Bobcats forward Jayven Leslie challenges Canmore Eagles goaltender Andreai Proctor-Ramirezon on Saturday night at the Civic Centre. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
The Eagles may have drawn first blood, but after 60 minutes of hard-fought hockey, the Lloydminster Bobcats were the ones soaring.
The Bobcats (12-24-1-1) hosted the Canmore Eagles (17-19-2-2) of the AJHL south on Saturday night and earned themselves a 7-4 win.
The night brought the team even closer together as the entire roster, as well as the coaching staff, kept a promise by shaving their heads after raising over $32K to support local mental health initiatives.
Canmore’s Owen Jones was first to light the lamp at the 12:22 mark in the first frame, but Bobcats forward Matthew Swanson would answer back minutes later.
The second period, however, saw the ‘Cats take a 6-2 lead.
Jayven Leslie, Ben Bygrove and Brock Krulicki all lit the lamp before the 5:35 mark in the second frame, getting the crowd on their feet and igniting a fire on the bench.
Canmore’s Vincent Scott was quick to respond to Krulicki’s goal, but both Bygrove and Krulicki got another goal before the end of the period. Canmore also saw a goaltending change at the 14:07 mark in the second.
Canmore came out of the gate in the third looking for revenge and found it with goals from Casey Black and another from Scott on the powerplay.
Still carrying the momentum from the second period, the ‘Cats continued fighting and would see Hayden Prosofsky pot a seventh goal for the home team before the final buzzer.
“This was a big night and could be a turning point in the season. You get one win, and on a night like this, it’s something that brings a group together, and hopefully, we keep it rollin,’” said captain Ben Bygrove after the win.
Bobcats’ new associate the skills coach, Jeff Woywitka, echoed Bygrove’s remarks and added things are starting to come together.
“There was a good effort from the guys tonight and it shows we’re starting to feel good about ourselves,” said Woywitka.
“I know we didn’t get the results against some pretty high (ranked) opponents like Spruce Grove and Bonnyville before the break. They came at us hard, but we did see some good things, and now we’re starting to see guys are feeling better.
“There’s a lot of good things and it’s starting to build. There’s potential with these players, and when we can play connected on the ice, like we did tonight, we can put up seven, and it’s good for guys to start feeling good.”
The Bobcats host the Drayton Valley Thunder for back-to-back games tonight and Saturday. Puck drop on both nights is at 7 p.m.
