The Canmore Eagles ended their AJHL regular season with a bang as they thrashed the Olds Grizzlys 8-3 at Alex Kaleta Arena, Friday (Feb. 28).
The win, and an Olds victory over Drayton Valley on March 1, set up a first round, best-of-five south division playoff series between the sixth-place Eagles and the third-place Okotoks Oilers.
The series opens tonight (March 5) in Okotoks, with game two on March 6 in Okotoks. Game three moves to Canmore for March 8 at 5 p.m. Game four, if necessary, will be in Canmore on March 9 and a game five, if necessary, would be in Okotoks, March 11.
The Eagles will have their work cut out for them as they now face league MVP and top goaltender award winner Nic Renyard (30-8-3) of the Oilers, who has already copped an NCAA Division I scholarship with the University of Massachusetts Minutemen.
Against Olds, though, the Eagles may have found the key to success against Renyard. Throughout the 8-3 blowout against the Grizzlys the Eagles were constantly going hard to the net, taking up space in goaltender Billy Gorn’s crease, screening him and scoring goals from in close.
“They’ve got a good goalie,” said Eagles’ head coach and GM Andrew Milne. “We’re going to have to go to the net, everyone’s going to have to be aware of that. It’s not an easy place to go and it will take a conscious effort.
“Against Olds, they were rewarded for that effort and that needs to continue.” Milne feels his Eagles are ready for the post-season after a season of ups and downs.
“The guys are excited and we’re healthy, that’s something we’ve been fighting all year. We’ve struggled with injuries, but now we’re healthy and I think in a good spot. We just have to concentrate on how we play. In the playoffs, everybody starts equal.”
Offensively, the Eagles are a close match for the Oilers as they notched 188 goals compared to Okotoks’ 172. The Eagles will pit top scorers like Ryley Risling (26), Connor Wilson (25), Jordan Revie (19), Joe Serpico (18) and Simon Philp (17) against the Oilers’ Rhett Gardner (24), Tanner Ockey and Trey Degraaf (20), Eric Krienke (15) and Mitch Collett (14).
Heading into the playoffs, Milne said Ryan Ferguson (22-28-2) will be his starter in goal. “Fergy’s the starter for sure. He’s very capable and he’s played well and he won a series in the playoff last year against Camrose.”
In Friday’s 8-3 victory, Brett Radford and Risling had a pair of goals each to lead the Eagles’ offensive onslaught and, other than a 20-second span in the second period when the Grizzlys’ Tyrell Mappin and Austin Kernahan beat Ryan Ferguson for two goals, Canmore dominated.
Overall, Ferguson made 24 saves for the win, while Matt Forchuk, Serpico, Wilson and Logan Ferguson had a goal apiece.
On Wednesday (Feb. 25), Forchuk scored just six seconds into overtime to give the Eagles a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Canucks.
After falling behind 1-0, Risling and Philp scored in the second period to make it 2-1. Calgary countered in the third, but Forchuk sealed the game for the Eagles. Ryan Ferguson made 28 saves in the win.
While the Camrose Kodiaks (fourth-ranked team in Canada) have a first-round bye in the south division playoffs based on finishing first, second place Brooks Bandits will host the Calgary Mustangs (seventh) and the Drumheller Dragons (third) host the Grizzlys (fifth).
In the north division, the Spruce Grove Saints (ranked number two in Canada), get the first round bye and look on as the Lloydminster Bobcats (second) host the Whitecourt Wolverines (seventh), the Bonnyville Pontiacs (third) host Drayton Valley Thunder (sixth) and the Fort McMurray Oil Barons (fourth) host the Sherwood Park Crusaders (sixth).
The Eagles held a 20th anniversary award dinner last week, with the following being honoured:
MVP/leading scorer – Connor Wilson
Top defenceman and player’s choice – Jeremy Gordon
Rookie of the year and Canmore Minor Hockey Award – Brayden Biccum
Most improved – Ryley Risling
Most sportsmanlike – Joe Serpico
Most dedicated – Jakob Lavoie
Academic Excellence - Logan Ferguson
Volunteer of the year – Luc Turcotte
Ken Pauls Sr. Award for commitment and integrity – Shannon Pauls
Special Achievement – national anthem singer Sydney Montieth for 16 years of dedicated service.
