Adrift on frozen ice
The Canmore Eagles pursuit of a better placement when it comes to the Alberta Junior Hockey League playoff picture took a double whammy on the weekend.
On Monday (Feb. 20), Canmore hosted the Olds Eagles in the familiar Family Day matinee at the Canmore Recreation Centre. The Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the first period only to surrender the next four goals with a last-minute counter making it a 4-3 final in favour of the visitors.
Canmore had posted two shutout victories in the recent games with Olds, who were also coming off back-to-back shutout losses prior to Monday’s encounter.
Kyle Young (13) and Logan Ziegler (2), with a power-play marker, gave Canmore a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Olds scored three times in the second period, with Greye Rampton scoring twice, the second on the power play, sandwiched a goal by Tristan Baumung.
Olds took a 4-2 lead in the third period on a goal by Connor Michaud. Vincent Scott (25), who had an earlier goal ruled out for a crease infringement, then scored a last-minute goal that needed a long discussion between officials and the goal judge before it was declared official. However, the Eagles couldn’t find the equalizer over the final 45 seconds.
Canmore outshot Olds 36-31 with Matthew Malin in goal for the Eagles and Marcus Cumberworth in goal for the Grizzlys.
On the power play, Canmore finished 1-for-5 while Olds went 1-for-6.
With the victory, Olds split the season-series with Canmore with each team winning three games.
Bulldogs hit double digits
On Friday (Feb. 18) at the Canmore Recreation Centre, Blackfalds scored early and then often for a 10-1 victory.
Connor Dick and Layne Loomer each recorded hat tricks and one assist. Also, for Blackfalds, Jason Siedem scored twice with Jake Geraci and Brett Meerman rounding out the goal scorers. Brandan Ross had four assists.
Emmanuel Hudson (2) ended the shutout bid by Blackfalds’ Matthew Hennessey at 4:49 of the third period. The veteran Canmore defenceman had gone 35 games between goals.
Blackfalds outshot Canmore 54-31. Malin started the game and was pulled after giving up three goals on six shots at 6:24 of the first period. Andreai Proctor-Ramirez went the rest of the game.
The Bulldogs, who could be a first-round opponent for the Eagles, have won all five games played between these two teams. The teams will meet again March 3 in Blackfalds.
Canmore (22-29-2-2) remains in sixth place in the South Division. The Eagles are four points back of the fifth-place Camrose Kodiaks (25-29-2-2). The Eagles head out on the road for the remainder of February with games at fourth-place Drumheller on Friday (Feb. 24) and seventh-place Calgary on Saturday (Feb. 25).
The final home game of the regular season follows on Wednesday (March 1) versus the Brooks Bandits, 7 p.m. at the Canmore Recreation Centre.