Fort McMurray is now on the brink of elimination. Despite a better effort in game four, the Oil Barons were downed 4-2 at the hands of the Whitecourt Wolverines. Carter Schmidt and Louis-Charles Cunningham had the goals for the MOB, while Vincent Filion turned aside 23 shots in the loss.
Whitecourt opened the scoring. While on the power-play, Dylan Ruptash charged down the right wing and tucked the puck home for his fourth goal of the playoffs. Schmidt responded for the Oil Barons. A point shot from Shawn Eliav was turned aside by Zac Onyskiw, before Schmidt steered home the rebound, tying the game at one. The second period was the Zac Onyskiw show. The 21-year-old robbed Leo Adams on a 2-on-1 break, one of 17 saves he made in the middle frame. The Wolverines also got themselves back out in front. A shot from the boards by Tyler Rowland surprised Filion, giving Whitecourt a 2-1 lead. The Wolverines took full advantage of a poor start by Fort McMurray in the third period. After an Oil Baron fell down, Travis Verbeek picked up a loose puck below the goal line and slipped it free to a wide open Braden Keeble. The captain of the Wolverines put home his first goal of the playoffs, and the road team had some insurance. Cunningham made the game interesting with about 11 minutes remaining. Cade Petersen pulled the puck free and Cunningham snuck a backhander underneath of Onyskiw, bringing the Oil Barons within one. Fort McMurray pressed for an equalizer, but they couldn’t solve Onyskiw, and Xavier Lacoste iced the game with a shorthanded, empty net goal, giving Whitecourt a 4-2 victory.
Game 5 is on Friday night at JDA Place, where the Oil Barons will try to extend their season. Puck drop in Whitecourt is a 7pm.
