moving in the right direction,” Milne said.
