Dekker's Corner

 It was a week full of tea and honey for myself as I continue to wrestle with this cough I've been battling over the last two weeks. Good news, I have the majority of my voice back, bad news I still am fighting coughing fits and don't have the full range of my voice, which is a bit frustrating. That said, the show must go on and what an interesting show it was for the Oil Barons. When looking back at this weekend for the MOB, it could be one of the defining moments of the season. Fort McMurray found themselves in a bit of a slump, struggling to play to their identity and seeing the teams behind them in the standings catch up. After a loss against Devon on Friday (which was almost a carbon copy of the game in September between these teams) a wake up call was issued and the boys responded. It took almost two and a half periods to see the fruit of the MOB's labor, but what they got was the team's first come from behind win when trailing after two periods, a tie for second ...

 Well, this was one of the more challenging weeks I have had to deal with. Since coming back from our southern road trip, a nasty cough gripped me, strangling my voice in the process. I was barely at half capacity with my voice, but still powered through the two games this weekend, even if it was at times quite painful. The bright moment of the weekend was a conversation I had with Drayton Valley's head coach Jeff Truitt. I did an interview with one of the Thunder players and found out that it was his first interview in three years. To get a word of encouragement from Jeff and to hear how much the player enjoyed it, it meant a lot. Sometimes, it's the little things that mean the most. To sum up the weekend for the Oil Barons, I feel like the perfect descriptor is frustrating. The team did not want to split the two games against a foe they felt like they should've handled with ease. Even in the 6-1 win, Fort McMurray showed some warts, while on Sunday's loss they were di...

 It's been a hot minute since I did an update and the busy Oil Barons schedule is a big reason for it. Six games in nine days, plus the first southern road swing of the year makes for very little free time for this broadcaster. That said, the Barons had what I'll call a positive road trip. Currently on a three game point streak, taking five of a possible eight points on the road, check mark for the MOB! To sum up this road trip, one saw a lot of firsts. For starters, the Oil Barons had to get creative in between the pipes. With a potentially long term injury to Berney Weston and the team waiting for paperwork to be approved for Brendan Gee at the start of the trip, Fort McMurray leaned on a couple of affiliated goalies. It paid off! Sergio Davidson made 45 saves in a 4-3 loss versus Drumheller, and the Portland Winterhawk's prospect showed flashes of brilliance, proving why he's a highly rated goalie. It was enough that the Calgary product made the trip back north to be...