Canucks come out strong vs the Okotoks Oilers!
Saturday the Canucks headed south of Calgary to face off against the Oilers. This was the first of three meetings between the two teams this month and with Okotoks likely being the Canucks first round opponent in playoffs, both teams had a lot to prove. The Canucks were first on the board as #21 Kyler Magus put one past the Oilers goaltender with help from #26 Nolan Carothers and #22 Josh Giacomin. The lead didn’t last long as #4 Drew Weich tied up the game with a power play goal at 8:10 of the first.
Just a few minutes into the second Oilers forward #9 Tanner Laderoute scored a shorthanded goal to put the Oilers up 2-1. The Canucks battled back and got a power play goal of their own at 3:22 of the second period as #19 Parker Ward put another on the board for the Canucks – the score was now 2-2. Half way through the second #19 Parker Ward scored his second of the night with help from #24 Dalton Ossman and #4 Allan MacPherson, putting the Canucks ahead by one.
Heading into the third with the lead the Canucks played hard to keep the Oilers at bay. After pulling their goaltender, the Oilers tried for a late push at the net but were unable to put one past Canucks Goaltender #1 Caiden Kreitz. At 19:14 #9 Ben Assad scored an empty net goal to extend the Canucks lead to 4-2. That wasn’t the end for the Canucks as just 31 seconds later #22 Josh Giacomin put another on the board for the Canucks with help from #15 Reed Morison.
The final score was 5-2 for the Canucks! Shots at the end of the game were 32-22 in favour of the Okotoks Oilers. The game star for the Canucks with 2 goals on the night was #19 Parker Ward.
Canucks have success both on and off the ice in Cochrane!
Sunday the Canucks hosted their satellite game in Cochrane at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre in an afternoon match up against the Whitecourt Wolverines. The Canucks dominated the first period getting a 2-0 lead heading into the second period. The Canucks first goal, a power play goal, came from #4 Allan MacPherson with help from #7 Chandler Irvin and # 15 Reed Morison. At 11:48 #8 Ryan McKinnon blasted a shot past Wolverines goaltender #35 Tanner McCorriston to put the Canucks up by 2.
The tides changed in the second as #15 Mitchell Brennan put the Wolverines on the board with a goal at 15:13. With the power play the Wolverines scored their second of the afternoon with a goal from forward #13 Frederic Letourneau. At the end of the second the game was tied up across with board the score being 2-2 and each team having 22 shots.
The third period was hard fought by both teams but neither team was able to pull a head to the game was heading into overtime. In the 5 minute overtime both teams tried their best to end the game. The wolverines had two breakaway opportunities but Canucks goaltender #1 Caiden Kreitz kept them in the game.
With neither team able to score we were off to the shootout. The Wolverines were up first as #20 Kevin Domingue took to the ice, however, was unable to get one past #1 Caiden Kreitz. #22 Josh Giacomin for the Canucks put one in the back of the net , it was 1-0 for the Canucks in the shootout. Next up for the Wolverines was #21 Justin Young whose shot was also denied. The Canucks sent out #15 Reed Morison as the Canucks next shooter but he was unable to get one past Wolverines Goaltender #35 Tanner McCorriston. #13 Frederic Letourneau was selected as the Wolverines final shooter but #1 Caiden Kreitz came up with the save to win the game.
The Canucks won by a score of was 3-2! With 37 saves on the night #1 Caiden Kreitz was selected as the Canucks game star.
A big thank you to everyone in Cochrane who came out to support the Calgary Canucks!
Up next the Canucks are back at home to take on the Okotoks Oilers this Friday, February 26th. Game time is 7:00p.m. Then on Saturday the Canucks are heading back to Okotoks for their final matchup of the regular season.