After a difficult start to the month, the script has been flipped for the Oilers.
Rylan Brown’s fifth goal of the season extended the Okotoks Oilers’ winning streak to five games in a 5-4 overtime victory over the second-place Sherwood Park Crusaders as the Green and Gold continue to chip away at the top of table with an injury riddled roster.
“It’s been good and it’s given other guys a chance to step up in the lineup,” Brown said. “Now we’re kind of getting guys back, we’re starting to get in our flow and hopefully we’ll go into gear until the end of Christmas.”
Okotoks opened the month with wins in just two of six games as it battled through a number of long-term injury absences in the lineup.
Captain Dean Spak and second-year centre Jackson Rowland returned to the lineup on Friday and helped spark a 7-0 romp over the visiting Olds Grizzlys.
Spak registered his first hat-trick at the junior level in the win, Rowland added a goal and an assist with Owen MacNeil, Hunter Sawka and Sam Hall tickling the twine.
Alexander Scheiwiller stopped all 24 shots he faced for the 2005-born netminder’s first shutout of the season.
“It’s great for the room and for maturity around the rink,” Brown said. “It’s great having those guys, that veteran presence helps everyone.”
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On Saturday, Okotoks built a 4-2 advantage on the Crusaders through 40 minutes with the high-octane visitors pushing back in the final stanza to force the extra session.
“We started off the game well and then at the end we bent, but we didn’t break,” said Brown. “Being able to stay in the game and then finish it out was good. Overtime gets everyone ramped up and pretty pumped and thankfully we ended it early.”
Sawka, Kade Duell, Jack Silverberg and affiliate player Carson Wright tallied in regulation, the latter his first in the AJHL.
In overtime, a frenetic 41 seconds saw Sam Huck nearly score on a rush, the Crusaders take it up ice for an odd-man attempt before the Oilers countered with Sawka feathering a perfect saucer pass for Brown to tuck into the back of the net.
“I thought Huck was going to tuck it on his breakaway and then all of a sudden they come down on a 2-on-1 and I ended up kicking it out with my feet,” Brown said. “Then going back down with Sawka, I went forehand-backhand.”
The Oilers (18-9-1-1) sit fourth place in the AJHL with 38 points, 12 back of the league-leading Brooks Bandits, five back of the Crusaders and within three of the Blackfalds Bulldogs.
This week, Okotoks is home to the Bonnyville Pontiacs and Fort McMurray Oil Barons on Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, respectively.
Earlier in the week, the Oilers made an addition on the back-end.
Brennen Hocher, a 2007-born blueliner from Calgary, was signed to the active roster after appearing in 10 games for the Oilers as an affiliate player from the Edge Academy.
The smooth-skating rearguard was the MVP on Edge’s U17 squad last season and was the Scholastic Player of the Year in the U15 division of the Canadian School Sports Hockey League the season prior.
For more information, go to okotoksoilers.ca.
