Story Coming In:
Opening weekend saw the Oil Barons come away with two wins against the Lloydminster Bobcats. Friday saw a 45 save performance from Vincent Filion, while the power-play struck twice. Patani Mutambo’s first career AJHL goal stood up as the game winner, as the Oil Barons narrowly won 3-2. Saturday saw Fort McMurray win in convincing fashion. Carter Schmidt led the way with a hat-trick while Charles-Olivier Villeneuve put up three points in the 6-1 victory. Special teams were excellent, with the power-play converting 41.7% of their opportunities, good for first in the AJHL. The penalty kill is also tied for first in the league, as they killed off all 12 opportunities they faced. The team also received some recognition as the AJHL named Vincent Filion the Defensive Player of the Week. The Shawinigan product stopped a combined 75 shots in the two victories, while also posting a 1.50 goals against average.
View From Camrose:
The Kodiaks had a rocky start to the 2024/25 campaign. Opening night saw Camrose push the Drayton Valley Thunder to overtime, where they fell 2-1, before the Thunder won the rematch 4-2 at EnCana Arena. Newcomer AJ Schaaf and Bowen Grycan both had a pair of points from the weekend, while former Shattuck St Mary’s forward Ian Alonso also scored his first career AJHL goal. Despite the two losses, goaltender Carter Capton was solid in between the pipes for the Kodiaks. His .918 save percentage is good for seventh in the league, as he gave them an opportunity to win both nights. The Kodiaks will look to their veterans to kickstart their offence. Sam Lozinski and Ludovik Tardif will have a full season in Camrose this year, while Spencer Masters will try to build off his point a game performance from the playoffs last season.
Stats Leaders For Fort McMurray:
Goals: Schmidt (4)
Assists: Akkouche & Huang (3)
Points: Schmidt & Akkouche (4)
PIM: Nordstrom (19)
Goalies: Filion: 2-0-0-0, 1.50 GAA, 0.962%
