The Week That Was - November 17th

 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 disjointed. I feel like they missed having Jaxen Gauchier's presence on offence. Just having another weapon makes teams think twice about approaching the Oil Barons. And with how well Jaxen did in his return to the Swift Current Broncos, who knows how long he will stay in the WHL. I wasn't overly impressed with the Oil Barons defence either. Too many times it felt like they were flat footed which led to rushed decisions and numerous turnovers. Against top teams like Whitecourt, Calgary and Lloydminster, those mistakes will be capitalized on. 

Now there was a lot of good from the MOB. I know I mentioned they missed Gauchier, but depth scoring was a big key to success for the Oil Barons. This is a team that doesn't rely on one or two players, but on multiple individuals to contribute. It was terrific seeing Noah Kelly, Cody Nordstrom and Evan Benoit find the back of the net. Yes, Ryan Arnold and Justin Dumais had their fingerprints all over the weekend, but to see the unheralded players chip in, that was huge. Brendan Gee also had a good weekend. Many questions were brought up about what would happen in between the pipes, with Logan Cunningham traded to Calgary and the injury to Berney Weston. Through the four games he's played, Gee has shown that he is more than capable as a starter. The next question for the MOB is how do they address the back up position so that they don't burn out Gee.

Around the League:

It was a bit of a bumpy week for the Lloydminster Bobcats, the team the Oil Barons are immediately chasing. The Border City Bunch lost both their games this weekend and only have a two point advantage on the MOB. New goaltender Ty Matonovich had a rough debut. Granted, Bonnyville has been one of the hottest teams in the league as of late, but four goals against on 21 shots won't win you hockey games. What is probably more concerning was how the Bobcats lost Sunday's game against Grande Prairie. Facing a team that is struggling with identity and confidence, Lloydminster blew a 3-0 third period lead and fell in a shootout. The Bobcats are in the CJHL Top 20 rankings, but some alarm bells are sounding in Lloydminster. 

Don't look now, but suddenly the hottest team in the South Division is the Camrose Kodiaks. The Kodiaks have won three games in a row taking down Drumheller twice before beating Olds. Offence has been a strength for Geoff Walker's crew. The Kodiaks average the second most goals per game. The concern is that Camrose average the second most goals against per game. If the defence can get up to speed, that South Division is there for the taking. Until then, Camrose will continue to do their best 1980s Edmonton Oilers impression and win those high scoring games.

There is also a new scoring leader in the AJHL! Remember when I said that Bonnyville has been one of the hottest teams in the league lately? One of the big reasons why is forward Maxwell Pendy. The Princeton University commit has overtaken Jalen Bianchet for top dog in the league with 36 points. The Pontiacs have an impressive trio in Pendy, Christophe Lussier and Gavin Harrison. All three are in the top ten in the AJHL's scoring race. While people in Whitecourt see Bianchet as the league's number one player, Pendy is proving there is more than one star in the AJHL.

Wrap Up:

This is a massive weekend for the Oil Barons. For whatever reason, since they joined the league last year, Devon has given the MOB fits and this season has been no exception. The Xtreme's schedule is odd with the fact they have only played 15 games, while most teams are at or around 20. That puts a little more emphasis on the Barons needing to win both games on the road. Fort McMurray is trying to find the consistency that contenders possess. With a stretch of five games in eight days, all against North Division teams, they need to start it off right and get a full four points from Devon. 

Oil Barons Games This Week:

Friday, November 21st @ Devon 7pm

Saturday, November 22nd @ Devon 7pm

All games can be found on the MOB Radio Network