A pair of 3-2 losses on home ice to the Camrose Kodiaks saw the Oil Barons fall to 2-1-1 on the 2024/25 season. Both games saw Fort McMurray get off to early 2-0 leads, but the Kodiaks found ways to fight back. Danny Akkouche led the way offensively for the Oil Barons with three points, while Carter Schmidt got his fifth goal of the season.
The home opener saw the Oil Barons get off to an excellent start, but Camrose rallied to steal two points. Akkouche opened the scoring early in the first period. Fort McMurray drove the puck to the net off an offensive zone faceoff and a couple whacks later saw Akkouche net his second goal of the season. The Oil Barons doubled their lead just a couple minutes later. On the power-play, a shot from Charles-Olivier Villeneuve was stopped by Carter Capton. The rebound spilled to Capton’s left, and Schmidt fired it home. However, the Kodiaks got on the scoreboard with 12 seconds remaining in the first period. Cole Balkovec was left unchecked in the slot, and he sniped his first goal of the season to make it 2-1. Camrose then tied the game in the second period on a power-play opportunity of their own. Vincent Filion denied Ludovik Tardif, but the rebound landed for Garrett Thom, who tied the game at 2-2. It was also the first power-play goal the Oil Barons gave up this season. Neither team could find the back of the net in the third period and the home opener went to overtime. Akkouche almost scored his second goal of the contest, but his drive rang off the crossbar. Shortly after Sam Lozinski took on a tired Alexis Beaulac, and the Calgary product dangled around the defender and Filion to give Camrose a 3-2 victory.
The Oil Barons got off to another hot start on Saturday. Danny Akkouche opened the scoring 59 seconds into the game. The man from Montreal scooped up the puck at the Kodiaks blue-line, walked into the slot and snapped a shot top corner on Capton. Fort McMurray made it 2-0 before the ten minute mark of the first period. Off an offensive zone faceoff, Jason Huang picked up the loose puck and tallied his first goal of the season with a top corner snipe. However, just like a Friday, the Kodiaks responded before the end of the frame. Capitalizing on a neutral zone turnover, Justin Ivanusec found a wide open Tyson Murray in the slot, and Murray went five hole on Noah Nelson for his first career AJHL goal. A pair of power-play goals for Camrose in the second period was the difference in the game. The first saw Ludovik Tardif freeze Nelson with a fake shot, before going to the backhand, knotting the game at 2-2. The second was also from Tardif, who had a bouncing puck go his way, before he slid it into the Oil Barons’ net. Fort McMurray pressed in the third period to find an equalizer, but they couldn’t solve Capton, and the Kodiaks skated away with another 3-2 win.
The Oil Barons hit the road for the AJHL Showcase in Calgary next week. They will play a pair of evening games starting on Thursday against the North Division leading Grande Prairie Storm. Puck drop is at 7:15pm
