The Canmore Eagles have five wins in a row.
The above is not a typo.
After dropping 13 straight games in November and December, the Eagles are now the hottest team in the AJHL, continuing their streak with a 3-2 win over the Calgary Mustangs on Tuesday (Jan. 8) at Alex Kaleta Arena.
After Mustangs defenceman Stefan Virtanen fired a point shot top shelf on Eagles goalie Cam Barnes at 7:45 of the first, Zack Rassell responded on the powerplay at 13:53, snapping a rebound from a point shot past Mustangs goalie Ravi Dattani to even things at 1-1.
In the second period, the Eagles went ahead 2-1 when Jordan Revie, on a three on one break, snapped a wristshot high glove side on Dattani.
In the third, Luke Simpson scored the game winner with a powerplay goal while the Mustangs were two men short. The Mustangs rounded out scoring with 37 seconds left, when Chase McMurphy tipped a soft point shot over Barnes’ shoulder.
“We put that losing streak behind us. We know what would have happened during that losing streak. Now we’re a confident team. I’ve said it all year long. When a junior hockey player of that age has confidence, they think they can conquer the world. When they don’t, it’s very difficult to get it,” said head coach Andrew Milne.
The Eagles began the win streak with big back-to-back wins over Grande Prairie and Olds before Christmas and have continued their hot play with wins over the Calgary Canucks on Jan. 3 and another win over Olds on Saturday (Jan. 5).
“I think everyone has a good attitude in the new year. They’re starting to realize the kind of team we have and the potential we have when we play like that,” said captain Riley Point.
Goaltender Barnes led the way for the Eagles against Olds, and is heating up as teammate Ty Swabb prepares for his return.
“Cam was stellar (against Olds.) He made the saves when we needed him,” Milne said.
The offence fired 47 shots at Olds goaltender Jake Tamagi, who had an excellent performance.
Olds opened scoring in the second period, but five minutes later Bryan Arneson cashed in his 10th of the year from the side of the net. The game remained tied until Revie scored a highlight-reel goal, with Simpson and John Stevens picking up the assists. Defenceman Ciaron Driscoll then led the rush, split the defence and found the back of the net with less than three minutes to go to seal Olds’ fate. The loss was the Grizzlys 11th in a row.
Now that the team has some confidence, Milne said he wants to do more.
“I didn’t think our defence played anywhere close to their best in the first two periods. Offensively, we were on. Our back end wasn’t as strong as I wanted in the third,” Milne said.
The score was not indicative of the play, as the Eagles offence was dominant, led by the return of Revie.
“We’ve put almost 100 pucks on net in two games. The Olds goalie played a phenomenal game. He’s been pulled his last three games and tonight he comes in with a stellar effort,” Milne said. “Revie is excited to come back. He didn’t play a lot, but obviously he has offensive abilities. Alex Bechtold has also been an exceptional power forward for us. He creates a lot of room for the guys.”
Point said he’s benefitting from playing with Bechtold, as he has more space to create offence with Rassell.
“I love playing with him. He’s a mad man in those corners.”
Simon Philp also returned to the lineup and Swabb is expected to start soon. With the trade deadline coming on Friday, Milne won’t say if he’s going to make a deal.
“I’m confident our lineup, when it’s in full form, will be a good lineup. We’re going to be dangerous. We’re seeing spurts of it. The confidence we’ve gained is good.”
Nick Kosman is expected to return at the end of the month, while Nils Moser could be back for the playoffs.
The team moves ahead of the Mustangs for fifth place in the southeast division.
“We’re set for success. We know Swabb is coming back and Stephen Phee came back. We’re adding key pieces to the puzzle to have success at a key time,” said Milne.
The Eagles are in Brooks, Friday (Jan. 11) and host Drayton Valley, Saturday (Jan. 12).
