The Okotoks Oilers used goals from eight different skaters to earn a historic first win.
Seven players registered their first goals of the season as the Oilers erased a three-goal deficit to edge the Cranbrook Bucks 8-5 on Sept. 28 at the Viking Rentals Centre to secure Okotoks’ first win of the BCHL season and first ever victory over a B.C. team in league play.
After an inauspicious opening frame, which saw the Oilers were down 3-0, a second period surge keyed the dramatic comeback.
Jacob Goudreau scored his third goal in as many games to ignite the offence with Coy Pighin and Jamie Hikida notching their first tallies with the Oilers in short order to even the contest at 3-3 through 40 minutes.
A wild final stanza saw Spencer Rheaume, Myles Gauld and Brayden Duy all score their first of the campaign for the home team with Oilers veterans Hunter Sawka and Jackson Rowland adding late insurance markers to see out the result.
Myles Gauld buries it on the breakaway and the Oilers regain the lead!💥
— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) September 29, 2024
🎙️ @miketgould #BCHL | @OkotoksOilers pic.twitter.com/oDAKhSEYLW
Rookie blueliner Luke Calabria registered his first career point with an assist in the victory which saw 12 Okotoks skaters get on the scoresheet including multi-point efforts from Hikida, Gauld, Pighin, Duy, Rheaume and Brett Wilson.
Okotoks netminder Olivier Ciarlo earned his first win with the Oilers in his third start of the season, stopping 23 of 28 shots in the back-and-forth contest.
The teams played Friday night in Cranbrook with the Bucks skating to a 3-2 triumph.
Goudreau and Wilson scored for Okotoks with Rheaume, Bowen Burke and Ethan DeKay picking up assists for their first points as members of the Oilers.
Okotoks (1-3-0) now takes its show on the road for its first games outside of the BCHL Interior East Division. The Oilers are in Penticton to challenge the Vees for their home opener on Oct. 4 with another stop in Salmon Arm.
The Oilers’ next home date is Oct. 11 against the Prince George Spruce Kings.
For more information, go to okotoksoilers.com.
