Story Coming In:
Last weekend the Oil Barons split points with the Devon Xtreme. A thrilling Friday night game in front of NHL alumni saw the MOB come away with a 4-3 shootout victory. Fort McMurray saw goals from Charles-Olivier Villeneuve, Dustin Good’s first as an Oil Baron as well as Jason Walia’s first career AJHL goal. Vincent Filion claimed the victory making 23 saves, while the Oil Barons put up a season high 41 shots on target. However, the next night saw Fort McMurray shut out for the third time in four games. Unable to solve Wilson Maxfield, the blue and gold look to kickstart the offense against a team they’ve had early season success against. Fort McMurray took the first two meetings against the Lloydminster Bobcats. Carter Schmidt and Danny Akkouche led the way offensively with four points each against the Bobcats, while the Oil Barons largest margin of victory this season also came against the Border City Bunch. With only one point separating these two teams, this weekend, though early in the season, could prove critical.
View From Lloydminster:
Despite starting the season with eight straight losses, the Bobcats are beginning to find some traction. Having won their last two games, Lloydminster finds themselves one point out of a playoff spot in the highly competitive north division. The new faces have made an impact for the Border City Bunch. Rhett Miller had a pair of goals in his Bobcat debut last Friday, while Red Deer product Cooper Moore has four points in five games this season. Returning forward Alessio Nardelli is also making an impact. He’s riding a six game point streak while leading all Bobcats in points so far this season. Despite only mustering 1.7 goals per game, ranking last in the AJHL, Lloydminster’s strength is in their defence and goaltending. Both Kaiden Kirkwood and Anders Millers are in the league’s top ten for goals against average, while the Bobcats are averaging the third fewest goals against.
Get your tickets online: https://tickets.fortmcmurrayoilbarons.ca/
Stats Leaders For Fort McMurray:
Goals: Schmidt (5)
Assists: Akkouche (6)
Points: Akkouche (9)
PIM: Redlick (27)
Goalies: Filion: 3-2-1-0, 2.47 GAA, 0.925%
