New coach brings order to AJHL team
AJHL team’s 3rd coach in less than a year guides squad to 3-game winning streak
Under the guidance of their third coach in less than a year, the Calgary Canucks have reeled off three straight victories coming on the heels of a four-game losing streak.
After blanking the crosstown rival Calgary Mustangs 6-0 at Father David Bauer Arena on a 26save shutout by goalie Erik Gordon last Tuesday, the Canucks skated to a 5-3 road win over the Brooks Bandits at the Centennial Regional Arena on Friday.
Back in the friendly confines of the Ken Bracko Arena at Max Bell Centre on Saturday, the Canucks edged the Whitecourt Wolverines 4-3 thanks to a pair of goals 33 seconds apart by Mark Drohan and Michael Clarke late in the game.
“There was just over a minute left and I pulled the goalie and Drohan snuck in the back door and got a pass and he put that away to tie it back up,” said interim Canucks bench boss Darryl Olsen, who took over the coaching reins on Nov. 16 after Colin Birkas resigned. “Then the boys went in on a tear and they moved the puck from the inside to the outside and Clarkey got a shot and put it far post, and the next thing you know, we won.”
Due to the trio of triumphs, the Canucks (13-14-1) moved within three points of the Mustangs (1414-2) for fourth spot in the AJHL’s South Division.
“We’ve got a solid group of guys,” said Olsen, a native Calgarian whose 10-year professional playing career included one game with the Calgary Flames in the 1991-92 season. “They have to understand their roles and I think I’ve brought that to them.
“They need to understand that we have to be disciplined to win, right from our goaltender out. We’ve got to have 20 guys that are willing to pay the price and do what they need to do game after game for us to be successful.”
This is the second time in less than 10 months that Olsen has been appointed as an interim coach in the AJHL. Olsen finished last season behind the bench of the Drumheller Dragons after replacing Brian Curran in late January.
“I went through this last year with the intentions of staying in Drumheller,” Olsen said. “For whatever reasons, that didn’t work out.”
That opened the door for him to sign on as an assistant under former Canucks bench boss James Poole, who subsequently left to coach at the midget prep level with the Edge Mountaineers.
Birkas was then brought in as Calgary’s new coach in August after guiding the Brockville Braves of the Central Canada Hockey League to a 33-26-3 record last season.
“I came here with the intention of eventually moving on as a coach somewhere, anyways,” said Olsen, who would like nothing more than to shed the interim tag from his title. “When they asked me, I was very excited. I’ve had some good meetings with the board here.
“Hopefully they can see the direction where I’m headed and what I can do with teams — what I did with Drumheller — and know I’m doing again with the kids here. Hopefully it turns into a long-term thing for me.”
According to general manager Pat Loyer, Olsen has already brought a more positive mindset to the Canucks in his five games behind the bench.
“Our team’s gone back to working hard and some accountability,” Loyer said.
“I think without discipline, you don’t have a lot, and he’s certainly brought that. He’s been around a long time and he’s brought some much needed structure, and the players know now if they’re not disciplined and don’t work hard, they’re not going to play.”
The Canucks will attempt to keep their winning streak going when they play a home-and-home series against the Bandits (17-101) — in Calgary on Thursday and in Brooks two nights later.
“The belief system is there, but Brooks is a very talented team,” Olsen said. “We just have to make sure we are prepared to play in all three zones of the ice and on specialty teams. It’ll be two good games and the boys will be ready.”
SNAPSHOTS
Since being acquired from the Lloydminster Bobcats on Nov. 15 in exchange for fellow forward Braydon Jenkins, Zach Webb has scored twice and set up two others in five games with the Canucks to give him 10 goals and 12 assists in 27 contests overall. “He’s definitely what we needed,” Olsen said. “He’s gifted, sees the ice very well and he’s good defensively. He just took our team to another level.” … The AJHL board of governors unveiled details of a new annual executive award in the name of Ken Bracko, who served as president of the Canucks for 32 years until his death in 2015. The award will recognize those who share Bracko’s qualities of volunteerism and commitment in current members of the board of governors.