Perfect start
The Canmore Eagles faced a tough test right out of the gate as a new Alberta Junior Hockey League season began this past weekend: They were tasked to play two games against the defending champion Calgary Canucks.
Two games in, Canmore has two wins in its ledger. The Eagles defeated the Canucks 4-3 in overtime on Friday (Sept. 13) on home ice. Then, the Eagles went to Calgary on Saturday (Sept. 14) and recorded a 3-2 shootout victory.
On Friday, Ethan Look’s second goal of the game scored 16 seconds into the 3-on-3 overtime period, sparked wild celebrations by teammates and fans inside an overflowing Canmore Recreation Centre.
From the fourth-period face-off, defenceman Jaren Brinson, an offseason addition with more than 200 WHL games to his credit, went on the offence, carrying the puck into the Calgary zone where he would lose it and then force a turnover in the right-wing corner. In comes a late-arriving Owen Jones who got to the puck but tripped going towards the goal, sending him sliding on his stomach where he managed to pass the puck off to Look, who then rounded the goaltender and deposited a backhander into the goal.
Zach Coutu finished the game with two goals and an assist. The Edmonton native, in his second season with the Eagles, would score the opening goal of the season at 5:23 of the second period. The 2005-born forward split the Calgary defence off a pass from Kayden Rawji and then flipped the puck over the left shoulder of Canucks’s goaltender Matthew Malic.
Look’s first goal would give Canmore a 2-0 lead at 12:43 before Cody Piscarczyk put Calgary on the board. Coutu then made it 3-1 for the Eagles before the period ended.
If there is anything Canmore needs to work on coming out of the opening weekend is how to put away teams. In both games, the Eagles allowed the Canucks to get back into the contests.
On Friday, goals by Rhett Melnyk, on the power play, and Lucas Schaefer with less than two minutes to play, forced the overtime session.
On Saturday, after another scoreless opening period, Canmore held on a 2-1 lead entering the third frame. Rawji and Cohen Daoust scored for the Eagles, sandwiching a Calgary goal from Jack Plandowski. Luc Trevors tied the game early at 5:43 of the third period.
After neither team were able to score in the 3-on-3 session, the teams sent three shooters apiece into the shootout. Canmore goaltender Alex Scheiwiller stopped all three shots he faced. Jones converted the third Eagles’ shot into the game winner: deking his way in on Canucks’ goaltender Chase Cruz and throwing the puck over top of the prone netminder.
Canmore outshot Calgary 44-22 on Friday and were outshot 32-26 on Saturday. Scheiwiller was in goal for both Canmore games.
Zach Coutu finished the weekend with two goals and two assists. Rawji recorded two assists on Friday to go with his Saturday goal. Keston Beagle, who played 30 games last season and scored one goal but failed to record an assist, had two helpers in Friday’s victory.
Next up for the Eagles, a pair of games at the Canmore Recreation Centre against the only other two undefeated teams in the AJHL after opening weekend, South rival Drayton Valley Thunder (2-0-0-0) on Friday, Sept. 20 and the North leading Lloydminster Bobcats (2-0-0-0) on Saturday, Sept. 21. Game time is 7 p.m. both days.
EAGLES NEST: Last season, Canmore won 25 of its 57 regular-season games, but did not record an overtime or shootout victory the entire campaign. … Tickets for Canmore Eagles’ home games are available at canmoreeagles.ca/tickets. … You can also watch all 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 Ullyot
