We say goodbye.

When the 2006/2007 season came to an end, we said goodbye to players like Brummitt, Matheson, Owsiak, Sapieha, Schmautz and Everett Sheen. Because of these loses, it really didn't look too promising for a good 07/08 season.

WRONG !!!

The 2007/2008 regular season saw many players come into the organization and perform very good. The veterans also came through to fill the void of the departures. Now we must say goodbye and thank you to this years departures. As far as I can tell, we say adios to;

David Civitarese to Colorado College
Jesse Perrin to Western Michigan University
Kyle Schussler to Dartmouth College
Justin Daigle to University Of Alaska Fairbanks
Brad Eidsiness to University of North Dakota
Curtis Leinweber to University of Alaska Anchorage
Elliot Sheen to Merrimack College
Jesse Hudkins to Princeton University
Carter Madsen to Merrimack College

(If I have any mistakes in thsi list, please let us know)

We are looking forward to any Oilers news during the off season, and we will be there when the group of Oilers start their quest for the 2008/2009 holy grail.

Oilers go down in 5.

The round 2 series with the Drumheller Dragons in this years AJHL playoffs just wasn't good for the Oilers. They struggled to eliminate the Calgary Canucks in round 1. Now after a frustrating game 5 with Drumheller, the year is over for the Okotoks Oilers.
A 1-0 lose eliminated the Oilers in front of a season high 1475 patrons. The excitement was in the air from the pre-game warmup till the end of the game. A very questionable call early in period that saw Chris Duszynski ejected from the game and gave the Dragons a 5 minute penalty play led to the oppositions only goal of the game.
The Oilers were a step behind Drumheller all game long, and could not find the formula for scoring on this night. Both goaltenders were the stars, as once again, our top line of Sheen, Madsan and Civitrese couldn't find the back of the net.
So it's so long to many players. This team will have a completely different look for the 2008-2009 season.

Keep checking back here as we will continue with our OILERS blog. And who knows....we may even have an exclusive or 2 as the off season progresses.

Oilers lose pivotal game 4

Another close game, but the Oilers come out on the short stick as Drumheller defeats our Oilers 2-1. After Curtis Leinweber makes it 1-0 in the first, Drumheller ties it on the PP near the end of the period and the teams go into the second tied.
The second period was all Oilers, as we smoked the Dragons with 19 shots on goal. Brad Eisiness even stops a penalty shot, but both teams fail to score, and into the third we go.
Only 2 penalties called in the third, both to the Oilers, but the Dragons did not need the PP as they scored with about 7 minutes left in the game. We only had 4 shots on goal and were unable to sustain any pressure. Result: a 2-1 loss and down 3-1 in the series.
So it's back home on Saturday night. Take it one game at a time, and win the home game first. I for one don't want the season to end quite yet. I still have a month of hockey excitement left in me. Can the Oilers stay alive ???

That's more like it :) Oilers win game 3

This was a pivotal game. Lose and they are down 3 games to none. Win and we are right back in it at 2 games to 1. And win they did, and they are still in this series. Carter Madson with 2 goals led the way along with the great goaltending by Brad Eisiness, stopping 33 shots. The 4-3 score was a hard fought battle with numerous scrums after the whistle. These teams don't like each other!

We did not attend the game ourselves, but listened to it on the EAGLE. Fans, you made some serious noise when we scored. Way to go! The announcer and his color man made numerous references to the team playing like a team, and not as individuals as the previous two games. That's what is going to win them the series.

The battle is far from over though. Thursdays game 4 is just as important as this game was. Your either behind the eight ball or in control. I'm sure Dan MacDonalds crew wants to be in control, coming back home on Saturday night for game 5.

Oilers dig themselves a hole...

This was suppose to be the game we came back from an ugly loss yesterday to show Drumheller the real Oilers. Instead, we showed up with some great new uniforms, but the same old, underachieving team. For the second straight game (and day) the crowd left disappointed as we went down to a 3-2 defeat.
Mind you, this game was a much better effort. Again, Brad Eidisness was a little weak on a couple of goals. He was allowing rebounds, which led directly to the Dragons breakaway third goal. The powerplay was 1 for 12 and did not get many shots on goal.
With Justin Daigle and Curtis Leinweber overhandling the puck most of the night, we still managed to outshoot the Dragons 32-25, but you win games by putting the puck behind the opposing goaltender.
Now it's off to Drumheller, and if the Oilers don't start winning soon, the series will be over on Thursday. Let's hope they can come back and show all why they finished second overall in the AJHL in the regular season.

GO OILERS GO, we are not giving up hope.

Oilers go down in game 1

The Drumheller Dragons were too much for the Oilers on Sunday afternoon as they went down to defeat 5-1. The Dragons were at their best, as they outplayed our boys in every way. Brad Eisiness looked like a normal goalie, stopping most, but letting 5 in. Our PP was not clicking, and once again shouts of "SHOOT" were hear for good cause. They overthink their plays, over-handle the puck and don't utilize the center ice area in front of nthe goal with much authority.
Give credit to Drumheller for this game. They were ready to go from the drop of the puck. Let's see if our guys can regroup and come back tomorrow night to avenge this disaster. If not, it will be a short series.

Videos are up on You Tube

There are 3 short OILERS videos up on You Tube.
The goal that wasn't from Wednesday's game in Calgary.
Jesse Hudkins second goal from the same game.
The penalty shot from Elliot Sheen against Drumheller on the last game of the regular season.
Search either hildavid or Okotoks Oilers and you will find them at youtube.com
Enjoy

Stuff like injuries, videos...

With the first round out of the way, the guys are starting to get bruised up. We had 3 regulars out of the lineup on Wednesday (Leinweber, Bannister and Doust) and hopefully 2 of them will be back in on Sunday. Playing with a few banged up parts is normal for the playoffs, but lets hope the team can stay intact to the end.

I have a few short video clips I will post to youtube this weekend. The non goal where the puck ended up in Brads pants is one of them. Just do a search for hildavid or Okotoks Oilers on youtube.com

Elliot Sheen is leading all players in this years playoffs in points with 8 (3G 5A). David Civitarese is right behind Elliot with 7 (all assists). Carter Madson has one goal in each of the games against the Canucks. (2 are game winners)

Oilers advance to round 2

The Okotoks Oilers have advanced to the second round of this years playoffs thanks to a 4-2 win over the Calgary Canucks on Wednesday night at the Max Bell Arena. Led by a 2 goal performance by the fiesty Jesse Hudkins, the Oilers were continuely beating the Canucks to the puck, strongly forechecking and showed why they finished second overall in the league this year.
The Oilers held a large territorial advantage in the first period, but the referee called a goal for the Canucks without the puck going into the net. A good shot from a Canucks player looked to hit the post and stay out of the net, but the goal light came on. As the Canucks were celebrating and going to center ice for the faceoff, Brad stormed out of his net to confront the referee that the puck was infact, caught up in his pants and did not enter the net. The ref and linesmen had a group hug, then the ref consulted the goal judge. After a lengthly chat, it was ruled a goal, but I can tell you the puck did NOT go into the net.
The boys played a good game, and with help of 3 PP goals (2 by Hudkins), the team showed they wanted to finish the series, and they did.

Next up are the Drumheller Dragons, best of seven, starting this Sunday at 1:30. Bring your bells and clappers and see ya there!

Okotoks beat the Canucks...and the refs..

A big, big win. That's what the Oilers came away with on Tuesday night at the Max Bell Arena. The Canucks were a pesky group, and with the referee on their side, gave the Oilers quite the scare.
With the Canucks up 2-1 after the first with help from a couple of 5-3 man advantages, the teams exchanged goals in the second. The teams exchanged goals again the third, then the excitement started. Carter Madson gets penalized with 3:30 left in the game and the Oilers behind by one. After a great penalty kill, Coach MacDonald pulls Brad Eidiness for the extra attacker and it pays off. Jess Perrin nets the game tying goal and we are going into overtime.

The first overtime period is a 10 minute session with the Oilers getting the upper hand but the period ends and we are going into double overtime. The period starts with our big line out and it doesn't take long. Carter gets a great rebound standing to the right of the Canucks goaltender and burys it and the celebration starts.

A tough game not just for the players but for the large number of Oiler fans at the game. The guys are not playing their best in this series, but give the Canucks credit, they are a determined bunch. We have to step it up to win Wednesday night or it's back to the Centennial Arena for game 5 on Friday. Let's hope we have taken some wind out of the Canucks sails and this OT win inspires the Oilers to play like the great team they are.

Canucks storm over the Oilers in game 2

Do I have to eat my words? OK, I did say the Canucks were a bad team. I still think they are a bad team, but on Sunday afternoon, they proved to be the better of the two. Yep, after jumping out to a well deserved 2-0 lead, the Canucks managed to hold on and defeat our boys 2-1 to tie the series at one game apiece.
The Oilers did not play as a team, and there were so many guys out for a free ride that the score could have been much worse. We did get badly outshot and outplayed. Someone has to tell the guys what time was game time.
Give the Canucks credit. They hustled and outworked the Oilers for a well deserved win. This is not going to be a 3 straight series that I for one thought it would have or should have been. We have a series here !!!

Awards for the OILERS

The AJHL have announced some league award winners and the Oilers captured 3 of them.

The most valuable player went to Brad Eidsness and wins the Alberta Old Time Hockey Players Trophy.

Kyle Schussler won the Stewy Stewart Memorial Trophy. The Stewy Stewart Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the AJHL player in the South Division that best exhibits the following attributes: Character, Dedication, Perseverance, Integrity and Sportsmanship.

General / Manager and Head Coach Dan MacDonald of the Okotoks Oilers has been named as the 2007-08 AJHL Coach of the Year

Congratulations to everyone.

Oilers take game 1 of AJHL playoffs

The Calgary Canucks are happy. Yes, happy to have squeaked into this years playoffs. What they should realize is that just being in this years playoffs isn't enough. The Oilers gave the Canucks a lesson in work ethic on Saturday night as they took game 1 of this 5 game series 5-3. It was a game where the score is not indicative of the play. The Oilers outplayed, outhustled, outworked and outcoached this bad Canucks team. With all our regulars back in the lineup with the exception of Brian Doust, we were firing on all cylinders.
The appreciative crowd of just over 800 saw 5 different Oilers score. Now if we can just get more people out to the game to enjoy this great team, we could really rock this place.