Traditional foes renew playoff rivalry

It’s been too long since these traditional rivals locked horns in the second season.

The long-time foes Okotoks Oilers and Camrose Kodiaks open the latest chapter of their sporting enmity when the pucks drops on the second round best-of-seven playoff series this week in the Rose City.

“With Camrose and the tradition it’s definitely a big rival of ours, there is a hatred for a Camrose,” said Oilers head coach James Poole. “The series we’ve had going back to my first year (2011), the best-of-seven we lost in seven and then sweeping them the Collins year (2013).

“They were all tight games and we expect it to be the same thing.”

Both teams come into the series on a roll having swept their respective first-round series as Okotoks dispatched the Calgary Canucks while Camrose made quick work of the Olds Grizzlys.

Only four players remain from the 2013 series in Okotoks’ Drew Weich as well as Camrose’s Cam Gotaas, Nelson Gadoury and Stefan Danielson – who was an Oiler at that time.

“We had a lot of great guys on that team,” Weich said. “Everyone bought in and knew their role, played good team-first hockey. We just had a good sweep in four games and it was off to the South Final.”

Weich won’t be lacking in motivation entering this best-of-seven.

The 20-year-old was cut loose by the veteran-laden Kods at the start of the season prior to joining the Oilers for the second time in his junior career.

“The guys are excited. I’m going to be juiced to play them,” Weich said. “I was there for a bit and they basically told me I wasn’t good enough to make that team.

“I definitely want to make a statement, prove them wrong and make sure we’re eliminating them from the playoffs.”

The six-foot-three blueliner, who suited up in just eight games in Camrose, has quickly developed a healthy dislike for his former club.

“When I started I definitely hated (Camrose) and at the beginning of the year it was kind of weird being on that team and putting on that Kods jersey for the first time,” Weich said. “Coming back here it was right back to the way it started. You just hate them.

“They’ve got a good history, a good team, a good coach and I do respect them, but I definitely have a good hate on for them.”

Known primarily as a defensive-minded team under bench boss Boris Rybalka, the second-seed Kodiaks produced quite prolifically on offence as well this season. Forwards Cole McBride, Nelson Gadoury and Mackenzie Bauer all finished in the top-20 in league scoring to lead the Kods to the third highest goals for totals in the province.

“One of the keys to our game is the cycle. We’ve got to be getting that puck down low, got to be making those d-men pay because they’re a good defensive team,” Weich added. “They’ve got a couple real good guys and we have to make sure we’re getting a body on them.

“Their most dangerous guy is probably Gadoury. I lived with him when I was there, a great guy and really good hockey player. We’ve got to make sure we’re on top of him.”

Okotoks held a slight edge in the season series, winning four of six meetings versus a team it typically brings out its A-game against.

“You kind of throw the regular season matchup and stats out the window,” Poole said. “We do have some confidence we can take from the regular season that we’ve gone up twice to their rink and won some big games there.

“It’s going to be a battle, hard fought series and probably low scoring.”