Eagles extend perfect run at Centennial Cup

The Canmore Eagles are headed to the knockout round of the Centennial Cup.

The Alberta Junior Hockey League champions delivered a stunning blow to the host Summerside Western Capitals, winning 5-1 on Sunday (May 10) evening to improve to three wins – two in regulation and one in overtime – and eight points.

The Eagles may not have needed a miracle from John Szabo tonight, but the captain wasted no time making his presence felt — striking just 18 seconds after puck drop to ignite his team. Cohen Daoust would score two goals. Reid Larson had one goal and one assist. Cole Wadsworth also scored for the Eagles.

“I had (Summerside) pegged as one of the best teams in the tournament,” said Eagles GM/Head Coach Andrew Milne. “They are big. They are strong. They skate well. They are at home. There are a lot of things that are pointing in their direction.

“From that perspective, I knew it was going to be a game, and we were coming off a bad game [despite a 3-2 victory over Thunder Bay] and I know we respond well after a bad game,” said Milne.

Alex Scheiwiller was sensational in goal turning aside 33 of 34 shots. Through three games, the Eagles’ netminder has a 1.66 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage.

“It’s pretty easy to play behind these guys,” said Scheiwiller. “They give me a lot of confidence. I know they are going to bail me out, no matter what happens. It’s fun to play. It’s cool. At the end of the day, they are my best friends, and there is nobody I would rather play behind.”

Pouncing right from the start, Szabo intercepted a pass deep in the Summerside zone, spun and swept the puck under goaltender Justin Robinson to give the captain goals in each of the three games – the other two were game winners.

The Eagles lost Aidan Tkachuk 17:31 into the first period when a soft checking from behind penalty earned the forward a mandatory game misconduct.

“I thought when we lost Tkachuk everyone stepped up,” said Milne, who defended the officials despite not liking the decision. “We were told (about the penalty call) at the start of the tournament … because that is what they want [called].”

Lutic would replace Tkachuk on the line with Daoust and Hudson Landmark in the second period. It paid off at 3:23 when Lutic along the end boards, backhanded a pass to a wide open Daoust in front of goal, who then stepped around Robinson and backhanded the puck into the goal.

Summerside would get on the board at 17:08 off a rush when Elliott Mullen’s one-timer from the top of the face-off circles bounced in off the Scheiwiller’s right leg after striking the post. It was just the fifth goal against the netminder in this tournament

Wadsworth would renew the two-goal lead at 18:33, when he worked back to a pass into the slot from Tavynn Hamilton and fired a low, shot past Robinson’s right pad.

“There was just so many positives through that whole unit,” Milne said of Wadsworth, Hamilton and Miller Komarniski. “(Hamilton) gets two assists and plays a hell of a game.”

Daoust and Lutic would combine again for Canmore’s fourth goal 13 seconds into the third period. The play started with a long, high clearance by Reid Larson, with Lutic skating onto the puck in the Summerside zone and backhanding it to a late arriving Daoust, who let loose with a quick, hard shot, glove side that Robinson had no chance to save for his third goal in this Centennial Cup.

Summerside would pull their netminder during a mid-period power play that led to an officiating blunder when the penalty ended. The Western Capitals were dinged for too many men when during the run of play they switched out a skater for the goaltender despite it being a perfectly executed change.

The Eagles would not score with the man advantage but with the pressure still being applied shortly after the penalty ended Larson fired a long shot from the blue line through a heavy screen for the game’s final goal at 14:25.

The first fighting major of 16 post-season games for a Canmore player would come with less than two minutes to play when Landon Scott was forced to defend himself against Summerside’s Carson Griffin.

“I thought we made a statement out there,” said the goaltender. “We played a team game. What we have done all year when one guy goes down – Tkachuk is kicked out of the game – another guy steps up and that’s their role. Everyone does their job, and we have had success with that … it keeps working out.”

Canmore finished with 27 shots while neither team was able to capitalize on any of the numerous power plays: five for the Western Capitals and nine for the Eagles.

The Pool A standings show Canmore in first place with eight points followed by the Manitoba Junior Hockey League Niverville Nighthawks at five points and Summerside on three points.

Canmore and Niverville face-off on Tuesday, May 12 (1 p.m. MT) with the Nighthawks, who will have had two days of rest. A regulation or overtime win by the Eagles would give them first place in Pool A and a spot in a semifinal game on Saturday.

“I’m excited for Tuesday,” said Scheiwiller. “It’s been best-on-best every single game – we will see what happens.”

There is just one Pool A game on Monday, May 11, a must win game for both Rockland and Thunder Bay to stay in contention for a playoff spot. The pre‑tournament favourite and Central Canada Hockey League champion Nationals have just a single point – an overtime loss to Canmore – from their first two games, while the Superior International Hockey League’s North Stars have suffered back‑to‑back losses.

In Pool B, the idle Toronto Patriots lead after a pair of dominant wins, outscoring opponents 15-5. The Ontario Junior Hockey League champions will be looking to clinch a playoff spot when they take on the Maritime Junior Hockey League champion Truro Bearcats in the last of three games to be played on Monday (4:30 p.m. MT).

Truro edged Collège Français de Longueuil 2-1 on Sunday. It was a pair of Quebec hockey products that led the way for the Bearcats as Tristan St-Gelais and Antoine Fontaine each had one goal and one assist.

Truro is tied with CF de Longueuil and the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League champion Greater Sudbury Cubs, each with records of one win and one loss.

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League champion Flin Flon Bombers have lost both games and face a must-win clash against Greater Sudbury in the opening Monday contest (9 a.m. MT).

OVERTIME: Szabo has six points (3G-3A) and is second in tournament scoring. … Lutic is on four assists, tied for the lead with three other players – all from the Patriots – and shares third in overall scoring with five points (1G-4A). … All games are being streamed by pay-per-view on HNLive.ca, with Sunday’s championship game also available on TSN+. … Patrinos Steak House & Pub is hosting all-ages watch parties throughout the Centennial Cup to bring Canmore Eagles’ fans together to cheer on and celebrate the team. … The Canmore Eagles Go Fund Me page, is approaching its goal of $35,000 to cover expenses and give the players an experience they will forever cherish. The fund is currently at more than $32,300. For more information go to gofundme.com/f/canmore-eagles-at-the-centennial-cup-in-prince-edward-island.

(RW-OTW-OTL-RL—Pts)

Pool A: 1. Canmore (2-1-0-0—8), 2. Niverville (1-1-0-0—5), 3. Summerside (1-0-1-1—4), 4. Rockland (0-0-1-1—1), 5. Thunder Bay (0-0-0-2—0).

Pool B: 1. Toronto (2-0-0-0—6), 2. CF de Longueuil (1-0-0-1—3), 3. Truro (1-0-0-1—3), 4. Great Sudbury (1-0-0-1—3), 5. Flin Flon (0-0-0-2—0).

(All times MT)

Monday, May 11: Flin Flon vs Greater Sudbury, 9 a.m.; Rockland vs Thunder Bay, 1 p.m.; Toronto vs Truro, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 12: Greater Sudbury vs CF de Longueuil, 9 a.m.; Niverville vs Canmore, 1 p.m.; Thunder Bay vs Summerside, 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 13: CF de Longueuil vs Toronto, 9 a.m.; Rockland vs Niverville, 1 p.m.; Truro vs Flin Flon, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, May 15: Quarter-final No. 1, 1 p.m.; Quarter-final No. 2, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16: Semifinal No. 1, 1 p.m.; Semifinal No. 2, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday: May 17: Championship Game, 4 p.m.

May 7: Greater Sudbury 3 Toronto 8; Rockland 2 Canmore 3 (OT); Niverville 5 Summerside 4 (OT)

May 8: Flin Flon 0 CF de Longueuil 1; Canmore 3 Thunder Bay 2; Greater Sudbury 4 Truro 1.

May 9: Thunder Bay 2 Niverville 7; Flin Flon 2 Toronto 7; Summerside 4 Rockland 2

May 10: Truro 2 CF de Longueuil 1; Summerside 1 Canmore 5