CAMROSE, AB (September 17, 2022) – Thirteen different players registered at least one point, as the Okotoks Oilers (1-1) came back from a 2-0 first period deficit, scoring nine consecutive goals in the second and third periods en route to a dominant 9-2 win over the host Camrose Kodiaks on Saturday night.
Outshooting their opposition 39-22 in the game, the Oilers got a 20-save performance from goalie Parker Sawka (Cochrane, AB) in his second consecutive start, who was a perfect 14-for-14 in the final two periods.
QUICK HITS: The Oilers storm back from a two goal deficit, scoring nine straight to beat Camrose 9-2 on the road! #AJHL pic.twitter.com/ZA7oODBq12
— Okotoks Oilers (@OkotoksOilers) September 18, 2022
Goals off the rush from Callum Gau at the 3:13 mark and Nathan Sullivan at 10:40 gave Camrose the early advantage, despite a 12-8 Oiler shot lead in the first period.
But the floodgates opened in the second, beginning with Jace Moffatt (Cochrane, AB) scoring his first of the season on a rebound shot from the left circle 8:53 in. On the very next shift, after Jagger Tapper (Calgary, AB) was denied on a breakaway, Hunter Sawka (Cochrane, AB) managed to jam home the loose puck from the side of the net for his second career Junior A goal at 9:12 to tie the game.
Okotoks took the lead at 12:52 when Jackson Rowland (Calgary, AB) flung a puck in front from the end wall to a waiting Ryan Neumann (Calgary, AB) in the slot, who one-timed home his first of the year to make it 3-2. Then, in the final minute of the period, Conyr Hellyer (Okotoks, AB) backhanded a pass through the slot off the rush to captain Dean Spak (Calgary, AB), who rocketed in a top-shelf shot for a 4-2 Oiler lead.
In the third, the Oilers dominated even more, holding Camrose to just one shot on goal in the opening ten minutes, and adding four more goals in that span. First, Connor Gourley (Calgary, AB) forced a turnover on the penalty kill and sped in on a shorthanded breakaway, sliding a backhand shot past goalie Liam Bechthold for a 5-2 Okotoks lead. The Oilers added another pair of goals on back-to-back shifts later; the first a Nick Wolfenberg (Calgary, AB) point shot at 7:29, and the second a Hellyer breakaway goal off of a home run pass from Spak at 7:47.
Less than a minute after that, a Hellyer centering pass on the power play found Brett Huxley (Calgary, AB) in the slot for a wrist shot goal and an 8-2 lead, before Spak capped off the scoring at 17:50 by tipping home a Kade Turner (Calgary, AB) point shot. Turner had been set up by Hellyer, whose assist on the play gave him a career high four points on the night.
The Oilers return to Okotoks for their home opener on Friday night against the undefeated Olds Grizzlys at 7 PM. Tickets are available online at tickets.okotoksoilers.ca.