The Canmore Eagles saw their three game winning streak come to an end on Friday night as the hometown Drumheller Dragons defeated the Eagles 5-3 in Alberta Junior Hockey League action played before a crowd of 653 at the Drumheller Memorial Arena.
The Eagles now sport an early season record of 3-3, while the Dragons improved their record to an identical 3-3 mark.
The Dragons jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead and never trailed in the game.
Coy Prevost (1st), Lane Olson (2nd) and Jake Ashton (2nd) had the Canmore goals while Eagle netminder Ryan Gilchrist took the loss and saw his record drop to 3-2. Drumheller outshot the Eagles by a 35-34 margin.
“We got off to a slow start and couldn’t make up for it,” said Eagles Head Coach and General Manager Andrew Milne, whose club went 0-4 on the powerplay and failed to capitalize on a first-period penalty shot. “We played much better as the game progressed and had there been one more period, I think we could have won the game. But it was too little, too late. I thought they capitalized on their chances and we didn’t. We had plenty of scoring opportunities, but just couldn’t convert.”
The Eagles will remain on the road for their next three games with encounters scheduled for Olds on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and two AJHL Showcase games in Camrose against Grande Prairie (Friday, Oct. 2) and Sherwood Park (Saturday, Oct. 3).
NOTEBOOK: All Eagle players will be out in force at tonight’s annual Town Party at the Canmore Golf and Curling Club. The Party will feature live entertainment from two popular Bow Valley bands – Sully’s Garage and Cronic. Tickets are just $25 and will be available at the door. Doors open at 7 pm, with Sully’s Garage hitting the stage at 9 pm. The night will also feature plenty of silent auctions, a live auction, bratwurst snacks, door prizes and will be emceed by Calgary Fames announcer Beesley. Come on out and meet the players, enjoy the music, and have some
