The Olds Grizzlys lost a tightly contested game 3-2 in overtime on Thursday against the Canmore Eagles, who were desperately trying to keep their playoff hopes alive heading into the final weekend of the Alberta Junior Hockey League season.
As a result of the win, the Eagles were one point back of the Drumheller Dragons for the final playoff spot in the south division. If they won against the Calgary Canucks on Friday, the Eagles would have leap-frogged the Dragons, who had already played all 60 games of their schedule.
The Grizzlys got down 2-0 in the first period, until Tanner Dunkle got the visitors on the board with only 1:58 left in the opening frame. The game went scoreless again until Ty Morgan tied the game up at 15:03 of the second. There was no scoring in the third period.
Brett Hopfe, the Grizzlys head coach, said despite the loss, he was encouraged how the players battled back from a two-goal deficit.
“I'm pretty proud of the players on our side. We were down 2-0 early and we battled back to tie it up 2-2, and I really thought we deserved to win that game,” he said.
Once it was tied, Hopfe said the Eagles decided to slow the game down with a puck possession game, but didn't press to score, trying to hold on for at least one point. Hopfe said while the Grizzlys tried to flush out the Eagles, they were unable to do so.
“We were taking it to them for most of that (third) period, we … just … didn't capitalize on our chances,” he said, noting that the Grizzlys failed to score on two breakaways (including one shot off the post), as well as a two-on-one chance,
The Grizzlys were firmly entrenched in fifth place in the south division going into the final two games of the season on the weekend, eight points up on the Canucks but 18 behind the Calgary Mustangs.
"We were taking it to them for most of that (third) period, we ... just ... didn't capitalize on our chances."Brett Hopfe, head coach, Olds Grizzlys
