PHOTO: Luke Simpson had a goal and two assists to lead the Eagles to a 4-2 victory over the Olds Grizzlys on Sunday afternoon.
UPCOMIMG HOME GAMES
Friday, December 20 – Camrose Kodiaks – 7 PM
Saturday, December 21 – Lloydminster Bobcats – 7 PM
Led by Luke Simpson’s one goal and two assist effort and some stellar goaltending from rookie Ryan Ferguson, the Canmore Eagles defeated the Olds Grizzlys 4-2 in an Alberta Junior Hockey League game played in Olds on Sunday afternoon.
The victory improved the Eagle's season record to 20-15-2 and enabled Canmore to conclude their three-game weekend road trip on a winning note after losing their first two games – 3-1 on Friday night in Spruce Grove and 7-5 on Saturday night in Sherwood Park.
In Sunday’s victory, Olds outshot the Eagles by a wide 51-23 margin but Ferguson held the fort stopping all but two Grizzly shots and was named the Eagle’s “Star of the Game” for the ninth time this season. The rookie now sports an impressive 13-7-1 record and a save percentage of .936.
Simpson, with his 12th, Jeremy Margeson (8th), Joe Serpcio (9th) and Jordan Revie (11th) had the Eagle goals.
“We received a very gritty effort from a lot of our guys on Sunday afternoon,” said Eagle’s Head Coach and General Manager Andrew Milne. “With games on Friday and Saturday night, we’d played a lot of hockey in a short period of time, and we knew that Olds was going to come out and take it to us but we didn’t back down. Fergie made some great saves for us to give us confidence and we received some great leadership from our veteran players. Luke Simpson, Jeremy Margeson and Jordan Revie were great as a line. And the Lane Olson, Kyle Pauls and Kurt Hildebrand line gave us a ton of energy when we needed it. Olds was relentless in their attack but our defenceman did an excellent job of containing their second chances and opportunities.”
The victory moved the Eagles back into fourth-place in the AJHL Southern Division standings with 42 points, just three points back of third-place Drumheller, five points back of second-place Okotoks, and six points back of the first-place Brooks Bandits. It also marked the first time that Canmore has recorded 20 victories before the Christmas break since the 2004-2005 AJHL season.
The Eagles will wrap up the 2013 portion of their AJHL schedule with a pair of home games this weekend. The Camrose Kodiaks will pay a visit to Canmore on Friday, December 20 while the Lloydminster Bobcats will provide the opposition on Saturday, December 21. Both games will start on 7 PM. The Eagles are an impressive 14-4 on home ice. Calgary Flames PA announcer “Beesley” will handle the Eagle’s PA duties during the Saturday, December 21 home game.
NOTEBOOK: In his six games played since returning from a dislocated elbow on Dec. 6, Luke Simpson has recorded seven points, including four goals and three assists. . .Connor Wilson continues to lead the team in overall scoring with 35 points (9 G & 26 A) in 37 games . . . Defenceman Trey Phillips leads the team in goals scored with 15 and leads the AJHL in overall scoring by a defenceman with 33 points.