Eagles up for AJHL awards

The Canmore Eagles wrapped up the regular season with a 5-3 win over the Old Grizzlys on the same day a trio of players and its head coach were nominated for several Alberta Junior Hockey League awards.

Will Lutic had a goal (15) and an assist in his return to the lineup after being sidelined for 29 days as the South Division champions posted their 32nd victory of the season on Friday (March 13) at the Canmore Recreation Centre.

Also picking up a goal and an assist were Ryder Dembo (12th goal), Bryson Insinger (18) and Owen Mastoianni (12).

John Szabo (23) also scored as the Eagles ended a two-game slide.

Olds goals came from Kade Pierson (1), Brenden Thomas (3) And Ky Martens (4) – one in each period.

Canmore held period leads of 3-1 and 4-2.

Olds outshot Canmore 40-33. Alex Scheiwiller (22-15/2.91/.921) was in goal for the Eagles. Cole Prelusky (5-7/3.08/.915) was in goal for the Grizzlys.

On the power play, Canmore went 1-for-7 and Olds went 1-for-3.

Canmore defeated Olds in all six games played between the two teams this season.

It was a big week for Scheiwiller, who committed to playing USports hockey with the Mount Royal Cougars next season, and was named a finalist for the league’s top goaltender and its most valuable player awards for the second successive season.

Cohen Daoust was named a finalist for the AJHL top forward award. He was the team’s top scorer with 31 goals and 44 assists for 75 points in 50 games played. That is the most by an Eagle since Alex Young put up 82 points (36G-46A) in the 2019-20 season.

Aidan Tkachuk is a finalist for the league’s most dedicated player award. He finished his second full season with 70 points (29G-41A).

Andrew Milne is a finalist for the coach of the year award, an accolade he has been nominated for several times over 18 seasons but has yet to receive.

Canmore (32-19-3-1) finished the regular season with 68 points. The Eagles will take on the fourth-place Calgary Canucks (24-25-3-2) in a best-of-seven, divisional semifinal playoff series that begins Friday, March 20, in Canmore.

The other South semifinal will feature the second-place Drumheller Dragons (27-20-2-5) versus the third-place Camrose Kodiaks (28-23-2-1)

In the North Division, the first-place Whitecourt Wolverines (39-12-1-2) will take on the fourth-place Fort McMurray Oil Barons (30-17-6-1), while the second-place Grande Prairie Storm (37-15-0-2) are matched up against the third-place Lloydminster Bobcats (33-14-4-3).

All the playoff teams mentioned – with Canmore being the exception – still have one game remaining to be played over this final weekend.

OVERTIME: Playoff tickets go on sale on the Canmore Eagles website, canmoreeagles.ca/tickets, on Tuesday, March 17, at 9 a.m. … The Eagles are always 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. … 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 (colour analyst) – at flohockey.tv.