The Fort McMurray Oil Barons managed to squeak out a 2-1 win over the Drayton Valley Thunder Wednesday night at the Drayton Valley Omniplex. Adam Durkee scored both goals for the MOB and goaltender Tanner Jaillet made 28 saves to earn his 28th win of the season.
“It was a gutsy effort,” said Oil Barons head coach and general manager Gord Thibodeau. “Didn't get to the rink until 10 after 7, 8 hour trip on the bus due to the road closures. So it would've been very easy to make excuses, but we found a way around it. Played a real good 40 minutes and a gutsy effort to get the win.”
The Barons opened the scoring as Durkee one-timed a shot past Thunder goalie Marc Olivier Daigle after a perfect pass from Brennan Saulnier on a 2-on-1. Durkee's 20th of the season would put the Barons up 1-0 until Drayton Valley's Dallen Hall tied the game, converting on the powerplay at 14:43 of the second. Despite managing just three shots on goal in the third period, the Barons would get the games' final goal with Saulnier passing the puck to Durkee who made no mistake burying his 21st of the season.
The Thunder would pressure the Barons in the final minute, pulling the goaltender while on a late powerplay to have a 6-on-4 advantage, but Jaillet would stand tall to get the win.
“He was solid, he held us in late on that powerplay when it was 6-on-4 and he did a great job,” said Thibodeau. “He did a great job of being big and covering up and smothering the puck. Real solid effort.”
Thibodeau hadn't been happy in some of the team's recent road games, but he thinks the Barons put in a solid effort against the Thunder.
“It's a start,” said Thibodeau. “We talked about the fact that we've got to be better as a group and we were better tonight. We got rewarded for it with the victory, but it's definitely a start of better times to come.”
This weekend the Barons will return to the Casman Centre for a pair of games. The MOB play Saturday at 8 p.m. against the Spruce Grove Saints and on Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Sherwood Park Crusaders.