The Okotoks Bow Mark Oilers might want to lobby for more out of division games.
That’s the kind of run the Alberta Midget ‘AAA’ Hockey League team is on after taking back-to-back road results over Grande Prairie and Leduc to improve to 7-1 versus the North Division this season.
“It’s certainly not as strong as it has been in the past,” said Bow Mark head coach Kevin Willison. “There are some good teams up there, but the North is struggling a little bit against the South, but that’s the sport.
“Give our guys credit, we’re winning games that we should.”
There was nothing easy about the Oilers schedule.
Okotoks fought off considerable bus legs from the 754km drive to Grande Prairie and weathered the storm for a 4-3 victory.
Ty Tarvyd made 34 saves with Tyler Strath, Evan Woods, Jaevon Buschlen and Gibb Coady providing the goals for the visitors.
Coady notched the game-winner, his team leading eighth, with just 3:25 left in regulation on the powerplay.
“Anybody that has played hockey and has to be on the bus heading up to Grande Prairie or Fort Mac knows that it’s a big challenge with those miles,” Willison said. “It’s a tough road trip going up to Grande Prairie and ending up in Leduc, we’re pretty happy with the four points.
“Both wins, come from behind, good character wins to find out a lot about ourselves as a team.”
The Oilers made it four points from two games as they charged back to usurp the Leduc Oil Kings by a 6-4 count on Sunday.
Okotoks erased a one-goal deficit with three unanswered in the third period.
Buschlen paced the offence with two goals, Tyson Laduke and Kale Clouston scored while defenceman Riley Bodnarchuk potted his first goal of the season in game-winning fashion late in the final frame.
“There was a scramble in front of the net and the puck just happened to be passed out to me at the point,” said Bodnarchuk, a Grade 11 student at Foothills Composite. “I shot it and it happened to go in top right corner. It’s a good feeling to get that first one out of the way.
“I feel like we were outplaying them the whole game, it just didn’t show that way on the scoreboard. At the end it turned out the way it should have.”
The Oilers (8-3-3) are now eight games unbeaten away from home.
A lot of it comes down to routine.
“A good warm up, making sure we’re dialled in so we’re ready to go as soon as the puck drops,” Bodnarchuk said. “Defence first mentality, if we can get the puck out of our zone with a nice clean breakout it’s real easy to start the offence.”
They get a chance to improve the home record this weekend in back-to-back dates against Northern visitors.
The St. Albert Raiders make their first visit on Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m. followed by a Nov. 19 clash versus the Knights of Columbus Pats at 4:15 p.m.
“The schedule is going to get tougher,” Willison said. “We want to make sure we’re playing the right way. One of our short-term goals is to be playing some good hockey when we hit the Mac’s tournament. That’s our focus.
“There are some things to work on, but right now things are going pretty well, the kids are working hard, having fun and they all have smiles on their faces.”
For more information on the Bow Mark Oilers go to ooaaoilerhockey.ca
