Eagles take first step in South final

You could say Aidan Tkachuk put his “best foot forward” as the Canmore Eagles recorded a 5-4 overtime victory over the Drumheller Dragons in the opening game of the Alberta Junior Hockey League South Division final.

The Canmore forward had Cohen Daoust’s hard pass deflect off his left skate and into the goal for the game winner just 55 seconds into the fourth period. The result gives the Eagles the opening win in this best-of-seven series.

It was an almost improbable victory for Canmore as they were caught on the back foot most of Friday (April 3) night despite grabbing a 3-0 lead in the opening period.

Canmore, the No. 1 seed in the South Division, came into the game off a four-day break after defeating the Calgary Canucks in six games. Drumheller, No. 2 in the South, had just two days to prepare for the opener after a tough seven-game set against the Camrose Kodiaks.

The Eagles made the extra rest count in the early going, racing out to a sizeable lead on goals by Will Lutic (5), Daoust (2) and Ryder Dembo (3) in the opening period.

The Dragons got their feet sorted in the second period with a fast-paced attack that had the Eagles retreating much of the rest of this contest. Nick McLennan (2) and Allen Sherpa (2) reduced the deficit to one goal by 7:47 of the middle frame.

Fortune seemed to smile on Canmore early in the third period when Bryson Insinger (4) chased down a Quinn Keeler hard pass off the end boards and batted the puck as it came out in front of goal and past Drumheller goaltender Sean Cootes.

The Dragons, who rallied from a 3-1 series deficit against the Kodiaks, would then expose the Eagles Achillies heel in these playoffs, scoring two consecutive power-play goals: the first by Sherpa (3), his second goal of the game, at 8:33 and the other by Jensen Marsh (2) at 11:14. Drumheller finished 2-for-4 on the power play while Canmore was 0-for-3.

Drumheller outshot Canmore 20-7 in the third period and 49-29 in regulation time with Alex Scheiwiller’s quick glove hand responsible for keeping the Eagles from falling behind in this game.

An icing call with 50 seconds gone in the overtime brought the face-off into Drumheller’s end where Hudson Landmark drew the puck back to Daoust, who moved toward the right-wing boards and then fired a cross-crease pass that hit Tkachuk as he battled for position in front of the net, pivoting the puck into the goal.

Wild celebrations followed in the once again packed arena, with an announced crowd of 854, that lasted several minutes as hometown fans displayed their appreciation for the solid-footing the Eagles are off to in this series.

Game 2 is Saturday (April 4) at the Canmore Recreation Centre, beginning at 7 p.m.

In the North Division, the No. 1 Whitecourt Wolverines defeated the No. 2 Grande Prairie Storm 4-in their opening game.

Xander Schulte scored his fifth goal of the playoffs and set up one goal as the Wolverines built a 3-0 lead in the second period. Also scoring for Whitecourt were Brendan Ruskowski (5), Nolan Schmidt (2) and Ty Rayan (3). Max Leduc (3) scored the lone Grande Prairie goal.

The goaltending battle features Leland Gil (Grande Prairie) versus Elliott Pratt (Whitecourt). The Storm outshot the Wolverines 31-22, with just one power play, going to the Wolverines, in the game.

The North final follows the same schedule as the South final.

Game 1 – Drumheller 4 at Canmore 5 OT

(Canmore leads series 1-0)

Game 2 – Drumheller at Canmore, Saturday, April 4 (Canmore Recreation Centre, 7 p.m.)

Game 3 – Canmore at Drumheller, Tuesday, April 7 (Drumheller Memorial Arena, 7 p.m.)

Game 4 – Canmore at Drumheller, Wednesday, April 8 (Drumheller Memorial Arena, 7 p.m.)

(if necessary)

Game 5 – Drumheller at Canmore, Friday, April 10 (Canmore Recreation Centre, 7 p.m.)

Game 6 – Canmore at Calgary, Sunday, April 12 (Drumheller Memorial Arena, 2 pm.)

Game 7 – Calgary at Canmore, Tuesday, April 14 (Canmore Recreation Centre, 7 p.m.)

OVERTIME: Two players each from Canmore and Drumheller were named to the AJHL All League South Division squad on Thursday (April 2): Daoust and Scheiwiller from the Eagles were joined by Bradley Gallo and Tristan Payne from the Dragons. Rounding out the South squad were Calgary Canucks Harper LoLacher and Drayton Valley Thunder Taynton Lavender. … Playoff tickets are on sale on the Canmore Eagles website. canmoreeagles.ca/tickets. … You can also follow the Canmore Eagles at home and on the road throughout the playoffs with your local broadcast team – Russ Ullyot (play-by-play) and Zach Ahmin (analyst) – at flohockey.tv. … The Eagles are in need of volunteers to help with game day experiences, email info@canmoreeagles.com for more information on opportunities and perks that come with being part of the Game Day Crew.