Drive to the top

Drive to the top
The Canmore Eagles raced into first place in the South Division of the Alberta Junior Hockey League with a checkered flag performance over the Bonnyville Pontiacs.
Canmore’s lone home games in October came in the form of a doubleheader with the Bonnyville on Saturday (Oct. 12) and Sunday (Oct. 13) at the Canmore Recreation Centre. The Eagles steered past the Pontiacs with wins of 6-3 and 4-3, respectively.
With the victories, Canmore is now eight wins, two regulation losses and an overtime defeat for 17 points putting the team in pole position in the South, one point up on the Drumheller Dragons (8-2-0-0).
Pontiacs 3 at Eagles 6
Zach Coutu (6 goals this season) and Owen Jones (4) each scored twice for Canmore. Jones also finished with an assist for a three-point game.
The teams were tied 1-1 after 20 minutes on Zach Coutu’s first goal which was answered by a Bronson Ross (1) goal.
Ethan Look (4) and Jones’s first goal gave Canmore a 3-1 lead at the midpoint of the second period. Kailus Green (7) would score a shorthanded marker to bring Bonnyville within one goal, but that was answered 30 seconds later by Cohen Daoust’s (4) power-play marker. Zach Coutu would score a second Eagles power-play goal to round out the middle frame.
In the third period, Jones’s second of the game would give Canmore a four-goal lead with a last-minute consolation marker for Bonnyville by Maxim Borovinsky (2).
Bonnyville outshot Canmore 38-32 with Hudson Sedo in goal for the Eagles and Ryan Tamelin in goal for the Pontiacs.
Pontiacs 3 at Eagles 4
Bonnyville gave a more spirited effort on Sunday afternoon but were undone by some inspired play by Canmore.
The Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the first period on first of the season goals by Bryson Insinger and Carter Davis.
Then in the second period, Canmore answered each of Bonnyville’s goals with quick replies to maintain a two-goal lead. Myles Gauld (1) scored on the power play at 7:11 to get the Pontiacs back within one goal only to have the Eagles’ Daoust (5) answer 26 seconds later. Bonnyville again reduced it to a one-goal deficit on a goal by Christophe Lussier (3) but the Eagles replied 12 seconds on when Kayden Rawji (3) drove unmolested through the low slot and rifled home a Rhett Dekowny pass for what would become the game winner.
The Pontiacs also had a penalty shot with Canmore leading 3-1 with Eagles goaltender Alex Scheiwiller getting his blocker on a Slade Firkus backhander.
The four goals over a 1:56 span sparked the game into an entertaining treat over the final 30 minutes with more than a few heart-stopping moments for Canmore players and fans as the Pontiacs did their outmost to end a six-game losing skid. Scheiwiller needed to be at his best in the third period as he faced 26 shots, with only Dayton Reschny (1) able to beat the netminder during an early period power play.
Bonnyville outshot Canmore 46-36 with Cody Butikis in goal for the Pontiacs.
Canmore heads back out on the road to finish off October with two games against the Oil Barons in Fort McMurray on Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday Oct. 20. Following the trip to Fort McMurray, the Eagles will take a 10-day recuperative break.
The notebook
Zach Coutu is on a seven-game points streak (4G-5A) and has moved into a tie for third overall in league scoring with 13 points (6G-7A).
Sedo leads all goaltenders with a 1.40 goals-against average and a .948 save-percentage. The rookie goalie from St. Albert has won each of his five starts.
Canmore’s Nathan MacPherson-Ridgewell was suspended for Sunday’s game after the forward received a major penalty for a blow to the head early in the third period on Saturday. The team is currently waiting on a disciplinary decision on defenceman Jaren Brinson, who was given a spearing major penalty in the final minute of Sunday’s game.
Canmore’s power play was 2-for-5 on Saturday and 0-for-3 on Sunday and is now ninth overall in the league at 14.3% (6-for-42), while its penalty killing was 4-for-4 on Saturday and 5-for-7 on Sunday and is now a second-best 87% (28-for-34) this season.
Bonnyville is now 2-6-1-1 on the season and riding a seven-game losing streak. The Pontiacs will host the Eagles for a doubleheader to complete the season series on Nov. 1-2.
EAGLES NEST: Tickets for Canmore Eagles’ home games are available at canmoreeagles.ca/tickets. … Canmore’s 12-game November schedule includes the first of two games to be played in Banff this season, Tuesday, Nov. 26 against the Calgary Canucks. … You can also watch all 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