Skip to content

Road trip sweep puts Oilers in striking distance of first

Hockey: Okotoks two points back of top seed Brooks Bandits
Oilers v Brooks 4963 BWC
Okotoks Oilers forward Marc Pasemko celebrates a goal on the Brooks Bandits on Jan. 3. The Oilers are now two points back of Brooks for first in the AJHL South Division standings. (Brent Calver/Western Wheel)

What looked like a runaway divisional lead is becoming a two-horse race.

The Okotoks Oilers  (36-6-3) swept their three games in three days North Division road trip to extend their winning streak to eight in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and climb to just two points back of the first-place Brooks Bandits.

“I think about a month and a half ago we were probably 15 points back,” said Oilers alternate captain Zane Kindrachuk. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy and had to focus on our games and whatever happens to Brooks, happens to Brooks.

“We’re really excited, especially for those Brooks games coming up and we can definitely take first place.”

After a disappointing effort on New Year’s Day, the Green and Gold has put together some of its best hockey of the 2019-20 season with eight straight victories in a 16-day span. The streak started with a 4-3 triumph over the Bandits on Jan. 3.

“We’ve got a bunch of momentum going on right now,” said Oilers defenceman Eric Parker, a Bowling Green commit. “It just gets us excited, everyone on the team wants to make that final push to catch and hopefully take over first-place. We’ve got two games coming up at the end of the month with Brooks which will be huge to climb those last couple points.”

The Jan. 17 itinerary was perhaps the most taxing of the northern sojourn as Okotoks made the drive to Fort Mac. After shaking off some bus legs, the team responded with a stifling 3-1 victory over the Oil Barons and allowed just 13 shots on Brady Parker in goal.

Jack Works and Eric Parker scored in the first period and Kindrachuk added a shorthanded marker in the middle frame while Louis Jamernik added two helpers.

“They scored an early goal on us to start the game,” Kindrachuk said. “But I thought we did a good job of staying focused and kept to out gameplan.”

The gameplan took a few twist and turns in the second game of the trip, a 7-6 result over the Bonnyville Pontiacs.

“That wasn’t quite what we were trying to do, we were trying to shutdown their top line down because they like to run-and-gun,” Kindrachuk said. “We didn’t want to get into a run-and-gun, but after the first five minutes five goals were scored.

“We had to settle down a bit.”

Jaxsen Wyatt scored a buzzer beater with four seconds left in regulation to force overtime with Works notching the game-winner 1:36 into the extra session.

“It was one of those times at the end of the game where things didn’t go your way,” Parker said. “It was just trying to be positive, a few of their goals were a little unlucky on our side so we knew to stay calm, stay positive and something good will come of it. And sure enough it did.”

Thirteen Okotoks skaters got at least one point in the two-point effort paced by defenceman Noah Kim’s one goal and two-assist performance. Brandon Machado, Liam Freeborn, Dylan James, Marc Pasemko and Kindrachuk also lit the lamp.

The Oilers wrapped up the weekend by knocking off the Lloydminster Bobcats 5-3 in the Jan. 19 matinee.

Parker Sawka made 20 saves on 23 shots to pick up his second win in as many starts. Jamernik, Works, Parker, James and Jaevon Buschlen lit the lamp for Okotoks.

“It’s good to know that we can lock it down when we get into those tight games, those 2-1, 1-0 games,” Parker said. “But we also have the ability to put up those seven goal games like we did against Bonnyville.

“Coming up to the end of the season we’re leaning towards those closer games and don’t really want to get into those shootouts because, really, they can go either way.”

The Oilers were boosted by the addition of a couple affiliates on the back-end in Brody Tallman and Okotoks Bow Mark Oiler Lucas Watkins over the weekend.

“We had all four lines rolling and had a couple affiliate d-men step in and play some big minutes for us,” Kindrachuk said. “Which was nice, because as the weekend goes on you start to get tired and I thought we played simple road games and didn’t try to do too much.”

The Oilers keep their show on the road this week with stops in Canmore and Olds on Jan. 24-25 followed by a home-and-home with the Bandits on Jan. 29 in Brooks and Jan. 31 at Pason Centennial Arena.

“Especially in playoffs you have to be able to find ways to win on the road,” Kindrachuk said. “Road games are always kind of tough, with the bus and the meals and the beds and sleeping, but I think we’ve found a way to grind those road games out and that will only help us going forward headed into the playoffs.”

For more information go to okotoksoilers.ca


Remy Greer

About the Author: Remy Greer

Remy Greer is the assistant editor and sports reporter for westernwheel.ca and the Western Wheel newspaper. For story tips contact [email protected]
Read more



Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks