Sunday, October 21, 2012 – 6 pm Update – Mission Accomplished. 100%.
Three Alberta Junior Hockey League road games in just 2 ½ days, 1,600 kms. of bus travel, and three big W’s now registered in the win column.
The Canmore Eagles wrapped up their three-game weekend road trip with a 5-2 victory over the Drumhller Dragons in Drumheller on Sunday afternoon and will return to Canmore with three straight road victories under their belt. The Eagles defeated the Pontiacs 5-2 in Bonnyville on Friday night, and registered a 3-1 victory over the Lloydminster Bobcats on Saturday night.
With the six points gained in the standings, the Eagles (8-4-3) now find themselves in a second-place tie with the Calgary Mustangs in the Alberta Junior Hockey League Southern Division standings with 19 points. The Eagles have played three less games than the Mustangs.
Veteran forward Steven Phee led the Eagle attack in Drumheller on Sunday afternoon scoring his 9th and 10th goals of the season and also picked up two assists. Connor Hoekstra had a goal (6th) and one assist, while Zack Rassell (10) and Ciaron Driscoll (2) also chipped in with single goals. With his goal, Rassell moved into a first-place tie for the AJHL scoring championship with 21 points in 15 games played.
Eagle netminder Ty Swabb stopped 30 out of 32 Drumheller shots to improve his early season record to an impressive 5-2-2.
“Our guys had another great start to the game and it really helped set us up for another successfull result,” said Eagle's Head Coach and General Manager Andrew Milne. “The power-play was working well. With this being our third game in 2 1/2 days we needed to start well and give ourselves some confidence. Steven Phee played his best game of the season and Connor Hoekstra had a great game with a Gordie Howe hat-trick.
“Overall, I'm just very proud of the commitment and the way the team played. That's not an easy road trip and it just showed the character that we have in that locker room. The boys will enjoy a well deserved day off on Monday, a light skate on Tuesday and we'll get back to work on Wednesday in preparation for another tough weekend.”
The Eagles return to action next weekend with a pair of home games at the Canmore Recreation Centre. The Sherwood Park Crusaders are in Canmore for a Saturday night (Oct. 27) tilt at 7 pm, while the Bonnyville Pontaics will provide the opposition for a rare Sunday afternoon (Oct. 28) matinee game at 2:30 pm.