Story Coming In:
Fort McMurray is coming off two narrow losses over the weekend. An overtime loss to Whitecourt saw the Oil Barons give up a two goal lead with six and a half minutes remaining, while in Saturday’s loss to Bonnyville, the MOB couldn’t erase a 3-0 deficit. Ryan Arnold has refound his groove after a three game points drought. The Spruce Grove product has points in four straight games while achieving a career high in goals with 14 on the season. Captain Danny Akkouche also has a hot stick as of late. Akkouche leads the team in points, including six in his last three games. Then there’s the emergence of Justin Dumais. The former Gatineau Olympique has created an excellent line with Carter Schmidt and Mason Finley, with the 18-year-old posting ten points in his last six games.
View From Grande Prairie:
The Storm is slowly regaining their mojo. After a six game losing skid, Grande Prairie has won three of their last four games, re-establishing their grip on second place in the North Division. The return of Max Leduc from injury has given a boost to the Storm’s offence. He and Tomis Marinkovic combined for four points in their last two games on the same line. The trade deadline additions of Kailus Green, Carter Streek and Cade Kozak has provided extra experience and depth for Grande Prairie. The trio are slowly settling into the roster with six points combined in the last two games, which were 4-1 and 5-1 victories over Devon and Bonnyville, respectively. With two games in hand on Whitecourt and the majority of their remaining games against divisional foes, the Storm are eyeing to restore their position at the top of the North, which they held for the majority of September through November.
Stats Leaders For Fort McMurray:
Goals: Akkouche (15)
Assists: Akkouche (21)
Points: Akkouche (36)
PIM: Nordstrom (81)
Goalies: Filion: 17-12-2-1, 2.51 GAA, 0.921%