Three days on the road, 1,500 km on the bus, two nights in a hotel, three tough Alberta Junior Hockey League road losses, and one point in the standings.
That’s the kind of weekend it was for the Canmore Eagles.
With four regulars out of the lineup with injuries, the short-staffed Eagles dropped their final game of their three-game Northern Division road trip losing a tight 3-2 decision to the Whitecourt Wolverines on Sunday afternoon.
Canmore also lost 5-2 in Drayton Valley on Friday night, and suffered a 4-3 overtime shoot-out loss in Grande Prairie on Saturday night.
“We just didn’t have the horses to finish it off in Whitecourt, but I’m proud of the boys for the way they battled,” said Eagles Head Coach and General Manager Andrew Milne, whose team saw their record fall to 6-10-1. “We made a few mistakes and they cashed in on their opportunities. We had our chances but couldn’t capitalize. Despite the disappointing results, I remain encouraged because we still competed hard today and never gave up. We were in the game and could have won it. That’s a good thing considering it was out third game in 2 ½ days.”
The Eagles received goals from Jordan Revie (5th) and Simon Philp (7th) in Sunday’s loss in Whitecourt.
For the Eagles, their immediate schedule shows little relief as their next four games are against perennial Southern Division powerhouses Okotoks Oilers and Brooks Bandits. Canmore will travel to Okotoks on Friday, Oct. 25, before returning home on Saturday Oct. 26 to face the Bandits. Canmore will then host Okotoks on Tuesday, Oct. 29 before heading to Brooks on Friday, Nov. 1.
NOTEBOOK: Saturday’s home game against the Brooks Bandits is being billed as “CHEAP BEER NIGHT”. Molson draft beer will be available in the Eagles Nest Lounge for just $3, courtesy of Canmore's Rose and Crown Restaurant and Pub. . . Forwards Nils Moser, Luke Simpson, Lane Olson and defenceman Jakob Lavoie all remain on the injured list. . . Despite the tough weekend, Canmore remains in fifth-place in the AJHL standings, just three points back of the third-place Drumheller Dragons, but also just three points ahead of the eighth-place Calgary Canucks.
