It was two very different wins, but the Oil Barons skated away with a weekend sweep of the Canmore Eagles. It was the first time since the 2022/23 season that Fort McMurray swept the season series against the Bow Valley Bunch. Eight different Oil Barons had multi-point weekends, while Brendan Gee picked up both wins in net.
The MOB got off to a terrific start on Saturday. Just over a minute in, Leo Adams picked up the puck in the slot and wired home his 12th goal of the season, giving the Oil Barons the lead. Fort McMurray doubled their advantage a couple of minutes later. From a very tight angle, Justin Dumais picked the corner above the shoulder of Hudson Sedo, for his 24th goal of the campaign. The Eagles came charging back before the end of the first period. After a turnover, John Szabo snapped home his 15th goal of the year to make it 2-1. Another Oil Barons turnover led to the game tying marker, this time courtesy of Ryder Dembo, who beat Brendan Gee on a breakaway. Fort McMurray restored their lead in the second. Off an offensive zone faceoff, Griffin Gidney set up Drew Freer for a one-timer, putting the MOB ahead 3-2. Less than a minute after that, Cade Petersen picked up the puck in tight and sniped home his 11th goal of the season. The Oil Barons blew the game wide open in the third period. Freer ripped home his second goal of the game on a 2-on-1, making it 5-2 for the home side. Shortly after that, Stefan Serediak struck against his former team to make it 6-2. Then the Oil Barons completed three goals in the span of 1:17, when Carter Ellsworth finished a clever individual effort for his fourth goal of the season. Canmore did get one goal back, off the stick of Connor Watson, but it was still a convincing victory for the MOB.
If Saturday was a convincing win, then Sunday showed the Oil Barons’ resiliency. Canmore opened the scoring 53 seconds in, when Will Lutic stepped out from behind the net and wired a shot inside the left post. However, about halfway through the period, the MOB responded. Justin Dumais surprised everyone by faking a centering pass, instead sliding the puck under Alex Scheiwiller for his 25th goal of the season. The Eagles restored their advantage before the end of the first period. On a rush, Ryder Dembo fired a shot that found its way through Gee, making it a 2-1 game. Fort McMurray scored the only goal of the second period. Off an offensive zone faceoff, Patani Mutamo found Jayden Lazare with a seam pass, and the Montreal product snapped a shot past Scheiwiller for his first goal as an Oil Baron. Canmore got their third lead of the game just 23 seconds into the third period. John Szabo raced around a defender and blasted a shot into the net, for his 16th goal of the campaign. Fort McMurray once again found a way to battle back. Drew Freer forced a turnover in the offensive zone, centered the puck for Ryan Arnold, who one-timed it inside the left post. Overtime saw chances from both teams, but the goalies made a couple of terrific saves and we headed to a shootout. There, Gee stopped two shooters, while Dumais scored on a top corner snipe. The game ended when Szabo missed the net on his attempt.
Fort McMurray hits the road in central Alberta for the Valentines weekend. They will battle the Drayton Valley Thunder at the Omniplex on Friday, before a collision with the Camrose Kodiaks on Saturday.
