Nine is fine as Eagles grab first win

A five-point performance by Wil Lutic jetted the Canmore Eagles to a 9-4 victory over the Olds Grizzlys.

The two teams were desperate for their first wins of this young Alberta Junior Hockey League season when they met Tuesday (Sept. 23) in Olds. Lutic finished the night with two goals and three assists as the Eagles improved to one win and two losses on the season. The Grizzlys have lost all three of their games.

“We’ve talked about our expectations a lot, and we hadn’t met them in the first two (games) but it’s good to get back on track and play the right way for 60 (minutes), and see the benefit of that,” said Eagles’ assistant coach Bryan Arneson. “

Lutic was not the only Eagle to have a multi-goal game as Adian Tkachuk and Bryson Insinger also scored two goals.

Tkachuk’s first two goals of the season came on the Eagles’ first two power plays of the game.

Tkachuk would tip in Lutic’s point shot to make it 1-0 at 8:07. The Eagles have scored the first goal in each of its three games.

Olds tied the game 61 seconds later, using a barrage of shots to finally beat Canmore goaltender Hudson Sedo. Sam Giangualano snapped the puck high over the right shoulder of Sedo, who was making his season debut.

Tkachuk, who scored just nine goals in 46 games last season, would get “a garbage goal” at 12:06 when he shoveled the puck home as it came out of a crowd battling for it in front of the Olds goaltender.

Lutic then scored his first two goals of the season during a six-goal second period.

In the opening minute of the middle frame, Lutic, with his stick hip high and near the top of the right wing face-off circle, tipped a Liam Magnuson shot to give Canmore a 3-1 lead.

Sean Richards would reply for the Grizzlys at 4:49 before Lutic scored again at 6:04, batting home a cross-crease pass by Josh Cleary.

Lutic was maybe unlucky to not score another couple of goals in the period as he was buzzing the Grizzlys’ net all period long.

Insinger gave Canmore a three-goal lead at 14:10. Olds scored its second of the period at 18 minutes, during a 5-on-3 situation, with Brody Martin firing a high shot from slot.

It was then Eagle Owen Mastroianni scoring his first of the season in the final minute of the period. The former Devon Xtreme player, acquired by the Eagles just before the start of the regular season, followed up his goal with a no-look, behind-the-back pass to set up Insinger for his second goal of the game in the opening minute of the third period giving Canmore a 7-3 lead. Lutic picked up assists on both goals.

The goals just kept on coming this night. Canmore finished the game the way it started with a pair of power-play goals: Cohen Daoust at 11:22 and Josh Cleary at 15:41. Sandwiched between those two goals was the fourth Olds’ marker from Hubert Larose.

Fourteen of Canmore’s 18 skaters worked their way onto the scoresheet including Insinger with an assist to go with his two goals, Daoust and Cleary each with a goal and an assist, and Jonathan Gomez with two assists.

Canmore outshot Olds 48-26, with Corbin Sanderman in goal for Olds.

On the power play, Canmore was 4-for-7 with Olds going 1-for-4.

Canmore begins the home portion of its regular season with two games this coming weekend at the Canmore Recreation Centre: Saturday (Sept. 27), 7 p.m. versus the Bonnyville Pontiacs and Sunday (Sept. 28) and 2 p.m. against the Lloydminster Bobcats.

OVERTIME: Canmore was again without its captain Casey Black (game-t0-game, undisclosed) for a second consecutive game while rookie Keegan De Sa was the healthy scratch. … Drumheller Dragons’ Bradley Gallo opened the season with back-to-back hat tricks versus Canmore and Calgary last week to earn player of the week honours. He also had two assists in the 5-3 win over the Eagles on Sept. 19. …  Sam Giangualano, who put up 53 points (25G-28A) in 41 games with the KIJHL Merritt Centennials last season, is the younger brother of former Canmore Eagle Max Giangualano (149 games, 2016-2020). The 19-year-old Calgary native finished the game with a goal and an assist. … It’s a quick home stand for the Eagles as the team heads out for a three game road trip through the northwest portion of the province the following weekend: Grande Prairie on Friday, Oct. 3 (noon at Bonnetts Energy Centre), Whitecourt on Saturday, Oct. 4 (7 p.m. at JDA Place) and Drayton Valley on Sunday, Oct. 5 (2 p.m. on Sunday). … All games can be viewed with a flohockey.tv subscription.