The Okotoks Bow Mark Oilers are hoping the third time’s the charm at a holiday classic.
Okotoks charges into the Mac’s Midget AAA Hockey Tournament for the third year in a row opening up its title quest on Boxing Day in the Stampede City.
“You’ve just got to realize that there are teams from everywhere playing different systems,” said Bow Mark Oilers alternate captain Moe Hakim. “There’s a lot of fans obviously, don’t get nervous about the scouts, there’s going to be a lot of scouts there, a lot of eyes on you.
“You’ve just got to improve and keep getting better.”
Okotoks posted identical 1-2-1 records and finished out of the playoff picture in its first two trips through the competition.
“It’s super exciting, especially for me it’s my first time,” said Bow Mark Oilers defenceman Caden Scott. “The whole team, everyone is getting pretty psyched up. It should be a great weekend, lots of exposure for the boys.
“It’s good to see the teams you’re coming up against and what’s coming up against for you and it gives you a good idea of where you stand.”
Statistically, this is the best Bow Mark Oilers team in its three-year program history.
Bow Mark is in third place in the stacked South Division with a record of 14-4-3 in the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL) led by its trademark speed and grit.
“We’ve got a great group, we’re going to compete every night, we’re a hard working team,” Scott said. “Every team is going to give us a good battle and we’ve got to come out with a full 60 every game and everything should work out for us.”
As the host team for Pool 3, the Oilers drew a couple of AMHL foes in the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers and Lloydminster Bobcats along with the B.C. powerhouse Okanagan Rockets and Swift Current Legionnaires out of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.
On paper, Okanagan looks to be one of the stiffest hurdles to overcome. The Rockets are first in the B.C. league standings and boast the most prolific offence in the province.
The Legionnaires sit in the middle of the pack of Saskatchewan’s top midget league, with a 13-12-2 record.
Both the Bobcats and Rangers are familiar to the Oilers, as Okotoks skated to a 4-4 tie with Lloydminster earlier this month and edged Fort Sask by a 3-1 count in November.
The Rangers are third in the North with an 9-7-4 record and can light the lamp with the best of them, led by top-20 scorers Jordan Gustafson and Vince Lamanna. Goaltender Beckett Langkow has an impressive .936 save percentage.
The Bobcats, fourth in the North at 9-9-3, are also strong in between the pipes. The duo of Tristan Martin and Vaughn Holbeche boast better than .920 save percentages.
“I think it’s a really good group,” Hakim said. “I heard Okanagan is really (good). I don’t know much about Swift Current and we’ve played Fort Sask and Lloydminster – both good teams and I think we should do pretty well against those two.
“And then just play our best against the other two and just see what happens.”
Okotoks’ tournament opens on Boxing Day versus the high-octane Rockets.
The 42nd annual Mac’s Tournament features 25 teams split into five pools. The group winners and three wild card teams advance to the playoff round with each club vying for a spot in the championship game on New Year’s Day at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
“I’ve never played in the Mac’s before, I was really excited to come to Okotoks this year knowing that we play in the Mac’s,” said Bow Mark Oilers winger Ivan Chtchadov. “I just thought it would be such a good opportunity to showcase myself and show what our whole program can do for the next (crop) of guys next year coming up and playing for Bow Mark.”
Mac’s Tournament Schedule:
Dec. 26, 12:45 p.m. at Max Bell Centre. Bow Mark Oilers vs. Okanagan Rockets
Dec. 27, 2:30 p.m. at Max Bell Centre. Bow Mark Oilers vs. Fort Saskatchewan Rangers
Dec. 29, 11:45 a.m. at Father David Bauer Arena. Bow Mark Oilers vs. Lloydminster Bobcats
Dec. 30, 11:45 a.m. at Father David Bauer Arena. Bow Mark Oilers vs. Swift Current Legionnaires
