players the riot act.

After all, if Garry VanHereweghe was to ask his players what have you done for me lately, they could reply: “Quite a bit, actually coach.”

Okotoks Oiler Tanner Olstad heads up ice in the team’s 5-3 victory over the Calgary Royals Monday at the Father Bauer Arena in Calgary. The Oilers have won eight of their last 10 games. photo by Rick Northrop

“If you look at the last 10 games, we are 8-2,” VanHereweghe said prior to their Monday night game with the Calgary Royals. “It’s not as if we have been playing badly and those two losses came to the first-place team by just one goal.”

The Oilers dropped a 3-2 decision to the Camrose Kodiaks in Camrose Thursday. While the Oilers have one game at hand on the Kodiaks after beating the Calgary Royals on Monday, Okotoks sits in second place, three points behind Camrose.

“Even if we win all nine of our remaining games, Camrose can win their last eight and we would be one-point behind,” VanHereweghe said. “Losing those big four-point games means we aren’t in control of our own destiny for first place.”

VanHereweghe said the game between the top two teams in the South Division didn’t live up to expectations.

“It really wasn’t a very good game,” VanHereweghe said. “I don’t think either team played with as much intensity as they would have liked.”

The Oilers appeared to have plenty of intensity when Jeff Barrett scored his ninth goal of the year 20 seconds into the game.

However, the Oilers missed out on some golden opportunities and Camrose rattled off three consecutive goals to take a 3-1 lead midway through the third period.

“At one point we were on the powerplay for seven minutes and I don’t think we had even one good scoring chance,” VanHereweghe said.

Derek Rodwell got the Oilers within one goal to 3-2 with just over six minutes remaining in regulation time.

However, the Oilers weren’t able to beat Camrose goalie Dalyn Flette in the final six minutes.

Oilers goalie Sean Cahill stopped 27 out of the 30 shots he faced.

Oilers captain Brandon Hoogenboom agreed with VanHereweghe, things aren’t going to badly for the team despite the loss to Camrose.

They might just need to relax when facing the Kodiaks.

“I think we were just holding our stick too tight,” Hoogenboom said. “It was a big game and there were a lot of nerves out there and that led to making some mistakes.”

He stressed that to a man the Oilers’ goal is to finish in first place.

The Oilers got off to a good start for their first-place quest when they beat the Calgary Royals 5-3 Monday at Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary.

Although the Royals sit in seventh spot in the South Division, VanHereweghe said the Oilers weren’t about to take them lightly. He points out, just like the Oilers, the Royals had won eight of 10 games going into Monday night’s tilt.

Oilers forward John McInnis didn’t take them lightly. McInnis had a hat trick and an assist in the victory to give him a team-high 30 goals.

He was helped out by the return of third-year Oiler James Bannister who assisted on two of  McInnis’ goals.

Bannister has missed most of the season due to an injury.

Rodwell and Kyle Reynolds scored the Oilers’ first two goals.

Rookie Michael Matyas picked up the win in net for Okotoks facing 32 shots.

The Oilers have a  32-17-0-2 record.

Okotoks hosted the Olds Grizzlys on Feb. 2, but results were too late for the Western Wheel’s publication deadline.

The Oilers hit the road this weekend for a pair of games. They are in Brooks Friday night to take on the Bandits. They then take flight to Canmore to take on the Eagles Saturday.

Their next home game is Feb. 12 when the Bandits

visit the Centennial Arena for a Friday night tilt.

All-stars

The next time Oiler goalie Sean Cahill gets an invite to the Alberta Junior Hockey League game, he might want to RSVP with a big ‘No thanks.’

Cahill was in net for the South All-stars in the third period when the North scored six goals. The North won the game 14-9 Saturday at Fort McMurray.

bcampbell@okotoks.greatwest.ca

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