Lloydminster Bobcats defenseman Michael Carter goes toe-to-toe against Brett Wilson of the Okotoks Oilers on Sunday afternoon at the Civic Centre. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
It was a busy weekend for the Lloydminster Bobcats (12-13) as they hosted the sixth-place Okotoks Oilers (13-9) for back-to-back homers at the Civic Centre.
The ‘Cats were firing on all cylinders on Saturday night beating the Oilers 5-3 to a roaring crowd of over 1,000.
It was also Family Weekend for the ‘Cats, with seats filled with players’ parents, billet families, and a whole pile of minor hockey players to cheer on the home team.
The Oilers returned to the Civic for Sunday’s matinee with fire in their bellies, hungry for a win.
Okotoks struck first early in the opening frame, but ‘Cats captain Caden Cabana answered nine minutes later with the equalizer.
‘Cats forward Ben Aucoin cheers on his teammate after a scrap on Sunday afternoon against the Okotoks Oilers. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
The second period would see four Bobcats’ goals from Ishan Mittoo, Ryan Redekopp, Brody Juck, and a second from Cabana, as well as three for the Oilers, making it 5-4 for the ‘Cats going into the final frame.
‘Cats forward Blake Setter set the tone early in the third making it 6-4. This sent the Oilers into overdrive, which resulted in three goals in 13 minutes for a final score of 7-6 for the Oilers.
“I liked our weekend overall,” said head coach Brad Rihela before Tuesday’s practice.
“Obviously, it puts a sour taste in your mouth losing like we did in the last minute on Sunday, but I thought the competitiveness from our group was there throughout. I thought our details were sharp defensively, especially in game one of two, and I thought we ultimately played well enough to win a hockey game on Sunday, but when you have those breakdowns … good teams are going to capitalize.”
After 25 regular-season games, the Bobcats are looking and starting to play like they’ve been together for years, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by the new bench boss.
“We’re really proud of the group and how improved they’ve been. They’ve taken a lot of pride in doing things the right way, taking pride in their practice habits, and how they handle themselves, and you can see the improvement is there,” said Rihela.
“They’re learning how to become winners and how to handle certain situations within the games and how to manage momentum. They also hate losing more than they like winning, and that’s a good thing.”
‘Cats captain, Caden Cabana, has been having a heck of a season with 17 goals and 12 assists in 25 games for 29 points, putting him sixth overall in points throughout the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Bobcats captain Caden Cabana celebrates his second goal of the night on Sunday as the ‘Cats hosted the Okotoks Oilers in back-to-back homers. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
Cabana (pronounced Caba-nah) echoed Rihela of the weekend’s successes but also noted some shortcomings.
“I was really proud of the boys,” he said.
“We were playing hard, but some slips on Sunday, which was unfortunate, but I’m proud of the boys. We worked hard and it was a good weekend overall.”
