It only took two games, but the Canmore Eagles are already trying to extinguish their first controversy of the season.
Goaltending will be under the microscope Friday (Sept. 13) as the Canmore Eagles take on the Calgary Mustangs. Eagles starter Cam Barnes had a rough weekend, letting in five goals in the team’s home opener Friday (Sept. 6) against the Drumheller Dragons, then let in two goals in the first two shots Saturday (Sept. 7) in the Eagles 4-3 come from behind win. Ryan Ferguson was steady in relief, stopping 27 shots.
Barnes battled through adversity last season to win the starting job, and team staff is confident he can regain his winning ways.
“I think Cam wants those goals back. He wasn’t happy with (Friday’s) game and he came in here Saturday and got himself in some trouble. I’m really glad the guys were able to bail him out on that. No one felt worse than Cam Barnes. We know he’s better than that,” said head coach Andrew Milne.
Last year, the club leaned on Barnes for large stretches of play with no relief while Ty Swabb was out with injury. Milne said he knows what he’s capable of, and used that to motivate the team to victory against the Canucks.
“I said there would be games this year that Cam Barnes would steal for us, so let’s bail him out. We have a lot of respect for Cam and what he’s done for us the last couple years.”
The team also discovered backup goalie Ryan Ferguson is a wall when called upon.
“That kid can compete. He doesn’t slop, that’s what we like about him. He let one in he was mad about. It was tough to be thrown to the wolves, but he handled it,” Milne said.
The offence was on track, as Trey Phillips, Luke Simpson, Jeremy Margeson and Bryan Arneson all netted their first of the year. Arneson scored the winner on a mad scramble in front of the Canucks net.
“It was great to see a character comeback. I’m not happy with the way bounces went this week, but we walked away with a split,” Milne said.
He’d like to see the defensive play improve, as several new faces are still learning their role on the squad. Players such as Roman Meltzer, Brett Schimmel and Jakob Lavoie are still growing accustomed to the Eagles match. Schimmel arrived from the Brooks Bandits organization, Jakob Lavoie was acquired from Whitecourt and Meltzer is the latest Canmore local to make the team. Defenseman John Stevens missed both games due to injury.
“We’ve given up too many goals. Eight goals in two games is too much. The guys are still feeling their way through,” Milne said. “You’ll see more healthy competition and that will make sure the guys are doing what’s asked of them.”
New captain Nils Moser earned his first win as captain of the Eagles. The come from behind win was indicative of the team’s new character, he said.
“It felt really good. We fell behind too quickly and it was surprising to all of us. We really regrouped and told ourselves it’s gonna come. We battled the entire way. We earned our win tonight.”
Simpson’s goal in the second period was the turning point, Moser said, as it drew the team within one.
“Simpson will be one of our greatest offensive weapons this year, and when he scored, everyone else thought they could too. We really jumped on the horse after that.”
The puck drops Friday (Sept. 13) at 7 p.m. for the Eagles’ next game against the Mustangs.
