A quick wrist shot from the point was all the Canmore Eagles needed to run a winning streak to four games, Tuesday (Dec. 10) at Alex Kaleta Arena.
Mind you, it took until 19:19 of the third period before defenceman Trey Phillips banged that wrist shot off a post for a 1-0 victory over the Calgary Canucks.
At the time, the Eagles were on the powerplay and goalie Cam Barnes, named Canmore’s game star after a 37-save performance, was on the bench for another attacker.
In the end, the game was fast paced, with little hitting and not a lot of cohesive play. Each period, the Eagles had momentum early, only to have the Canucks press hard in the final minutes of each period.
As an example, in the first period, Barnes made a big save early off Canuck forward Jeremy Kostiuk, who stickhandled between two defenders at the four-minute mark. He then cooled his heels until the next shot at 11:26, but shots on goal evened up to 13-9 Eagles by the end of the period.
The game proved to be a battle between Barnes and Canucks’ netminder Adin Hill, who made 43 saves in being named his team’s game star. Hill has signed to play for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks next season.
Only the Spruce Grove Saints, with a seven-game streak in the works (as of Dec. 11) are hotter than the Eagles in the AJHL currently.
The 1-0 victory followed an offensive explosion the previous weekend, when the Eagles downed Olds 4-1 and Fort McMurray 4-0.
After the high of a victory over the Oil Barons, said Eagles forward Jeremy Margeson, the team had some difficulty getting it going against the Canucks.
“The Canucks are a boring team and it’s kinda hard to get anything going against them,” he said. “But when you’re playing the top team in the country, you’re ready to go and into the game.”
Margeson, at seven goals and five assists, is looking to finish the season strong and attract notice from college scouts, of which he’s talked to a couple of schools.
From his perspective, coach Andrew Milne thought the emotional level of his team was down after the Fort Mac game. “It’s tough. Guys were on such a high and we knew Calgary’s been struggling a bit this year. We were struggling with that emotional level and at times you play their game instead of your game. It was a challenge.”
Going into the game, Milne wouldn’t have predicted a goalie battle, “but Adin’s a good goalie and you give him credit. He played well, but we gave him a lot of pucks he could see. But we had a great response from Cam after Fergie’s shutout and he’s allowed only one goal in his last two games.”
Up next for the Eagles are three away games, Dec. 13-15 against Spruce Grove, Sherwood Park and Whitecourt, respectively. The following weekend (Dec. 20-21), the Eagles host Camrose and Lloydminster. The Eagles then have a holiday break until Jan. 3, when they host Drumheller.
Heading north, said Milne, the Eagles’ walking wounded is down to just Austen Hebert, who is out with a concussion. Ferguson will start against the Saints, then Barnes will face the Crusaders.
At this time, said Milne, both goalies are seeing their share of starts, and that trend will likely continue. “Fergie beat Fort Mac and Barnie beat Olds, so we’re going to rotate them. They’re both deserving to play right now and as a coach, you’re in a great situation.”
On Saturday (Dec. 7), fans got their money’s worth at Alex Kaleta Arena as the Eagles completed an eight-goal weekend offensive explosion with a 4-0 blanking of the league-leading (at the time) Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
Canmore used very strong first and third periods, and a 45-save performance by game star Ryan Ferguson, to ensure victory.
Fans were still finding their seats and Fort Mac players stretching their bus legs when Jeremy Margeson struck at the 20-second mark, beating Oil Barons goalie Tanner Jaillet, who has copped a University of Denver scholarship for next year.
Simon Philp then beat Jaillet at 8:30 after circling the Fort Mac net and depositing a cross-crease pass from Connor Wilson to make it 2-0.
In the second period, Margeson again left fans late getting to their seats disappointed as he beat Jaillet 31 seconds into the frame by batting in a juicy rebound.
Fort Mac had some pushback in the second period, but could not beat Ferguson, who made big saves when needed.
A possible turning point in the game came late in the second period, when Luke Simpson took holding and unsportsmanlike penalties at 18:59. Things looked worse yet when John Stevens took a boarding penalty at 19:41, leaving Fort Mac with a 5 on 3 powerplay.
In the third, Ferguson made a couple of critical saves early during Fort Mac’s 5 on 3 and the Eagles weathered the penalty storm.
Shortly after the Eagles killed the penalties, Simpson capitalized on a powerplay opportunity at 4:07 to round out scoring for the game.
On Friday (Dec. 7), Eagles goalie Cam Barnes made 25 saves, got the win and the nod as game star as Canmore downed the Grizzlies 4-1 in Olds.
Margeson and Connor Wilson had first period goals, while Revie had a pair of second period goals in the win.
