PHOTO: The Banff Fenlands Arena was packed as the Canmore Eagles defeated the visiting Calgary Canucks 5-2 in AJHL action on Wednesday night.
NEXT HOME GAME
Friday, Nov. 14 – Drayton Valley Thunder – Canmore Recreation Centre @ 7 PM
Eagle captain Connor Wilson had two goals and a three point evening to lead the Canmore Eagles to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Canucks in an Alberta Junior Hockey League game played in Banff on Wednesday night.
The victory improves the Eagles record to 11-12-1 and moves them into a tie with the Olds Grizzlys for fifth-place in the AJHL Southern Division standings with 23 points.
The game, the first AJHL game to be played in Banff in 20 years, was played before an enthusiastic crowd of 450 at the Banff Fenlands Arena. Canmore led 1-0 after the first period and held a 3-0 margin after two periods.
With his three point performance, Wilson now has 29 points in just 24 games played and the diminutive Eagle captain now finds himself in 4th-place in the AJHL scoring parade. Joe Serpico (3rd), Ryley Risling (13th) and Kurt Hildebrand (6th) had the other Eagle goals.
Canmore netminder Ryan Ferguson had a very strong game in the Eagle nets and had his bid for shutout ruined with less than four minutes remaining in the third period when the Canucks capitalized on a 5-3 man advantage.
“ It was great to see such a big crowd at the Fenlands Arena and I think both teams enjoyed playing a game there,” said Eagles Head Coach and General Manager Andrew Milne, whose club has now picked up points in three of their last four games. “Fergie made some great saves for us early in the game, it gave us some confidence, and eventually we scored some goals and took over the game. When we got the lead, we were able to use our entire lineup and that kept everyone fresh. It was a good night for our hockey club.”
The Eagles next game is Friday night when they will host the northern division Drayton Valley Thunder (10-9-4). The two teams met last Saturday night in Drayton Valley when the Thunder won 3-2 in an overtime shoot-out. Game time at the Canmore Recreation Centre is 7 PM.
NOTEBOOK: With Eagle defenceman Kevin Wolf sidelined with an upper body injury, the Eagles inserted Banff native Adamu Tanaka into their lineup last night. The sixteen-year-old rear-guard had a solid outing in his AJHL debut and picked up an assist. . . .Goaltender and Banff native Joel Lepper also dressed for the game and backed up Ryan Ferguson . . .With a goal and an assist last night, second-year forward Ryley Risling now has 22 points in 24 games and moves into 14th-place in the AJHL scoring parade. Risling had 10 points in 38 games last season . . . Special thanks to Banff resident Peter Eshenko for all his hard work in helping the Eagles put this game on in Banff. . . Special thanks also to Banff broadcast student Tyler Barrow for doing an excellent job on the PA.