Dekker's Corner

 It has been a Christmas break like no other! Personally, it has been full of blessings, which I'll get into later on, but it has also been a terrific opportunity to rest. There has also been several intriguing storylines heading into the break as the tale of the 2025/26 AJHL season continues to twist and turn. Entering the month of December, I'm not sure how I would've evaluated the Oil Barons. They were a team that stumbled through November and weren't playing to their identity. Then a massive game against Bonnyville seemed to turn their fortunes around. They went on to beat Whitecourt at home, split a two game series against the South's top team in Camrose, before wrapping up with seven of a possible eight points on the road, to complete December with a 6-1-1 record. Unbelievable! Fort McMurray find themselves in second overall in the league, three points back of Whitecourt for first. Now granted, the MOB have played more games than anyone in the AJHL, but to be ...

 It's hard to believe, but it's the final week before the Christmas break and it's a busy final stretch for the Oil Barons. December has been a successful month so far for the MOB, but they will really have to push hard to find victories over this final week.  Man, Fort McMurray has had to scrap out some results. They put up wins against Bonnyville, who were on a six game point streak at the time. They defeated number one Whitecourt and beat the current top team in the South Division, Camrose. However, all four games this month were tight, including two that went to overtime or a shootout. What this tells me is that Fort McMurray is a team who can ill afford to take shifts off, otherwise it could haunt them. The Oil Barons are a team that needs to put forward their best effort every night, or they run into trouble, like their 7-2 loss to Devon on November 28th. It has led to some entertaining hockey, the question now is, can they keep it up. Looking at that observation abou...

 It was a very sobering week for the Oil Barons. Fort McMurray dropped all three games and are clinging to a playoff spot by their fingernails. The extra time losses to Lloydminster were no surprise. Two terrific battles between closely contested teams that could've gone either way. But warning signs from those two games came to the front as the Barons got humiliated by Devon 7-2 on Friday. It does feel like the sky is falling for the Oil Barons, it shows how excellent the North Division is, either way the MOB need to find answers quickly or they could end up in a precarious position. So what are the concerns for the Oil Barons? One is shots on goal. Fort McMurray has given up 40+ shots in four of their last five games. Not only does this increase the chances of goals against, but this wears down the goaltenders making them less effective in the long run. This is a team that lacks a true number one defender, a player who can shut down the opposition. There were hopes it would be Pa...