The Lloydminster Bobcats carry a 0-2 record after Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) opening weekend play against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
Read more: Oil Barons top Bobcats 3-1 despite 42-shot barrage in home opener
The ‘Cats hosted the MOB in back-to-back home games at the Cenovus Energy Hub on Sept. 18 and 19. The MOB took Friday’s game 3-1 before a 5-2 upset on Saturday.
Evan Benoit led the offence for Fort McMurray, scoring twice on the power play in Saturday’s opening period to give the visitors an early cushion.
The Bobcats responded in the second period when Luke Dooley cut the deficit to one with a power-play goal at 19:12, assisted by Dylan Deets and Kael Screpnek. Rylan Wieler then tied the game 2–2 for Lloydminster early in the third period, beating the netminder at 4:06 off assists from Emile Plourde and Rhett Romanchuk.
However, Fort McMurray quickly regained control. Simon Martin scored the game-winning goal unassisted at 8:03 of the final period, followed by an insurance marker from Lucas McDonald at 14:03. Martin sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 17:14.
Despite the loss, Lloydminster outshot Fort McMurray 40–31 overall. Goaltender Brayden Burrows turned aside 38 of 40 shots for the Oil Barons to earn the win, while Sam Madgett stopped 26 of 30 shots in goal for the Bobcats.
Fort McMurray finished 2-for-4 on the power play, while Lloydminster converted on 1 of 3 opportunities. The Bobcats will look to bounce back when they host the Calgary Canucks on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Read more: Lloydminster reviews proposed residential redistricting application
