CAMROSE, AB (December 20, 2014) – The Fort McMurray Oil Barons (22-14-4) held a two-goal lead after two periods, but allowed two goals in the third period to the league-leading Camrose Kodiaks, en route to a 5-4 overtime loss at the Edgeworth Centre in Camrose on Saturday night.
The Barons opened the scoring just under three minutes into the game when rookie Mark Drohan (Calgary, AB) snapped a wrist shot from the top of the left-wing faceoff circle past Kodiak goalie Devin McDonald for an early 1-0 lead. But the Kodiaks tied the game just over thirteen minutes later when a wrist shot by Brett Njaa through traffic beat Zach Fortin (St. Jerome, PQ) to make it 1-1. In the final minute of the first, however, Jetlan Houcher (Paradise Valley, AB) snuck a backhand shot on a breakaway into the back of the Camrose net to make it 2-1 after 20 minutes.
In the second period, though the Kodiaks outshot the Oil Barons 21-9 and scored the first goal on a Ryker Leer power play shot six minutes in, the Barons pulled away when Adam Durkee scored off of a faceoff halfway through the period, while Houcher made it 4-2 just over four minutes later on another chance alone in front of the net.
But the third period belonged to Camrose as it outshot the Barons 19-2, as Scott Ferguson and Adam DeChamplain scored goals to make it 4-4. In overtime, an unmarked Cole McBride tapped a rebound past Zach Fortin to notch the 5-4 final.
With the point for the overtime loss, the Barons drew to 3 points back of the Lloydminster Bobcats for second place in the AJHL North division.
The Barons will return to action on January 2nd when they host the Grande Prairie Storm at the Casman Centre at 8 PM; it begins a four-game homestand to kick off the 2015 calendar year.