With the BCHL pre-season well underway, teams in the league are figuring out their opening rosters for the 2024-2025 season.
The Okotoks Oilers played two pre-season games over the weekend, falling to the Bandits in Brooks 7-1, and then hosting the Cranbrook Bucks for the first time in their franchise history.
The Green and Gold had a back-and-forth game against the Bucks, but Cranbrook got the last laugh in a 7-5 loss for the Oilers.
The new addition to the Oilers roster, Brayden Duy, got his third goal of the pre-season and the lone goal for the Green and Gold against the Bandits on Friday (Sept. 13). Kade Duell got the assist on the goal for his second assist of the BCHL pre-season.
At Viking Rentals Centre on Saturday, returning Oiler Ryder De Nys opened the scoring against the Bucks for his first goal of the pre-season. Cranbrook answered back just over four minutes later to tie the game up at 1-1. Jackson Rowland gave the Oilers their lead back on his first goal of the pre-season followed by Spencer Rheaume scoring his first of the BCHL pre-season to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead in the first period. Brett Wilson, Hunter Sawka, Duy, and Alex Baughman all picked up helpers on the goals.
The Green and Gold would run into some penalty trouble with less than five minutes remaining in the first, going on the PK for six minutes. The Bucks tied the game up getting one late in the first and their second on the powerplay just a minute gone in the second period.
Wilson added his first of the pre-season only 31 seconds after the Bucks tied it up at 3-3. Sawka would get credit for the assist on the goal. Bucks tied it back up on their third powerplay goal of the evening, keeping it a back-and-forth duel.
Rylan Oster gave the Oilers their lead back again on a pretty play in front of the Bucks net. Oster would do a half spin-o-rama fooling the goalie and finishing it off with a beautiful goal. Ryan Boyce and Alex Baughman got the assists.
The Bucks didn't roll over and score three unanswered goals with the last one coming from an empty net to take the 7-5 win over the Oilers.
Okotoks has one game remaining in the pre-season tomorrow (Sept. 17) with a trip to Blackfalds to face the Bulldogs. The Oilers will then open up the BCHL regular season at Viking Rental Centre when they host the Brooks Bandits on Friday at 7:05 pm.