The top-seed Okotoks Oilers (44-7-4) are clinging to a four-point lead on the Brooks Bandits after defeating their arch rival in overtime then dropping a rare result on home ice to Drumheller in a topsy-turvy penultimate weekend of the regular season.
“We just came out a little bit too flat,” said Oilers captain Ayden Roche-Setoguchi after the loss to Drumheller. “We’ve got be ready to go every game, especially going into playoffs. It’s getting down to the wire so we’ve got to get our (stuff) together.
“The goal for us is to play the game the same way, we know how we have to play, to use our speed, get pucks to the net and be physical and we just didn’t do that tonight.”
Brady Risk, Kobe Mohr and Peyton McKenzie staked the Dragons to a 3-0 lead and Okotoks countered in the third period with Jack Works potting his 40th goal of the season in the 3-1 loss on Feb. 15 at Pason Centennial Arena.
Drumheller extended its winning streak to eight games with the road triumph.
“We had a good couple shifts and after that we were on our heels, we were just a little bit behind,” said Oilers alternate captain Louis Jamernik. “Penalties killed us, especially in the second. I took a penalty and they got that third goal and that was not helpful at all.
“They’re tough guys and they know if they can hit us and get in our heads sometimes it gets to us. We’ve just got to not get rattled and just play.”
The script was flipped the previous night in Brooks as Okotoks skated away with the 5-4 overtime result on Valentine’s Day.
Liam Freeborn scored twice, Gibb Coady added his second tally of the season and Marc Pasemko scored shorthanded for the Oil.
Okotoks built a 3-0 lead with Brooks storming back with four straight tallies before Freeborn’s second of the game midway through the final frame forced overtime and set the stage for Works’ 12th game winning goal of the campaign.
“It was a good start for us, we were up 3-0 and then we sat back a little bit, took penalties and they came back,” said Jamernik. “Then, as always Jack finished it off in overtime.”
The Oilers and Bandits meet for the final time this regular season on Feb. 21 in what’s Okotoks’ home finale. Okotoks then has road games with the Drumheller Dragons and Canmore Eagles on Feb. 23 and 25, respectively, to close the 2019-20 campaign.
The Bandits (43-9-2) have four games remaining and can reach a maximum of 96 points while Okotoks can get to 98 points if it runs the table.
Okotoks has won its past four meeting with Brooks and have played the defending champions better than anyone in the provincial loop this season.
“We’ve just come together a bit more,” said Oilers defenceman Eric Parker. “We know how to play against them, our team has gelled together more and more throughout the year and we’re rolling right now, in a really good spot as a team and I think that just gives us an edge against them.
“We’re really familiar with them, we play them seven times this year so I think we’ve sort of found out what ticks against them, what works. We’ve played well against them.”
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