For the Okotoks Oilers, it was a long, strange and frustrating weekend trip to the north of the province.
The Junior A hockey team was scheduled to play in two games before returning to Okotoks to prepare for a Sept. 19 tilt with the Calgary Mustangs, but things don’t always go according to plan on road trips.
“Friday was a pretty hectic day, we left here and ended up stopping in Sherwood Park and our bus broke down so we were sitting on the road for a couple hours,” said Oilers captain Ben Gamache. “Then we had to push the game back a little bit. I’m not trying to make any excuses, but overall that day was pretty hectic leading up to the game.”
After the protracted journey to Fort McMurray, the Oilers dropped a 4-2 contest to the Oil Barons on Sept. 16.
Oilers head coach James Poole said his team handled the adversity of the calamitous bus trip well and showed some jump to start the game.
“We fell behind 3-0, even though we were down early in the first, I thought we actually carried the play,” Poole said. “But those mistakes that we made against the Canucks that we didn’t pay for, Fort McMurray made us pay for them.”
Poole said the Oilers were resilient despite facing the early three-goal deficit.
“Our kids stayed with it and actually chipped back into the game and made it 3-2. In the third period for whatever reason, whether it was that we ran out of gas, the compete level just disappeared,” he said.
Notwithstanding the third period performance, the Okotoks coach said he was pleased with the effort level of a few of his forwards.
“I thought Alex Kromm and Cody Irving were good,” Poole said. “I thought they worked hard all night long and through their hard work they created some chances for us.”
Oilers winger Nolan Huysmans notched a first-period goal, while Gamache scored in the second frame to cut the Oil Baron lead to 3-2. That was as close as Okotoks would get on the night.
Gamache said it was beneficial for the Oilers to face stiff opposition at this early juncture in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) season.
“Fort McMurray is a tough team, they’re tough every year,” Gamache said. “Overall, it was a good test to see where we’re at as a team and it got the new guys focused on how we need to play.”
The Oilers’ road trip troubles worsened the following night. If a dysfunctional bus and a delayed game weren’t enough, the Oilers had to contend with a power outage and subsequent game cancellation in Sherwood Park on Sept. 17.
“The (Sherwood Park) arena plant failed and it was out for a few hours,” Poole said. “By the time they had it fixed, the ice had already essentially flooded and there were puddles all over the place and it was not in playing condition.”
Poole said the date for the rescheduled game has yet to be determined, with both teams expected to touch base on the issue this week.
All told, the Oilers travelled 781 kilometres for just one regular season game.
“It’s definitely a long trip for just that one game. But it’s part of hockey,” Gamache said. “We had the option of playing later (in Sherwood Park) but it made no sense to wait around for three hours, so we did the smart thing and just came home.”
The Oilers played the Mustangs in Calgary on Sept. 20, but results were not available at press time. The team then travels to Camrose to face-off against the Kodiaks on Sept. 23.
Okotoks fans can get their Oilers fix when the AJHL club returns to Centennial Arena on Sept. 25 at 4:45 p.m. in a rematch with the Oil Barons.
