Eagles schedule changes
The Canmore Eagles have added four more games to their Alberta Junior Hockey League schedule to get them to 57 games for the regular season.
The AJHL announced on Wednesday (Feb. 7) schedule changes that will see each of the 11 teams complete 57 regular-season games ending on Saturday, March 2. The top five teams will then watch as the league introduces best-of-five, play-in scenarios for the remaining six teams: 6 versus 11, 7 vs 10, 8 vs 9. When the playoffs do begin, it will be best-of-seven series with the top seed taking on the lowest remaining seed.
Canmore is currently in sixth place with 44 points from 51 games. The Eagles (21-28-1-1) are 10 points behind the fifth-place Lloydminster Bobcats (27-23-0-0) and two points ahead of the seventh-place Grande Prairie Storm (18-24-4-2 entering play Wednesday night) and eighth-place Camrose Kodiaks (18-26-0-6).
Canmore’s revised schedule has the team hosting the ninth-place Fort McMurray Oil Barons (15-30-2-2), an originally scheduled contest on Thursday, Feb. 15, and a newly added game on Saturday, Feb. 17. The two games against the Oil Barons have 7 p.m. start times at the Canmore Recreation Centre.
The11th-place Olds Grizzlys (10-33-2-3) come to Canmore on Family Day Monday, Feb. 19, an originally scheduled matinee game with a 2 p.m. start followed by the annual Skate With The Eagles event.
The following three games have been added to round out the Eagles’ regular season: Canmore at Olds on Friday, Feb. 23; fourth-place Calgary Canucks (26-21-1-2) at Canmore on Tuesday, Feb. 27; and Canmore at Camrose on Friday, March 1.
The play-in series begin the first full week of March, followed by the post-season playoff tournament that culminates with the league champion representing Alberta at the 2024 Centennial Cup, the national junior A championship, May 9-19 in Oakville, Ont.