As hundreds of raptors soared over Canmore this weekend, the Festival of the Eagles celebrated the great migration south for the prestigious birds of prey.
Perhaps the local AJHL hockey club should have taken notice.
Instead, the Canmore Eagles headed north and returned with one of a possible six points, losing 5-2 to the Drayton Valley Thunder, 4-3 in a shootout to the Grande Prairie Storm and 3-2 to the Whitecourt Wolverines over the weekend.
Things don’t get any easier this week, as they’re on the road to play second-place Okotoks Friday (Oct. 25) and host first-place Brooks twice over the coming eight days (Oct. 26 and 29).
Assistant coach Jeremy Reich said the team played some of its best hockey over the weekend, but weren’t rewarded in the standings.
“It was funny. We played our best game against teams stronger than Drayton and we only got one point. We were banged up a little bit and we could have gotten points in those two other games, but we’ve gotta battle,” Reich said.
The Eagles now sit fifth in the AJHL south division. Top goal scorer Luke Simpson is out with a dislocated elbow for an undetermined length of time and the team is waiting for its younger forwards to step up their game. Connor Wilson has taken the team lead in scoring with 15 points in 17 games, while Kurt Hildebrand and Brett Radford have received more ice time and are starting to contribute offensively.
Reich, who played parts of three seasons in the NHL, knows a thing or two about streaks and hard work. He believes the Eagles’ work ethic is there and the goals will come.
“When you lose a guy who scored 26 goals last year and had eight this year, it means a lot. It means the other guys have to earn trust from the coaches and play in spots they’re not accustomed to,” Reich said. “It’s tough. Every player goes through scoring droughts. When things are going well, it’s easy. When it’s hard, you’ve gotta go to the net, put an extra puck in the net in practice and create those good habits again.”
The team powerplay hasn’t been converting on its chances of late, which is making things tough on the offence. Radford and Hildebrand are still learning their new roles on the unit, which is a steep learning curve for two rookie players.
“When you’re not scoring, it’s tough. Guys need to step up and find a way,” Reich said.
Goaltending was solid over the weekend, with Ryan Ferguson starting the first game and Cam Barnes the next two. The team hasn’t decided who will start against Okotoks on Friday, but the Eagles traditionally play well against Brooks, who is 12-2 on the season.
“Both goalies give us a chance to win. When you only have three goals scored against you in this league, that’s good,” Reich said. “Playing against Okotoks and Brooks, you have to bring up your game. Those are teams where if you make a mistake, they will hurt you. You have to limit their chances.”
Reinforcements are on the way. Captain Nils Moser skated in full equipment for the first time in three weeks on Tuesday (Oct. 22), while defenceman Jakob Lavoie was also back on ice. Moser will be hungry for his first goal of the season when he returns, while Lavoie does a great job keeping them out.
Trey Phillips and Bryan Arneson also returned to action over the weekend, but Simpson could be several weeks away.
“There is no timetable for his return right now,” Reich said. “We have no idea how long it will take.”
