Eagles battle illness, injuries to gain weekend split

The Canmore Eagles aren’t the only team having to deal with injuries and illness but it would be hard to match the importance of the players sidelined for this Alberta Junior Hockey League club.

Still, the Eagles managed to gain an important 4-3 shootout win on Sunday (Feb. 15) afternoon over the Lloydminster Bobcats to regain control of top spot in the South Division.

Canmore went into the game off a 7-1 loss to the Bonnyville Pontiacs on Saturday (Feb. 14). Not only did they lose the game but also Hudson Landmark in the second period for an unknown time frame with a lower-body injury.

The Eagles were already dealing with the absences of defencemen Cart Kowalyk, Casey Black, Evan Markel, Reid Larson and forward Gus Schill due to injuries. Unable to go on the weekend were forwards Easton Milne and Will Lutic due to illness.

Sunday’s victory gives Canmore (26-18-1-1) 54 points, two more than the Camrose Kodiaks (25-19-2-0) who also played two home games on the weekend but lost both: 4-3 to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons on Saturday and 3-1 to the Olds Grizzlys – who dressed just 15 skaters – on Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday night, a pair of junior A rookies in goaltender Nathan Salisbury (16-12/3.11/.906), who made 45 saves, and Gavin Harrision, who scored his first junior A hat trick, led another dominating performance by the Pontiacs against the Eagles.

Bonnyville is fifth in the North Division but has had Canmore’s licence plate number this season, winning three of four meetings with one more to come next weekend.

It would take a pretty optimistic individual to think Canmore had a chance on Sunday against Lloydminster, who had already beaten the Drumheller Dragons 3-1 on Friday and Calgary Canucks 5-0 on Saturday on its weekend road trip through South Division teams.

The Eagles would dress 11 forwards and six defencemen on Sunday with one of those being 15-year-old Charlie Leonard, who played both games, from the Calgary International Hockey Academy.

Canmore though battled hard and despite giving up the lead on two occasions would eventually get the shootout victory.

John Szabo continued to shine offensively with two goals on Sunday to get to 20 on the season. Since being appointed Eagles’ captain, he has registered points in eight consecutive games (7G-6A) and is now up to 39 points (20G-19A) in 40 games this season.

Linemate Ryder Dembo picked up assists in both games to extend his points streak to six games (3G-5A) – including assists in five consecutive games. The January acquisition has 12 points (5G-7A) in 11 games.

Canmore has nine games remaining this season and will take on these same two teams next weekend as part of a three games in three days road trip: Friday, Feb. 20, in Camrose; Saturday, Feb. 21, in Bonnyville, and Sunday, Feb. 22, in Lloydminster.

Nothing in hockey can inspire a team more than a hot goaltender and the Bonnyville got exactly what they needed on Saturday.

Salisbury made 22 saves in the second period, and the Pontiacs motored away in the third period for their second successive lopsided win over Canmore this season.

The Pontiacs, who are fifth in the North Division, defeated the Eagles 6-1 at the AJHL Showcase event in Red Deer in mid-January.

The Eagles had the first six shots of this game and kept the Pontiacs from even registering a shot on goal for the opening 11½ minutes but then visitors pumped 13 shots on the Canmore goal over the reminder of the period and scored twice: Ben Costantino (15) and Harrison (20).

Canmore ramped up its attack in the second period and looked to have gotten back in the game on a Cole Wadsworth (4) goal at 5:22 but Salisbury would lock the doors and keep the Eagles’ offence parked the rest of the night.

Harrison (21) would add his second goal late in the period for a 3-1 Bonnyville lead.

In the third period, the Pontiacs motored away with four goals, including Harrison (22) completing his hat trick and a second goal by Constantino (16). Also scoring were Riley Pederson (5) and Deegan Kinniburgh (8).

Bonnyville outshot Canmore 47-46 with the Pontiacs firing 24 shots on Alex Scheiwiller (17-13/3.07/.916) in the third period.

On the power play, Bonnyville was 3-for-4 and Canmore 0-for-5.

Canmore finally corrected an omission on its standing’s table by winning a game that went into overtime or a shootout this season – although they have only been involved in three such contests.

Jonathan Gomez scored the game winner in the fifth round of shooters stickhandling his way around Lloydminster netminder Ty Matonovich (11-6/2.31/.918) and sliding the puck over the line. Canmore goaltender Hudson Sedo (9-7/2.99/.911) then slammed the door on Gus Elt-Thhan’s shot at the other end of the ice.

Bobcat Raphael Messier scored and Canmore’s Cohen Daoust replied during the three-shooter round.

Szabo (19) gave the Eagles the lead 6:39 into the first period only to have Jaxan Hopko (8) tie it up at 19:49 of the period.

Kate Fendelet (12) gave the visitors the lead at 11:04 of the second period. The home side would score two power-play goals in the final minutes of the period. Aidan Tkachuk (24) tipped in Daoust’s point shot during a 5-on-3 at 19:12. Then Szabo (20) fired a point shot 27 seconds later that never left the ice and didn’t stop until it found the back of the net.

Fendelet (13) then scored his second of the game at 13:17 of the third period to knot the contest at 3-3.

During the five-minute, 3-on-3 session, the Bobcats thought they had won the game during a goalmouth scramble with 2:59 to play. The players rushed off the ice in celebration, followed by the coaching staff, only to have to return to the playing surface – and face the wrath of the home crowd – after a lengthy conversation among the officials denied the goal due to the net being dislodged during the scramble.

Lloydminster would get a power play in overtime when Daoust was tagged for a high sticking call. Then with 14 seconds the respective captains and multi-goal scorers in this contest – Szabo and Fendelet — would be denied a chance to participate in the shootout when they were ejected with 10-minute misconducts after getting tied up with each other on the end boards behind the Canmore goal.

Canmore outshot Lloydminster 44-34.

The power play was good for both teams with the Bobcats going 2-for-4 and the Eagles 2-for-3. Canmore came into the game having scored just two power-play goals on 21 chances in its previous five games.

OVERTIME: The Canmore Eagles are always in need of volunteers to help with game day experiences whether you are new to the game or an avid hockey supporter, email info@canmoreeagles.com for more information on opportunities and perks that come with being part of the Game Day Crew. … Can’t get to a game in person, you can follow the Canmore Eagles at home or on the road with a Flohockey account. Go to flohockey.tv.