Just a day after being granted a trade to the Okotoks Oilers, defenceman Craig Gans burned his hometown team by assisting on the overtime winner against the Olds Grizzlys in Alberta Junior Hockey League play on Friday.
The Oilers beat the Grizzlys 4-3 in Okotoks.
Grizzlys head coach Kevin Willison said that while the officials missed the call on the overtime winner – the Oilers had too many men on the ice at the time – Gans did get a step on a Grizzlys defender.
“Just bad decisions, not moving your feet, not getting a good angle on a guy, can cost you a game in this league. When (Gans) came inside the zone, he just got a step on one of our defenders and that's what we talk about …learning about what it takes to win in this league,” he said.
Willison said the team did well to play against their former teammate so soon after he was traded.
“We knew going in it was going to be a little bit of an emotional game … and (the coaches) just kind of settled things down at the start of the game and let these guys know that it's just going to be another game,” he said.
The Grizzlys got down 2-0 after one period, but Chase Paylor got the Grizzlys on the board in the second with an unassisted marker. Bart Moran then tied it at 2-2 midway through the third with his sixth goal of the year. Cody Irving then re-established the Oilers lead, before Chris Stachiw sent it to overtime for the Grizzlys with a powerplay goal with 3:01 left in the game.
Willison said the next two games against the Calgary Mustangs Thursday and the south division leading Brooks Bandits Saturday — both at the Olds Sports Complex — will be key divisional tests for the Grizzlys. The Mustangs were six points up on the Grizzlys after weekend play, while the Bandits have been the class of the division thus far.
“On Saturday against Brooks, it's got to be important for this team to understand that, ‘hey the best of the league's coming in here … how are we going to react to that? Are we a good enough team to be able to compete with them?' … That's what we need to show ourselves,” he said.
The break between games (the Grizzlys have only played one game since Oct. 27) has allowed the team to recuperate from a busy schedule in the first part of the year and refocus efforts on special teams. Willison said he's happy with the team's current progress.
“We're actually playing pretty good hockey. We're scoring goals, we're killing penalties and we're back to where we were at the start of the year when it comes to (special team) percentage, which is important for teams to be successful in this league. You've got to have good numbers there or teams will beat you,” he said.
"When (former Grizzly Craig Gans) came inside the zone, he just got a step on one of our defenders and that's what we talk about ...learning about what it takes to win in this league."Kevin Willison, head coach, Olds Grizzlys
