Story Coming In:
The Oil Barons are coming off one of their biggest victories of the season. A convincing victory over Bonnyville saw the MOB build an eight point gap between themselves and Pontiacs for the final playoff spot in the North Division. Ryan Arnold was the star on Wednesday putting up three points, while Vincent Filion earned his 50th career win in net. Now Fort McMurray is looking for their first three game winning streak since December of 2022. The blue and gold find themselves five points back of Lloydminster for third place, and eight points back of Grande Prairie and Whitecourt for top spot in the North. Filion continues to be the backbone of the team. The veteran goaltender is tied for the most wins by a goalie in the league, has played the most minutes, made the most saves and is third in save percentage. Charles-Olivier Villeneuve continues his hot run of form possessing a six game point streak, the longest active streak in the league.
View From Calgary:
Having won seven of their last nine games, the Canucks are in the heavily contested race for first place in the AJHL. Their 34 points has them tied for first in the league with Whitecourt and Grande Prairie, however, Calgary has played the most games of the three teams. Offence is king for Calgary. The Canucks scored the most goals in the AJHL at 105, with Jack Plandowski first in the league in points with 37. Nolan DuPont is also among the league leaders in points, sitting third with 29. Goaltender Lukas Renaud has had a solid season for the Canucks. The Montreal product has the third most wins among goaltenders, while also boasting the fourth best save percentage. Calgary has three representatives at the World Junior A Challenge in Camrose as Jack Plandowski, Nolan DuPont and Nathan Maloney all made Canada West’s roster.
Stats Leaders For Fort McMurray:
Goals: Akkouche & Villeneuve (10)
Assists: Akkouche (15)
Points: Akkouche (25)
PIM: Kunz & Nordstrom (56)
Goalies: Filion: 12-8-1-1, 2.27 GAA, 0.927%
