The Okotoks Junior A Oilers’ season came to an end in front of a record crowd at the Centennial Arena on March 29.
The Oilers were beaten 3-2 by the Camrose Kodiaks in Game 7 of the Alberta Junior Hockey League South final playoff series in front of 1,922 fans at the Centennial Arena in Okotoks.
Okotoks led the series three games to one, but the Kodiaks roared back to win three straight and end the Oilers’ bid to advance to their first AJHL final.
“I thought we’d be the fresher hockey team as the series went on… For whatever reason, we seemed to wear down more as each game went on and they seemed to keep their level,” Oilers coach/GM James Poole said after the loss.
The Oilers appeared to be the fresher team in the first period of Game 7.
At one point in the first period Okotoks out-shot the Kodiaks 16-4. However they were tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Connor Collett put the Oilers ahead 1-0 five minutes into the period. The Kodiaks were able to tie the game at 1-1 when Tyler Skauge put Camrose on the scoreboard.
The gritty Oilers’ penalty-killers were able to stave off a Camrose two-man advantage for the full two minutes prior to the end of the first period.
It only prolonged the inevitable as the Kodiaks took the lead for good early in the second period when John Lidgett beat Oilers goalie Michael Tadjdeh two minutes into the second period.
Camrose upped their lead to 3-1 when Jonathan Lashyn scored midway through the second period when his point shot through a screen eluded Tadjdeh.
The Oilers’ powerplay once again showed less punch than a Shirley Temple cocktail.
Okotoks was unable to score with a two-man advantage for approximately 90 seconds in the second period.
The Oilers were 0 for 3 in the powerplay. They were also kept off the scoresheet when they had the man advantage for three minutes in the third period.
The Oilers were able to close the gap tot 3-2 when Nick Bell scored with just 18 seconds left in the game.
Okotoks was not able to muster a shot on Camrose goalie Dalyn Flette in the final seconds of the third period.
Losing to Camrose was a hard way for Oilers’ captain Jeff Barrett to end his three-year career with the Okotoks Junior A club. However, he looked back fondly on his stay in Okotoks.
“Probably the best three years of my life I had here… It’s definitely one of the best experiences that I’ve had,” he said.
He gave credit to the Kodiaks.
“It’s a big testament to their character to come back from 3-1 and they’re a good hockey club,” Barrett said. “I think we might’ve taken them a little too lightly when we got up three to one (in the series). Sometimes when you have that lead you tend to sit back.”
The Oilers won the South Division regular season title for the second consecutive year in 2010-11. That success will be used to build the Oiler teams of the future.
“Obviously we’re not there yet as an organization,” Poole said. “We made some strides this year in the right direction, it’s just something we’ll continue to build on.”
The Kodiaks will play the Spruce Grove Saints in the AJHL final. Both teams will advance to the RBC Cup for the Canadian Junior A championship as Camrose is the host city.
