Wednesday, September 26, 2012 – For 63 minutes and 22 seconds, Canmore Eagle’s goaltender Ty Swabb was absolutely perfect.
Unfortunately one costly miscue by the netminder proved fatal as a poor clearing attempt behind his own net resulted in a 1-0 overtime loss to the Okotoks Oilers in Alberta Junior Hockey League action last night in Okotoks.
With the two teams playing three men aside as per AJHL overtime rules, Swabb whiffed on his clearing attempt and the puck was picked off by Oiler’s forward Tanner Olstad in the corner. While Swabb was scrambling to get back in his net, Olstad quickly fed team-mate Nick Jospehs in the slot who then pulled the trigger and found the back of the net for the game winner.
Despite the gaff, Swabb was named the Eagle’s “Star of the Game” and certainly kept his team in the game throughout regulation time and stopped a clear-cut breakaway in overtime. Oiler’s goaltender Jared D’Amico got the shutout and was awarded the Oiler’s “Star of Game”.
“That was a game that we could of, should of, won, but they took advantage of a bad break and it was game over for us,” said Eagle’s Head Coach and General Manager Andrew Milne, whose team was outshot 35-33 on the night. “It would have been great to get the two points, but we still came out of here with a point, so it is, what it is. We played a very solid road game and I was pleased with our intensity and effort. Swabb played a great game for us and I feel bad for him that it ended the way it did. He deserved a better fate.”
Although obviously disappointed with the final outcome, the fact that the Eagles picked up a single point in the standings could be considered a moral victory for the club as they lost all six games to the Oilers last season and were outscored 36-12 in the process.
With the single point gained, the Eagles now sport an impressive early season record of 4-1-1. They are a perfect 3-0 at home and a .500 hockey club on the road.
The Eagles will now travel to Spruce Grove for the annual AJHL Showcase Weekend and will play the Grande Prairie Storm (2-3-1) on Friday Sept. 28 at 5 pm, and the Bonnyville Pontiacs (5-1-2) on Saturday Sept. 29 at 12 noon.
Canmore’s next home game is Saturday October 6 when the Calgary Canucks come to town for a 7 pm game.
NOTEBOOK: Eagle forward Simon Philp, who has not played a game this year, will undergo hip surgery in Calgary on Oct. 5. If all goes well, Philp will be able to resume skating in December and could possibly return to the lineup in the New Year. . . Forward Dylan Houston of Stettler, Alberta made his AJHL debut with the Eagles last night. With the season ending ankle injury to rookie Alexander Bechtold, there was an open spot on the Eagle roster.
