Rising from the ashes of injuries and inconsistent play in September, the Canmore Eagles appear reborn.
Hard hitting, tight forechecking and top-notch goaltending have led to a five-game win streak by defeating the top teams in the AJHL. Heading into what looked like one of their toughest stretches of the season, the Eagles haven’t lost a game since Oct. 20.
“Those losing streaks we saw in September and early October, that’s the old Eagles. We’re a different club now. We’re the new Eagles,” said goaltender Ryan Ferguson.
They beat Brooks and Okotoks twice and now sit fourth in the southern division, one point behind the third-place Drumheller Dragons.
The Eagles extended their streak to five games with a 2-1 win over the Calgary Canucks on Monday (Nov. 4). Ferguson stopped 24 shots and Bryan Arneson and newly acquired forward Joe Serpico scored for the Eagles.
“The guys are playing really well right now. The guys are playing well enough now that good things are happening. That makes it easy to form good habits,” said head coach Andrew Milne.
Limiting scoring chances, forcing turnovers and moving the puck quickly up-ice have been the keys to success for the Eagles. Each game, Milne gives the team goals to hit in terms of scoring chances, shots, etc. Now, they’re meeting his expectations.
“We’re a big club that skates well,” said Milne, who was absent for the first three games of the streak working with Team Canada West.
Captain Nils Moser returned to the lineup on Monday as the Eagles’ injury woes are now limited to leading scorer Luke Simpson, who is out of the lineup with a dislocated elbow.
The supporting cast has also improved its play.
“Simon Philp, he was an unknown coming into the season. The coaching staff had faith in him after last year was a write-off. He’s been really good,” said Milne. “Other than the usual suspects like (Trey) Phillips, (John) Stevens and (Jeremy) Margeson, Austen Hebert’s game has been outstanding. He’s a character kid and to win by one goal so many times, you need character.”
Milne did bolster the Eagles’ lineup by adding Serpico from the Calgary Mustangs. Serpico has five goals and seven assists in 16 games this season. The Eagles sent forward Bryan Huck to the Mustangs in return.
“We needed to improve our offence with Simpson out. It was a deal we had to make. Serpico is a proven forward. He got the winner Monday night and assisted on the winner on Friday, so already he’s made a positive contribution,” Milne said.
Milne said he’s always known the Eagles had a good team, so he’s not surprised by the early success.
“I was confident coming into the season. We got bit by injuries and needed other guys to contribute. Fergie has been great for us and I think Cam Barnes will be as well,” Milne said.
The Eagles play back-to-back home games on Friday against Whitecourt and the Calgary Mustangs on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 8-9)respectively. Milne won’t reveal which goaltender will start.
