Doubling down on Kodiaks

The Camrose Kodiaks came to Canmore hot. The Canmore Eagles play in November was not. That was turned on its head Friday (Nov. 22) and Saturday (Nov. 23) at the Canmore Recreation Centre. The Eagles skated to victories of 5-1 and 5-2, respectively, for their first wins since the first day of November.

Canmore had lost its last six games – two in overtime – and were up against a Camrose team that had won five in a row – including knocking off the No. 1 overall Grand Prairie Storm for the last two of those victories. Friday’s regulation-time loss was the first in more than a month for the Kodiaks, dating back nine games to Oct. 16.

The Eagles found an offensive voice with five goals in back-to-back games for the first time this season after scoring a total of five goals in their previous five games. The Eagles were tied for last place in the league in average goals per game (2.60) prior to the weekend outburst.

Ethan Look was the catalyst for that production picking up three goals and one assist over the two games, including scoring the game winner in both contests.

Alex Scheiwiller was solid in goal in both games, stopping 45 of 48 shots. The 2005-born goaltender from Calgary has been between the pipes for five consecutive games as rookie teammate Hudson Sedo has been training with the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders.

With the weekend results, Canmore (13-6-3-0), which lost top spot in the South Division during its losing streak to fall to third, is now in second place tied on 29 points with Camrose (13-7-1-2). The Kodiaks, now third, lost top spot in the South to the Calgary Canucks (14-7-1-1), who are on 30 points after splitting their weekend results: a 6-3 loss to the Lloydminster Bobcats (13-9-1-2) on Friday and a 7-2 win over the Bonnyville Pontiacs (7-11-1-1) on Saturday.

Canmore continues its home stand this week, hosting Calgary on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at the Banff Fenlands Recreation Centre followed by the first visit for the expansion Devon Xtreme (4-17-1-1) to the Canmore Recreation Centre on Friday. The Eagles then travel to Drumheller on Saturday, Nov. 30 to take on the Dragons (12-10-1-0). All game times are 7 p.m.

Camrose came out quickly and fired 13 shots on the Canmore net in the opening 10-plus minutes of the first period, with the last of those shots finally besting a sensational, game-saving, opening-period performance by Scheiwiller. AJ Schaaf (his 6th goal of the season) would give the Kodiaks a 1-0 lead at 10:07 but the rest of the night belonged to the Eagles.

Canmore had just four shots on goal when Camrose took the lead but fired another 15 in the period and 40 in total at Kodiaks’ rookie goaltender Noah Caballero. The Brampton, Ont. native was forced into the starting role when Carter Capton, who had appeared in 17 of 21 games, answered a call from the Vancouver Giants to play in the WHL just before the weekend set.

Camrose also saw its top scorer, rookie Ian Olonso (19GP-8G-13A—21PTS) poached by the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL (an unsanctioned junior A league) in the week leading up to the games in Canmore.

Kayden Rawji (7) would tie the game for Canmore in the opening period, exactly four minutes after the Kodiaks took the lead.

Look would score the first of his two goals at 1:35 of the second period, taking a pass from defence Carter Davis, who had pinched down on the right wing boards from his point spot, during a 4-on-4 situation, wiring a low, hard shot from the slot past the right pad of Caballero.

Cammore would blow open the game with three goals in the third period. Owen Jones (5), returning to the lineup after serving a five-game suspension, Look (8) and Cohen Daoust (6) scored.

Canmore outshot Camrose 40-27 but the Eagles were 0-for-7 on the power play while the Kodiaks were 0-for-4.

The power-play unit came to life on Saturday, with two goals in a four-goal first period outburst for Canmore.

Canmore’s leading scorer Zach Coutu (9) opened the scoring just 74 seconds into the game with Camrose’s top points producer Sam Lozinski (10) answering for Camrose.

Power-play goals by Rhett Dekowny (6) and Look (9) gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead with Jones’s (6) second in as many games making it 4-1 after 20 minutes. Zach Coutu would make the pass to Look for what proved the game winner, skating hard down the right wing and making a cross-crease pass to Look, who had a simple tap-in on the far post.

Canmore kept its cool in a game that devolved into a feisty affair and included a major penalty and game misconduct to Kodiak Nicholas Larkin when he threw a high elbow on Look late in the first period. The Eagles would finish 2-for-6 on the power play while giving the Kodiaks just one power-play opportunity.

The teams would trade goals in the third period with Tavynn Schlaht (3) scoring for Canmore and Tavish Beagle (1) scoring for Camrose.

Canmore outshot Camrose 42-21 with Scheiwiller and Caballero the goaltenders of record.

Zach Coutu recorded his first two-point game (1G-1A) in eight games on Saturday. Coutu had a stretch in October and including Nov. 1 of recording at least two points in five of six games. The Edmonton native has two goals and two assists in his last eight games and a season total 24 points (9G-15A), seventh overall in the AJHL.

Look’s two goals on Friday and goal and assist on Saturday brings him to 17 points (9G-8A) for the season. He is tied with Zach Coutu for the team lead in goals.

Dekowny finished the weekend with one goal and two assists and has improved to 17 points (6G-11A) on the season.

Jones had points in both games (2G-1A) in his return to the lineup after being sidelined three weeks by suspension. The Canmore native has 14 points (6G-8A) in 17 games.

Rawji also had points in both games (1G-2A) and is now on 16 points (7G-9A) for the season.

Rookie defenceman Liam Magnuson had assists in both games. With three helpers in his last four games, the Calgary native now has six points (1G-5A) this season.

Defenceman Christian Luke also had assists in both games and now has four points (1G-3A) in 16 games with the Eagles. He also has one assist from his short time (3 games) with Calgary.

Davis’s assist on Friday was his first point in nine games. He has five points (1G-4A) in 22 games this season.

Still on the dry side as far as goals and assists are concerned: Bryson Insinger (1G-2A—3PTS) has gone pointless in 10 games; Haruki Morikawa (0G-3A) nine games; and Nathan MacPherson-Ridgewell (2G-3A) seven games.

With two wins on the ledger, Scheiwiller improved his season record to 6-4-3-0, while lowering his goals-against average to 2.80 and improving his save-percentage to .905.

Hudson Sedo is expected to return to Canmore this week but not for long as he has been invited to the Canada West selection camp for the World Junior A Challenge that will be played in Camrose, Dec. 9-15.

With Sedo unavailable, the Eagles called up 17-year-old Calgary Buffaloes U18 AAA goaltender Colton Scott for Friday’s contest, and had to use the AJHL’s emergency backup goaltender rule to put 15-year-old Edge School goaltender Leif Oaten on the bench for Saturday’s game.

The central Alberta town of Rimbey, population 2,500, was well represented on the weekend. Eagles’ defence Keston Beagle faced off against his older brother Keagan Beagle and cousin Tavish Beagle, an affiliate callup from the Red Deer Chiefs U18, who played Saturday. Tavish’s first junior hockey goal ties him with the total output this season of the brotherly defence duo of Keagan, one goal, and Keston, who is still looking for his first goal.

Canmore was again without Jaren Brinson (ankle) and Cole Wadsworth (shoulder), both are long-term injuries.

EAGLES NEST: Tickets for Canmore Eagles’ home games are available at canmoreeagles.ca/tickets. … You can watch Eagles’ games as well as the rest of the AJHL online, along with much more live and on demand sports, through a FloSports subscription available at flohockey.tv.

Russ Ullyot