Now that the December cut down day has come and gone teams get set for the push to the Winter break.
Bonnyville Pontiacs (21-8-5—47 points) 3rd in the North
Bonnyville is coming off an 8-1-3 November that included four straight wins in closing out the month. Bonnyville continued their winning ways on Wednesday edging the Lloydminster Bobcats 3-2 in a shootout. The Pontiacs will play twice this weekend starting with a road game on Thursday in Fort McMurray. Bobby McMann and the Pontiacs are 3-0 against the Oil Barons so far this season. Saturday they will host the Grande Prairie Storm, Bonnyville has outscored Grande Prairie 21-8 in four wins this season.
Upcoming schedule:
Thursday, December 3rd @ Fort McMurray
Saturday, December 5th vs. Grande Prairie
Drayton Valley Thunder (13-12-4—-30 points) 6th in the North & Sherwood Park Crusaders (21-8-2—44) 4th in the North
Drayton Valley had a .500 November finishing 5-5 but dropped their last game 8-2 to Whitecourt. Sherwood Park meantime went 9-1-2 in November. Ryan Kruper and the Crusaders had their 17 game unbeaten streak come to a close against Spruce Grove on November 28th, and the team has now lost two straight following a 3-1 loss to Camrose on Wednesday. The two teams will play a home and home that will start on Friday in Drayton Valley before the return match on Saturday in Sherwood Park.
Upcoming schedule:
Drayton Valley:
Friday, December 4th vs. Sherwood Park
Saturday, December 5th @ Sherwood Park
Tuesday, December 8th vs. Fort McMurray
Sherwood Park:
Friday, December 4th @ Drayton Valley
Saturday, December 5th vs. Drayton Valley
Fort McMurray Oil Barons (3-20-6—-12 points) 8th in the North
The Fort McMurray Oil Barons enter December in last place in the North following a 0-6-2. Ben Sharf and the Oil Barons will look to snap a nine game winless streak when they host Bonnyville in the fourth meeting of the season. Fort McMuray is 0-2-1 against Bonnyville so far this season. The Oil Barons will then host Grande Prairie on Saturday, it will be the first time this season that the two teams will meet up.
Upcoming schedule:
Thursday, December 3rd vs. Bonnyville
Friday, December 4th vs. Grande Prairie
Tuesday, December 8th @ Drayton Valley
Wednesday, December 9th @ Grande Prairie
Grande Prairie Storm (7-22-2—16 points) 7th in the North
The Grande Prairie Storm head east to start December. Luke Mahura and the Storm are coming off a 5-7 November that has seen them win three of their last four games. Friday will be the first meeting of the season between the Storm and Oil Barons. Saturday Grande Prairie will be in Bonnyville for the fifth meeting of the season between the two teams. Bonnyville has won the previous four meetings between the two clubs.
Upcoming schedule:
Friday, December 4th @ Fort McMurray
Saturday, December 5th @ Grande Prairie
Wednesday, December 9th vs. Fort McMurray
Lloydminster Bobcats (23-5-1—-47) 2nd in the North
Kevin Darrar and the Lloydminster Bobcats are coming off a 5-3 November, which has them trailing the Saints by six points for top spot in the North with two games in hand. The Bobcats will have four games in hand by the time the two teams meet up on Wednesday.
Upcoming schedule:
Wednesday, December 9th vs. Spruce Grove
Spruce Grove Saints (26-4-1—-53 points) 1st in the North
Spruce Grove is coming off a 9-0-1 November that has vaulted them back into first place in the North. Tyler Busch and Saints will travel south for a pair of games this weekend. Friday will be the third and final meeting of the season between the Saints and Bandits. Spruce Grove has won both games thus far against Brooks. Saturday will be the second and final meeting of the season between the Saints and Canucks. Spruce Grove hammered Calgary 8-0 in Spruce Grove on September 18th.
Upcoming schedule:
Friday, December 4th @ Brooks
Saturday, December 5th @ Calgary Canucks
Wednesday, December 9th @ Lloydminster
Whitecourt Wolverines (20-6-3—43 points) 5th in the North
Whitecourt will have a busy weekend in the South as they open up December. The Wolverines are coming off an 8-3 November that has seen them slip slightly in the standings, but they are just three points back of Lloydminster for second. Alberta Dodge Player of the Month Erik Pedersen will lead the Wolverines into Drumheller on Friday for the third and final meeting of the season between the two clubs. Whitecourt has won the previous two meetings outscoring the Dragons 11-7. Saturday will be the first meeting of the season between the Wolverines and Bandits. The busy weekend concludes on Sunday with the third and final meeting of the season between the Wolverines and Calgary Mustangs.
Upcoming schedule:
Friday, December 4th @ Drumheller
Saturday, December 5th @ Brooks
Sunday, December 6th @ Calgary Mustangs
Brooks Bandits (19-6-2—-40 points) 1st in the South
Fresh off a 7-3 November the Bandits will play three games in three days this weekend. Dylan McCrory and the Bandits find themselves in first place in the South as they open the weekend on Thursday in Okotoks. Thursday will be the second matchup of the season between the two teams. Friday it will be the Spruce Grove Saints that come to town. The Saints have won the first two games of the season series. Saturday will be the first meeting of the season between Whitecourt and Brooks.
Upcoming schedule:
Thursday, December 3rd @ Okotoks
Friday, December 4th vs. Spruce Grove
Saturday, December 5th vs. Whitecourt
Calgary Canucks (8-21-1—17 points) 7th in the South
Allan MacPherson and the Calgary Canucks are coming off a 1-8 November. Calgary is looking to build off a big 3-1 victory over Camrose to snap a nine game losing streak. The Canucks will open the weekend in Okotoks on Friday night, in the second meeting of the season between the two clubs. Okotoks defeated the Canucks 4-1 in their only other meeting. Saturday Calgary will return home to take on the Spruce Grove Saints in their second and final matchup of the season between the two teams.
Upcoming schedule:
Friday, December 4th @ Okotoks
Saturday, December 5th vs. Spruce Grove
Calgary Mustangs (4-25-2—-10 points) 8th in the South & Olds Grizzlys (10-15-2—-22 points) 6th in the South
The Calgary Mustangs enter the weekend six games from a record that they want no part of as they enter December on a 22 game winless streak. The Olds Grizzlys are coming off a 3-6 November and will start December with a home and home with the Mustangs. Thursday's game will be in Calgary while Saturday will be the return matchup in Olds. It will be the second and third time this season the two teams have met up. The Mustangs will then finish off the weekend with their third and final matchup with the Whitecourt Wolverines. Whitecourt has taken both games between the two teams so far this season.
Upcoming schedule:
Calgary Mustangs:
Thursday, December 3rd vs. Olds
Saturday, December 4th @ Olds
Sunday, December 5th vs. Whitecourt
Tuesday, December 8th vs. Okotoks
Olds:
Thursday, December 3rd @ Calgary Mustangs
Saturday, December 5th vs. Calgary Mustangs
Tuesday, December 8th @ Camrose
Camrose Kodiaks (18-7-3—39 points) 2nd in the South & Canmore Eagles (16-10-2—-34 points) 4th in the South
After finishing November with a 5-4 November, they started off December with a 3-1 victory over Sherwood Park on Tuesday. Nelson Gadoury and the Kodiaks will begin a three game home stand with a pair of games this weekend against Canmore. The Eagles are coming off a 6-3 November. This weekend will be the second and third time this season that the two teams have met up. Matt Forchuk and the Eagles edged Camrose 3-2 in overtime on October 9th in Canmore.
Upcoming schedule:
Camrose:
Friday, December 4th vs. Canmore
Saturday, December 5th vs. Canmore
Tuesday, December 8th vs. Olds
Canmore:
Friday, December 4th @ Camrose
Saturday, December 5th @ Camrose
Tuesday, December 8th vs. Drumheller (game will be played in Banff)
Drumheller Dragons (11-17-2—-24) 5th in the South
The Dragons finished with a 2-8-1 November but capped off the month by snapping a nine game winless streak in Calgary. Clint Filbrandt and the Dragons will play a pair of home games this weekend. Friday they will host Whitecourt for the third and final time this season. Whitecourt has outscored Drumheller 11-7 in the previous two games. Sunday will be the third meeting of the season between Drumheller and Okotoks. The Dragons have won the first two games against the Oilers.
Upcoming schedule:
Friday, December 4th vs. Whitecourt
Sunday, December 6th vs. Okotoks
Tuesday, December 8th @ Canmore (game will be played in Banff)
Okotoks Oilers (16-10-2—-34 points) 3rd in the South
Okotoks used a 6-2-1 November to propel themselves into the third spot in the south. Matt McNair and the Oilers will play three times in four days this weekend. Thursday will be the second meeting of the season between the Oilers and Bandits, Okotoks won the first meeting of the season by a 4-2 score. Friday the Oilers will host the Calgary Canucks for the second time this season. Okotoks defeated Calgary 4-1 back on September 30th. The Oilers will finish off the weekend when they travel to Drumheller to take on the Dragons for the third time this season.
Upcoming schedule:
Thursday, December 3rd vs. Brooks
Friday, December 4th vs. Calgary Canucks
Sunday, December 6th @ Drumheller
Story by
Chris Colwell
@Cjcolwell