First place makes it a Merry Christmas

The Canmore Eagles are celebrating the holiday break with first place in the Alberta Junior Hockey South Division tucked neatly under the tree. The team ensured its stocking is full of cheer with a pair of home-ice victories on the final regular-season weekend of action for 2024.

Canmore defeated the Drumheller Dragons 3-2 on Friday (Dec. 20) and followed it up with a 4-1 win over the Grande Prairie Storm on Saturday (Dec. 21) before more than 870 fans on both nights at the Canmore Recreation Centre.

With the results, Canmore improves to 20 wins against eight regulation-time losses, three overtime defeats and one shootout setback for 44 points. The Eagles have won seven games in a row on home ice, dating back to Nov. 22.

Canmore has topped its division on two occasions since joining the AJHL as the Bow Valley Eagles in the 1995-96 season. In 2001, the team was renamed the Canmore Eagles and won the division regular-season title in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns – then it was a 64 game schedule. When the team returns to action in January, it will have 22 games remaining in a 54-game regular season to accomplish that feat for the first time in 22 seasons.

It’s been a tight and competitive race and looks to continue when the season resumes. The Calgary Canucks (20-9-1-2) are just one point back of Canmore after an 8-2 win over Grande Prairie on Sunday afternoon. The Camrose Kodiaks (18-8-2-2) are third in the South with 40 points and could make up the four-point difference with Canmore with its two games in hand on the Eagles and Canucks.

The Whitecourt Wolverines (22-7-1-1) hold the best record in the league with 46 points, eight better than Grande Prairie (18-9-1-1) in the North Division, who now are looking over their shoulder at the surging Lloydminster Bobcats (16-11-1-3), who are now just two points back at 36 points.

Canmore returns to action on Friday, Jan. 3, hosting Drumheller (17-13-2-0, fourth in the South) followed by the Drayton Valley Thunder (10-13-3-3, fifth in the South) on Saturday, Jan. 4. Game times are 7 p.m. at the Canmore Recreation Centre.

Kayden Rawji snapped a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal at 16:11 of the third period. The veteran Eagles winner scored his 10th goal of the season when he was in the right spot – standing alone just off the right wing post – for a one-timer into a gapping net.

Canmore has stumbled on the power play this season and entered this game with the worst efficiency in the league but used its man-advantage situations to great effect in this outing going 2-for-4 on the power play. The Eagles’ opening goal also came via the power play with Zach Coutu (11th goal of the season) scoring at 10:07 of the first period.

Drumheller rallied for a pair of first-period goals to take the lead as the line of Bradley Gallo, Easton Daneault and Ellis Mieyette showed why they are the most dangerous offensive unit in the league. Gallo scored his league-leading 22nd goal to tie the game at 13:56. It was followed by Daneault (11) scoring with just 23 seconds remaining in the period.

Owen Jones (11) has been on a hot streak and tied the game at 9:03 of the second period. The Canmore native also assisted on the game winner to give him points in six consecutive games (4G-7A).

The victory against Drumheller might not have been possible if it weren’t for the goaltending of Canmore’s Alex Scheiwiller, who made 31 saves. The Dragons outshot the Eagles 33-22, including 13-5 in the third period. Sean Cootes was in goal for Drumheller.

For the third time in four meetings this season, Canmore defeated Grande Prairie.

The result never really seemed in doubt as the Eagles opened up a 2-0 lead in the first period and dominated the evening’s proceedings.

Nathan MacPherson-Ridgewell (3), with his first goal in 12 games, and Josh Cleary (5) scored for Canmore in the first period.

Following a scoreless second period, Jones (12) on the power play, and Rhett Dekowny (11) extended the Eagles lead to 4-0.

Brandon de Haas (6) ended Scheiwiller’s shutout bid with less than six minutes to play, getting in on a breakaway and dekeing out the goaltender.

Canmore outshot Grande Prairie 34-24 with Nicholas Jones in goal for Grande Prairie.

Scheiwiller has been between the pipes for 11 of the last 12 games and has gone 9-1-1 and has been beaten for three goals in just one of those appearances. The 2005-born goaltender joined the Eagles in the off season from the BCHL. He now has a 2.37 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and a 13-5-4 record.

Scheiwiller performances have kept Hudson Sedo, who played for Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge, on the bench. Sedo, in his rookie season, has been largely unavailable to the Eagles since Nov. 10, spending time with the WHL Prince Albert Raiders and then with the bronze-medallist Canada West squad. The St. Albert native has a 2.20 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and a 7-3-0 record but has had just one appearance with the Eagles in the last six weeks.

Jones extended his points streak to seven games (5G-7A) and has 20 points (8G-12A) in 12 games since returning from a five-game suspension. Overall, the Canmore native now has 30 points (12G-18A) and is sixth in league scoring.

Zach Coutu’s goal on Friday and assist on Saturday gives him 29 points (11G-18A) for the season, 12th best in the AJHL. He was also a member of the Canada West team and had missed the four games prior to the weekend set.

Rawji had a four-point weekend (1G-3A) and now has 27 points (10G-17A) putting the 2004-born forward inside the top 20 in league scoring while surpassing his totals points (10G-16A—26PTS) of last season.

Ethan Look extended his home games points streak to seven games (4G-5A) with assists in each weekend game.

The weekend games saw the return to action of Cole Wadsworth, who played his first games at the Canmore Recreation Centre since being acquired by the Eagles from the WHL Kamloops Blazers in mid-October. He would play five games – all road encounters – before a shoulder injury sidelined the Penticton, B.C.-native for seven weeks.

Hoping to be back, and give the Eagles a fully healthy roster when Canmore returns to action, in January is Jaren Brinson. The 2004-born defenceman has been out since suffering an ankle injury on Nov. 1 in Bonnyville.

EAGLES NEST: Tickets for Canmore Eagles’ home games are available at canmoreeagles.ca/tickets. … You can watch Eagles’ games as well as the rest of the AJHL online, along with much more live and on demand sports, through a FloSports subscription available at flohockey.tv.

Russ Ullyo