Troy Van Tetering had two goals, while Jordan McConnell added three points, as the Airdrie Xtreme won its first game of 2012 – and first in nearly a month – with a 6-3 decision over the Okotoks Oilers at the Ron Ebbesen Arena, Jan. 8.
The win moves Airdrie, 9W-11L-4T on the season, into a tie for second place in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League’s Ram South Division. The Xtreme and the Red Deer Rebels White both have 22 points, 10 behind the division-leading Medicine Hat Hockey Hounds.
“It was a good way to start the new year,” said Xtreme head coach Terry Keogh. “It’s been a while since our last win, so everyone was pretty happy. Since we’ve come back from the break, during our practices in the last week, we’ve been communicating to our guys that what’s behind us is behind us. We just need to put some wins together and continue our push toward the playoffs.”
Goaltender Ryan Ternes made 25 saves for the win, while Van Tetering, McConnell, Dillon Dube, Chad Harrison and Zack Giroux provided the offence, all of which came in the second and third periods.
“We haven’t had too many six-goal games,” Keogh said. “And it was good to see the scoring spread out, as we had five different guys score the goals. It was really nice to get the win, continue that positive atmosphere and give us some confidence for the rest of our games.”
Airdrie played the Calgary Royals after the Airdrie City View went to press, Jan. 11. The teams tied 2-2 earlier this season, with the Royals also handing the Xtreme a 2-1 loss this year.
“They’re the top team in the South, so it’s a good challenge for us and measurement on where we are at,” Keogh said. “We’ve got a tough schedule coming up, but we like it because we feel as though it will prepare us for the playoffs.”
The Xtreme will host two games at the Ron Ebbesen Arena this weekend, with the Calgary Bronks visiting at 7:15 p.m. on Jan. 14 and the Spruce Grove Saints arriving the following day at 1 p.m. The Bronks have beaten Airdrie once this season, 5-1, while the teams also played to a 4-4 tie. It will be the Xtreme’s first matchup against the Saints.
Defenceman Tristan Thompson and forward Troy Van Tetering were the Airdrie Xtreme’s two representatives at the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League’s all-star game in Fort Saskatchewan, Jan. 7.
The two Airdrie players were on the losing side of a 6-5 North over South win, but their head coach, Terry Keogh, said they both enjoyed the game.
“They said it was quite an experience and they certainly enjoyed themselves,” he said. “They said it was amazing to be around a lot of players at that skill level and that they noticed an increase in the speed of the game and the accuracy of the passes.”
The game featured players born in either 1997 or 1998, with many of them slated to be top picks in the upcoming WHL Bantam draft this spring.
Keogh said it was important for his players to gain the knowledge and leadership from playing in such a game, and that he was also happy to have them back in the lineup.
“Troy made a comment that he missed a couple of chances in the all-star game, but then he scored two goals on Sunday for us,” Keogh said. “So he took his missed opportunities and executed for us, so that was good to see.”
