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Consistency continues to elude young Oilers

Their biggest issue continues to elude them.
Okotoks Oiler Trey Degraaf jostles with Lloydminster Bobcats forward Zac Giroux during the Bobcat’s 6-3 win on Jan. 23 at Pason Centennial Arena.
Okotoks Oiler Trey Degraaf jostles with Lloydminster Bobcats forward Zac Giroux during the Bobcat’s 6-3 win on Jan. 23 at Pason Centennial Arena.

Their biggest issue continues to elude them.

The Okotoks Oilers’ season long search for consistency remains a mystery as the club snapped a four-game losing streak, won two in a row and fell back into bad habits with a 6-3 loss to the Lloydminster Bobcats all within the span of four days last week.

“We’re really trying to get a handle on what the guys are doing away from the rink, making sure we have the right habits because physically or mentally we can’t seem to back it up night after night,” said Oilers head coach/GM James Poole. “If we want to take that step as a team to be a Lloydminster, a Brooks or Camrose, consistency is the biggest thing holding us back right now.”

The visiting Bobcats did their part to hold the green-and-gold back on Saturday.

The RBC Cup hosts exploded for three goals in the first period from defencemen in Nick Quillan, Stefan Wood and Griffin Mumby to grab a 3-1 lead.

Okotoks’ Trey Degraaf got the hosts on the board on an egregious turnover by Lloydminster, a fleeting moment of excitement in an otherwise lacklustre frame.

“We weren’t ready to pay a price,” the coach added. “Shooting lanes, we weren’t doing a good job blocking shots. They had four goals on shots from the point that found their way through.

“We were throwing away pucks blindly and took some selfish penalties because we weren’t willing to take hits … It looked like we were a little gun-shy and played a little tentative.”

Bobcat Eric Benshadle added his first with the club to make it a three-goal advantage early in the middle frame before the Oilers established a fore-check and slowly worked their way into the tilt shift by shift.

The hard-work paid off before the end of the frame as Colin O’Neill won a board battle and sprung free for a shorthanded breakaway, giving the Oilers a shot of adrenaline.

“For five or 10 minutes before that goal we were playing really well and got rewarded,” said O’Neill, the Odenton, Maryland native. “We had a couple chances in the second we couldn’t bury.

“The second period we had it in their zone a lot and that’s how we need to play all the time.”

Lloydminster re-established the three-goal lead early in the final stanza when former UFA Bison Troy Van Tetering tipped one past Okotoks’ Riley Morris.

Beiseker’s Matt McNair got one back for Okotoks, his team leading 28th marker and 13th on the powerplay, midway through the period. Bobcat Morgan Messenger then iced the result with an empty-netter.

“We were definitely more aggressive and took the game to them,” O’Neill said. “We played them close in the third, but that’s not really good enough to play 40 minutes.”

Okotoks busted out of a four-game slide with back-to-back divisional wins earlier in the week.

First, the Oilers doubled up the Calgary Canucks on Jan. 20 at the Max Bell Centre by a 4-2 count. Alternate captain Jordie Lawson and the rookie trio of Carter Huber, Cooper Page and Braydon Jenkins provided the offence for the visitors. Brian Wilson made 23 saves for win number six in between the pipes.

The Oilers’ leading sniper guided the team to two wins in a row.

McNair punched in his seventh-multi-goal game and third hat-trick in Okotoks’ 3-2 win over the Drumheller Dragons Friday at Pason Centennial Arena.

Former Oiler Braeden Salverda and Matt Muzyka provided the offence for the visitors. Morris made 32 saves in goal.

“Defensively we were very good, we kept them to the perimeter and did a good job of blocking shots,” Poole said.

“We did a good job getting to that net-front area and our guys were willing driving to that middle lane.

“It wasn’t just our top guys. Even though McNair got the hat-trick and Morris was really solid in net, I thought (Tanner Schachle, Braeden Nesbitt, Brody Hailwood) some of the players not getting a ton of ice-time … I thought they really responded.”

The green-and-gold hit the road for their final trip through the North Division this weekend with stops in Fort McMurray and Bonnyville on Jan. 30-31. Okotoks’ next home date is Feb. 6 versus the defending league champion Spruce Grove Saints.

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]
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