CALGARY, AB (December 7, 2014) – Kyle Star (Langley, BC) scored the game-winning goal for the second straight game, as the Fort McMurray Oil Barons capped off a three-game road trip with a 3-1 win at the Max Bell Centre over the Calgary Canucks on Sunday afternoon.
The Barons were playing on short rest after their bus slid into the ditch off an icy Trans-Canada Highway on Saturday night following a 5-2 win in Brooks over the Bandits. The Barons didn’t reach their hotel until 3 AM, with the following game scheduled for 2 PM. The MOB was also without forward Mitch Vanderlaan (Hanwell, NB), who was called to Team Canada West selection camp for the World Junior A Challenge, and was also missing suspended forward Danton Ayotte (Wetaskiwin, AB).
The MOB opened the scoring at the 15:45 mark when Adam Durkee (Nederland, CO) fired a puck from the left-wing faceoff circle over the glove hand of Colin Cooper for a 1-0 Oil Barons advantage. But with 1:32 to go in the period, the Canucks converted 9 seconds into their first power play, when a Chandler Irvin point shot was tipped past Zach Fortin (St. Jerome, PQ) by Trent Geiger to make it 1-1.
The Oil Barons were outshot 11-5 in the first, but outshot the Canucks 10-9 in the second, though no team was able to score in the middle frame.
In the third, the shots were even 14-14, but the Oil Barons scored the only two goals of the frame. First, Kyle Star (Langley, BC) scored the game-winner for the second consecutive game, when his wrist shot from a similar spot to Durkee’s goal beat Cooper short side, ringing the near post and then the crossbar before settling into the back of the net for a 2-1 MOB advantage.
Then, with 1:19 left in the third, Durkee lifted a high pass to captain Jetlan Houcher (Paradise Valley, AB) at the opposing blue line, who fired a long shot into an empty Calgary net to notch the 3-1 final score.
The Barons improve to 19-13-3, and now sit one point ahead of the Sherwood Park Crusaders for third place in the AJHL North, with a game in hand on the Crusaders.
The Barons host three home games this coming week, beginning Wednesday night when the first-place Spruce Grove Saints come to town for a 7:30 puck drop.
Tickets are available at the Casman Centre box office, online at tickets.oilbarons.com, or by phone at 780 743 5509.