Saturday, October 20, 2012 – The Canmore Eagles kicked off their three game road trip on a winning note last night as they defeated the Bonnyville Pontiacs 5-2 in Alberta Junior Hockey League action in Bonnyville.
Zack Rassell led the Eagle charge with a pair of goals (8th and 9th) and an assist, while Steven Phee (8th), Luke Simpson (6) and Paul Lamoureux (2) chipped in with singles. Team captain Riley Point also had a pair of assists on the night.
Eagle netminder Ty Swabb stopped 30 of 32 Pontiac shots to improve his record to 4-2-2 and lower his goals against average to 2.36. Swabb was especially sharp in the third period as the Eagles played shorthanded three times and were outshot by a wide 16-1 margin.
Special teams were a big factor as the Eagle’s power-play produced two goals on five opportunities, while the penalty killing unit allowed just one goal on seven Pontiac power-play opportunities.
“We played a great team game tonight,” said Eagles head coach and general manager Andrew Milne. “We got off to a 3-0 first period lead and set ourselves up nicely for the win. Our power-play was clicking and our PK did a solid job. Our defenceman all played well, especially veterans like Johnny Stevens and Alex Barnes. Although the shots on goal wouldn’t indicate it, we didn’t give up a lot of quality scoring chances, and when we did, Swabb was there for us. Playing three games in 2 ½ days is a big challenge, but getting a win in the first game is a wonderful way to start it off.”
The Eagles, now 6-4-3, will be back on the ice tonight as they will visit Lloydminster for a rematch against the Bobcats (3-10-2). The two teams played each other in Canmore last Friday night with the Eagles winning 4-1. Following Saturday night’s game, the Eagles will head to Drumheller for a Sunday afternoon game against the Dragons (5-9-1).
NOTEBOOK: With his three-points last night, Rassell now sits in 6th-place in the AJHL scoring parade with 19 points (9 g & 10 a) in 13 games. . . With his two-point performance, Simpson now has 10 points in his last six games . . .Eagle forward Nils Moser returned to the lineup last night after missing the past two games with a knee sprain. . . .With the victory, the Eagles now sit in fourth-place in the AJHL Southern Division standings with 15 points and are just four points behind the second-place Calgary Mustangs. The Eagles have played three less games than the Mustangs. . . Sunday afternoon’s game in Drumheller will be a tough one as the Dragons are coming off two big home ice victories this week defeating the Olds Grizzlys 5-1 on Oct. 17, and a 6-0 shutout of the Okotoks Oilers last night.
