Preseason double
The Canmore Eagles training camp and exhibition season was short and spectacular.
The Alberta Junior Hockey League club held a three-day training camp and an intrasquad game over four days that began Sept. 2 then played its only two preseason games, both against the Olds Grizzlys, on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 6-7).
The first game was held at the Canmore Recreation Centre where a surprisingly large crowd of 328 fans were treated to a strong showing by the home team led by local standout Owen Jones.
The Canmore native, now in his third full season with the junior A squad, scored three times – the night’s opener followed by a pair of power-play goals in the third period – as the Eagles skated to a 6-3 victory.
Olds came into the game having won three of its previous four exhibition games – twice over the expansion Devon Xtreme and splitting a doubleheader with the Drumheller Dragons – but struggled against Canmore.
The Eagles built a 6-1 lead in this contest. Three more returning players also scored: Kayden Rawji with a power-play goal in the first period; Tavynn Schlaht with a shorthanded goal and Cohen Daoust on the power play in the second period.
For Olds, Jonathan Doucette scored a power-play goal late in the first period with Mitchell Patrick and Aidyn Law scoring in the back half of the third period.
Canmore finished 4-for-7 on the power play while Olds was 2-for-7.
The shots were 36-32 for Olds with offseason pickup Alex Scheiwiller in goal for the Eagles, and Connor White in goal for the Grizzlys.
Scheiwiller appeared in 40 games for the Okotoks Oilers over the last two seasons before being dealt to the Spruce Grove Saints just prior to the five teams – including the Brooks Bandits, Sherwood Park Crusaders and Blackfalds Bulldogs – splintered off to the B.C. Hockey League.
The Calgary native is expected to shoulder the bulk of the goaltending duties this season for Canmore. To that end, the 19-year-old was between the pipes on Saturday when the Eagles travelled to Olds for their second exhibition game: a 5-1 victory in which he had made 25 saves.
Canmore opened up a 4-0 lead, with first-period goals by Zach Coutu (power play), Jack Bousquet and Rhett Dekowny, followed by a second-period, power-play goal by Nathan MacPherson-Ridgewell.
Quinn Metzger would score for Olds in the second period.
Carter Coutu would complete the scoring with under five minutes left in the third period.
Canmore finished 2-for-5 on the power play while Olds was 0-for-6.
Canmore outshot Olds 29-26 with Connor Johnson in goal for the Grizzlys.
Two games in two nights and two wins brings the preseason to an end. Next up for Canmore is the start of the regular season and two games in two nights against the defending league champion Calgary Canucks. The meaningful games begin Friday, Sept. 13 at the Canmore Recreation Centre beginning at 7 p.m., followed by a game at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary on Saturday, Sept. 14, beginning at 5 p.m.
EAGLES NEST: Canmore drops the puck on its 30th season and the start of its 2024-25 campaign with the annual tailgate party in the arena parking lot prior to the start of Friday’s game. The Grizzly Paw, The MooseShed BBQ, Al’s Chimney Cakes along with DJ Strength will be on location. . . . 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
