The Oilers will need to win out and get some help on the out-of-town scoreboard to finish third.
Okotoks’ bid for a bye through the BCHL play-in round featuring the four and five seeds was dealt a blow over the weekend with losses to the Sherwood Park Crusaders and Brooks Bandits, putting the Oilers (38-36-3) two back of the Blackfalds Bulldogs for third.
The Green-and-Gold will need to win out in its final two games, including its matchup with the Bulldogs on Friday, and have Blackfalds take no points from its last two regular season clashes.
On Easter Sunday, Okotoks saw a strong start countered by the division-leading Bandits in a 6-3 result.
Jagger Tapper opened the scoring inside five minutes with a backhand shot in the slot after defenceman Kade Turner forced a turnover with an aggressive forecheck.
The Bandits countered with Nick Peluso and Danylo Korzhyletskyi tallies in the second half of the frame to go into the intermission with the one-goal advantage.
Brooks took the game over with a four-goal middle stanza through Peloso, Quinn McCall, Caelan Fitzpatrick and Parker Lalonde with Brett Huxley scoring for Okotoks on a terrific set up from linemate Jackson Rowland.
Okotoks got another back in the third with Jack Silverberg wiring in a patented wrist shot marker.
https://twitter.com/OkotoksOilers/status/1774629106954768802
With the win, Brooks completes the season series sweep over Okotoks with 10 victories in both AJHL and BCHL play.
Okotoks opened the weekend with an 8-4 road loss in Sherwood Park.
Tapper, Huxley, Dean Spak and Sam Huck scored for Okotoks.
The final week of the regular season will see Okotoks host Blackfalds on April 5 at 7 p.m. and a season finale on April 7 in Spruce Grove.
For more information, visit okotoksoilers.com.
Chasing History
The Okotoks Oilers’ all-time leading scorers table could see a change at the top this week.
Sam Huck has moved to four points back of Kyle Reynolds’ all-time points mark of 165 points and has two games left to do damage.
Huck, a 2004-born forward and Western Michigan commit, is up to 36 goals and 78 points this season and has tallied 70 goals and 91 assists in four seasons with the Oilers.
Reynolds, who went on to play at the University of Vermont, scored 79 goals and 86 assists from 2008-11 in Okotoks.
