There’s a reason coaches espouse the one game at a time mantra.
The Okotoks Oilers showcased what can happen when you let a big win get to your head after seeing its upset 2-1 victory over the Brooks Bandits on opening night be followed up by a 6-1 dismantling at the hands of the Camrose Kodiaks on a gruelling back-to-back set.
“You beat a team like Brooks and you come in like you’re on top of the world,” said Oilers forward Danton Davis. “You take a team for granted and that’s a good (Kodiaks) team over there. We underestimated that.”
Okotoks walked into Camrose’s Encana Arena with a pep in its step and took it to the hosts in the first 20 minutes, badly outshooting and out-chancing the opposition.
Despite the edge in play the Kods took a 2-0 lead into the intermission on an even strength tally from Estian Coetzee followed up by a backbreaking shorthanded marker from Mackenzie Bauer. The latter was at it again on special teams early in the middle frame as Bauer was first to a loose puck on a goal-mouth scramble. Kyler Kupka made it a four goal advantage in short order, prompting netminder Matthew Armitage to the goal in relief of starter Riley Morris.
“They take advantage of our mistakes,” said Oilers rookie forward Austin Wong. “Every mistake we made they scored on almost every single one of them. We need to tighten up.”
At the other end of the ice, golden scoring chances were few and far between.
Defenceman Jordan Davies had the club’s best opportunity in the middle stanza, but his backhand-forehand deke on a partial breakaway was turned aside on a brilliant pad save from Camrose’s Joseph May.
Josh Zablocki, on a breakaway, and Ryan Rebelato, on the most fortuitous of bounces, added third period insurance markers. Davis finally got Okotoks on the board with just under three minutes remaining with a backhander to snap May’s shutout bid.
“That goalie played well,” said Wong. “We just didn’t get the great opportunities around him. They were just outside shots and we needed to get to the net.”
Rewind the clock 24 hours earlier and the Oilers were in much different spirits.
On a night the Bandits unveiled their banner as the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s 2015-16 champions, Okotoks went in and spoiled the Brooks home opener in a 2-1 triumph.
“We knew the team we were up against,” said Oilers freshman defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker. “The message was to keep it simple, throw lots of pucks on net and see what happens.”
Morris, a 21-game winner last season, was the undoubted marshal of the road conquest. The third-year netminder stopped 40 of 41 shots and was Okotoks’ best penalty killer in shutting out Brooks on all four of its powerplay opportunities.
Bernard-Docker, one of two 2000 born skaters on the roster, tallied the game winner in his first Junior contest on the powerplay after Davis had levelled the score earlier in the second period.
“Beersy (Carson Beers) made a nice pass over to me and I saw a lane and took it, fired it and it ended up going in,” said Bernard-Docker. “I’m just trying to shoot puck. I’m not basing my play off points and goals, just trying to play a good role defensively and those goals will come.”
Brooks gave Okotoks fits for the majority of last season, winning five of six match-ups and outscoring the green-and-gold by a healthy margin.
“That (win) gave us some confidence, maybe too much,” Bernard-Docker said. “We’ve got to go back, have a good practice this week and come back ready for Friday.”
Okotoks gets its redux with the top teams in the South when it hosts opening weekend in Big Rock Country.
The home opener sees the Kodiaks pay Okotoks a visit on Sept. 23 followed by the Bandits marauding into town on Sept. 24. Both games are 7 p.m. starts at Pason Centennial Arena.
For more information go to okotoksoilers.ca
