Double Trouble

A pair of heartbreaking losses has the Canmore Eagles looking up in the standings.

Canmore was only able to grab a single point from two games and as a result find themselves in second place in the South Division of the Alberta Junior Hockey League after holding top spot for nearly two months. The Eagles began the week with a 4-3 shootout loss on home ice to the Camrose Kodiaks on Friday (March 7) and then lost 6-5 on the road to the Drayton Valley Thunder.

As a result, Canmore (34-12-5-2) at 75 points is now a single point behind the Calgary Canucks (36-12-2-2) for top spot in the division. To regain top spot, Canmore must win its final regular-season game versus the Grizzlys in Olds on Friday, March 14 and hope that Calgary, which in on a six-game winning streak, gain just one point from games in Drumheller on Friday and back on home ice versus Olds on Saturday, March 15. Should the Eagles lose in overtime or a shootout, a pair of regulation-time losses by the Canucks will also be enough to take back top spot.

Also in the hunt for the overall No. 1 are the North Division-leading Whitecourt Wolverines (34-12-3-3) as they are also at 74 points with two games remaining. The Wolverines finish their season with home games versus Drayton Valley on Friday and Camrose on Saturday.

Canmore took a 3-0 lead in the first period of their final home contest of the season, only to have the Kodiaks rally back helped in large part by the goaltending efforts of Carter Capton, who made 56 saves over 65 minutes and then three more in the shootout.

Ethan Look (his 21st goal) scored 2:52 into the contest and was followed by goals from Cohen Daoust (20) and Owen Jones (22) and it looked like another good night at a packed Canmore Recreation Centre with another sellout crowd of 958.

However, Camrose, a potential first-round, playoff opponent, had other ideas despite just 19 shots in the contest. Luka Taylor (6) scored with 14 seconds remaining in the first period to get the Kodiaks on the board. A pair of second-period goals from Tyson Murray (9 & 10) would tie the game at 3-3, and after a scoreless third period and five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime session, which included a penalty shot save by Eagles goaltender Alex Scheiwiller, the game would need a shootout to decide the winner.

Camrose’s Tyson Murray scored while for Canmore Will Lutic, Daoust and Jones were denied by Capton.

Canmore’s power play, which has been the best it in the league this season, was 0-for-6 in the contest while Camrose was 0-for-3.

Canmore rallied from a 5-1 deficit with four, third-period goals only to lose this contest in the final seconds.

Daoust, who has 28 points (13G-15A) in his last 14 games, kept the Eagles in this game by recording his first hat trick in two seasons of junior A hockey.

Drayton Valley jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening period on goals by Dryden Tomkow (7), Justin Ivanusec (9) and Connor Wolitski (2). A power-play goal by Daoust (21) got Canmore on the board.

The Thunder scored the only two goals of the middle frame, with Ivanusec (10) scoring his second of the game followed by Caedem Emmett (5), to open up a four-goal lead.

Daoust (22) scored 23 seconds into the third period to get the Eagles rolling, then his 23rd of the season just over five minutes later. Affiliate player Miller Komarniski, called up from the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, scored his first junior A goal at 11:08 then helped set up Josh Cleary (8) for the tying goal just 18 seconds later.

As regulation time wound down, Drayton Valley looked to have iced the puck but a hustling Ivanusec outraced two Canmore defenders, centred the puck to Tomkow, whose quick shot found its way past Canmore goaltender Hudson Sedo to settle gently over the goal line for the game-winning goal with 16 seconds left on the clock.

Both teams had 23 shots in this game with Archer Cooke going 51:26 for the Thunder in goal. He was relieved by Nicolas Cristiano for the final 8:34, who was never tested.

Both teams were 1-for-2 on the power play.

There are battles for all four playoff positions in the South Division, with Canmore and Calgary going to the wire for first place, Camrose and Drumheller are in a similar battle for third place. The Kodiaks (30-15-2-5) at 67 points, with two games remaining, are a single point up on the Dragons (31-18-4-0), who have one game left to play.

In the North, Whitecourt will take on the fourth-place Fort McMurray Oil Barons (21-26-3-1) in the opening round of the playoffs, with the second-place Grande Prairie Storm (29-15-1-6) holding a three-point lead over the third-place Lloydminster Bobcats (29-19-1-3) as the two teams battle for home-ice advantage in their first-round matchup. The Storm could seal up second place with victory on Monday (March 10) over the Dratyon Valley Thunder.

Canmore has gone 19 home games with a regulation time defeat (16 regulation wins, two overtime losses and a shootout setback).

Jones is third in league scoring with 61 points (22G-39A). The Canmore native has 17 power-play assists, which tops the league. He finishes the season with points in each of his last 16 home games (12G-22A).

Dekowny is fourth in league scoring with 59 points (27G-32A).

Daoust’s hat trick gives the St. Albert native 44 points (23G-21A) for the season. He is on a four-game, goal-scoring streak (7).

Casey Black’s 12 power-play assists and 16 power-play points are tops among all league defencemen. He is third among all blue liners in scoring with 34 points (9G-25A) in 30 games played.

Kayden Rawji missed both weekend games and has now been absent from seven of the past eight games while recovering from a lower body injury.

Canmore’s 201 goals scored is second to the Calgary Canucks 240 goals, while the 138 goals allowed is third least given up in the league.

Canmore’s power play is the best in the league, operating at 22.4 per cent overall, with a league-leading 59 goals on a league-topping 263 opportunities.

The Eagles’ penalty killing is third best at 84.2 per cent, giving up 32 goals while shorthanded 203 times.

Friday’s attendance pushed Canmore’s average to 760 fans per game this season, fourth best in the AJHL this season behind Grande Prairie (1,561), Fort McMurray (1,102) and Lloydminster (923).

EAGLES NEST: Canmore Eagles’ playoff tickets are available at canmoreeagles.ca/tickets. … If you can’t attend in person, you can watch Eagles’ games as well as the rest of the AJHL online, along with much more live and on demand hockey, through a FloSports subscription available at flohockey.tv.

Russ Ullyot