OKOTOKS, AB (October 11, 2021) ““ The Okotoks Oilers (7-3) extended their winning streak to four games, scoring twice in the first period and never trailing en route to a 5-3 win over the visiting Blackfalds Bulldogs in front of a season-high crowd of 783 at Pason Centennial Arena on Monday afternoon.
With the win, the Oilers move into second place in the AJHL South division, two points back of first-place Brooks with an extra game played.
Nolan Flint (Beaverlodge, AB) opened the scoring at the 10:04 mark when he backhanded the puck home off the rush for his second goal in as many games. Bowden Singleton (Calgary, AB) then doubled the lead with 51 seconds left in the period on a high wrist shot from the left circle.
In the second, Blackfalds got on the board 2:42 in on a Ryan Johnson backdoor one-timer on the power play, ending the Oilers”™ shutout streak at a league-record tying three games and capping off the team”™s stretch of shutout play at 203 minutes and 21 seconds.
However, Rieger Lorenz (Calgary, AB) sniped a top shelf wrister off the rush at 9:21 to reclaim a two goal lead for the Oilers, recording his team-leading seventh marker of the year.
In the third, the Oilers were called for another early penalty and saw the Bulldogs convert on a Tye Carriere goal on a net front scamble at 1:59. But the player who took the penalty, Ryan Neumann (Calgary, AB), got it back himself with a masterful goal at 4:09 on an Oiler power play, as he pounced on a loose puck at the right side of the Blackfalds net and snuck a quick shot by goalie Lucas Massie.
Carter Yarish scored shorthanded for Blackfalds at 8:31 on a pass off the rush that deflected off a defender”™s stick and past goalie Parker Sawka (Cochrane, AB), but it would be the Oiler veteran”™s last blemish, as Singleton buried the empty netter at 19:50 to seal a 5-3 Oiler victory.
Okotoks outshot the Bulldogs 29-27 despite a 7-3 power play disadvantage. The home side went 1 for 3 on the power play and 5 for 7 on the penalty kill.
The Oilers will host two more home games this coming weekend: Friday against Drumheller and Saturday against Camrose. Tickets for both are available online at tickets.okotoksoilers.ca.
Photo: Chad Goddard Photography