Sunday, September 9, 2012 – Someone forgot to tell the Canmore Eagles that their exhibition season ended last weekend.
The Eagles took it on the chin last night as they opened their 2012-2013 regular season with a 5-2 loss to the Olds Grizzlys in an Alberta Junior Hockey League game played in Olds.
The tone of the game was set very early when promising Eagle rookie forward Alex Bechtold suffered a broken ankle/foot at the 1:03 mark of the first period when he was crossed checked into the end boards by Old’s Chris Stachiw.
While the 6”1 200 lb Bechtold was being taken to the hospital, the Eagles squandered the resulting five-minute power play and the Grizzlys went on to physically dominate the remainder the game.
Connor Hoekstra had both Eagle goals while rookie Connor Wilson chiiped in with two assists.
“Tonight was a good lesson in how hard we have to work to be successful in this league,” said a disappointed Eagle head coach and general manager Andrew Milne. “We didn’t work hard enough, we made a few mistakes, and it cost us.”
“It was a big loss losing Alex in his first shift. He has a big body and he plays like a bull in a china shop. We could have used him tonight as Olds did a good job of keeping us to the outside.”
The Eagles were outshot 40-25 on the night.
Canmore will attempt to get their first win of the season next weekend at home as the club will host the Whitecourt Wolverines on Friday night (Sept. 14) and the Spruce Grove Saints on Saturday night (Sept. 15). Game time at the Canmore Recreation is 7 pm for both nights.
NOTEBOOK: Prior to the game, Riley Point was named captain of the club while Ciaron Driscoll, Alex Barnes, and Nils Moser were named assistant captains. . . Rookies playing in their first AJHL game for the Eagles last night included Connor Wilson, Alex Bechtold, Ashton McLeod, Kyle Pauls, Ryley Risling and Jordon Revie. . . The early prognosis on Bechtold’s ankle/foot injury is that he will probably be out of action for at least two months. . . .Already sitting in the stands with injuries last night were Jeremy Gordon (ankle), Paul Lamoureux (knee), Jeremy Margeson (knee), and Simon Philp (hip). . . Goaltender Cameron Barnes, following a two-week try-out with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, has returned to Canmore and backed up Ty Swabb last night.