Saints can’t clinch AJHL title at home
The Spruce Grove Saints found themselves in a good spot, having to win one last period to claim the Alberta Junior Hockey League championship Monday at the Grant Fuhr Arena.
An early third-period penalty and two quick ensuing goals, however, proved their undoing in a 4-1 loss to the Okotoks Oilers in Game 4 of the best-of-seven series.
With the win, the Oilers were able to stave off elimination and shift the scene back to Okotoks for Game 5 on Friday, trailing 3-1 in the series. If necessary, Game 6 is Sunday in Spruce Grove.
“It was kind of like Game 1 and Game 2, it wasn’t an overtime game, but it felt like it could go either way,” said Saints head coach Bram Stephen. “They got the first one in the third period there and they were able to extend the lead.”
Dylan Holloway and Ben Sanderson scored in a 31-second span in the third period to give the Oilers a two-goal lead. Quinn Olson and Tanner Laderoute also scored for Okotoks in the victory, while goaltender Riley Morris made 27 saves.
Jarrod Gourley scored for Spruce Grove while Saints goalie Nolan Kent made 18 saves.
The Saints were without leading scorer Chris Van Os-Shaw, who sustained a possible broken finger in a 3-1 victory in Game 3 on Monday.
Van Os-Shaw won the regularseason scoring title and leads in playoff scoring with 11 goals and 19 points in 11 games.
“It’s still early, there is some swelling in the finger, so we’re going to find out a little later on,” Stephen said. “He’s day-to-day.”
Olson opened the scoring to give Okotoks the lead on the first shot, 53 seconds into the contest. The 16-year-old Calgary product wired a shot in past Kent from the left faceoff circle. It was Olson’s first goal of the playoffs.
After conceding the goal, the Saints worked their way back into the contest and had a handful of chances to tie the game through the remainder of the period.
“We started a little bit on our heels,” Stephen said. “But about three or four minutes in, we started to do some of the things that make us successful as far as getting pucks through the neutral zone putting pressure down low.”
The Saints were unable to beat Morris in the opening period. He made an excellent toe save on Josh Harris off the wing then turned away the Saints on a pair of power plays. Dylan Bourlai came close with just over two minutes left in the frame but was stopped with a quick pad save from Morris.
The Saints finally broke through midway into the second period on the power play on a point-shot from Gourley. The Spruce Grove defenceman one-timed a shot from the point that blew past Morris.
At the other end, Kent made an excellent save on Zane Kindrachuk to keep the score tied going into the third.
Spruce Grove came out strong in the third and were taking the play to Okotoks before Jordan Biro was assessed a holding penalty 3:19 into the frame.
Holloway scored on the ensuing power play with 10 seconds left in Biro’s penalty.
The Oilers’ 16-year-old rookie took a cross-crease pass from Nick Blankenburg and muscled a shot past Kent, who got a piece of the puck, but not enough to keep it from trickling across the goal-line.
Sanderson scored 31 seconds later on a similar play, taking a pass from Carter Huber and lifting it over Kent. Laderoute added a fourth with 2:17 to play in the contest.
The winner of the AJHL championship series will face off against their counterparts from British Columbia in a best-of-seven series for the Doyle Cup. The Wenatchee Wild and Prince George Spruce Kings are currently contesting the BCHL championship.
The Doyle Cup winner will represent the Pacific at the RBC Cup Junior A National Championship from May 12-20 in Chilliwack, B.C.