It was tough sledding for the Green-and-Gold’s first jaunt to the BCHL Interior West.
The Okotoks Oilers dropped a pair of road games on consecutive nights in Penticton and Salmon Arm in their first BCHL regular season games outside of the Interior East Division.
Last Friday, the Vees made good on their home opener with the 5-1 victory over the visiting Oilers in front of over 3,100 supporters at Penticton’s South Okanagan Events Centre.
Calgarian Max Heise led the hosts, who are captained by former Oiler and Okotokian Conyr Hellyer, with a two-goal effort. Spencer Rheaume notched a goal late in regulation for the Oil while Simon Westling made 29 saves on 34 shots.
The Vees, four-time BCHL champions over the past decade, are widely considered the marquee franchise in the loop.
On Saturday, the Oilers travelled northeast to the Shuswap region and skated to a 4-2 loss to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Oilers captain Jackson Rowland notched two goals for the visitors, both of the even strength variety, with Olivier Ciarlo turning aside 28 of 31 shots.
Okotoks (1-5) sits ninth in the Interior Conference standings ahead of the Vernon Vipers and Blackfalds Bulldogs. The Brooks Bandits top the division with a 5-0 record and are the lone remaining undefeated squad in the 21-team league.
This weekend, the Oilers are home for their first-ever matchup with the Prince George Spruce Kings on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Viking Rentals Centre.
Next week, the Oilers head west once again for the BCHL Showcase held in the Fraser Valley locales of Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Okotoks takes on Penticton on Oct. 15, Langley on Oct. 17 and move back into the Lower Mainland for an Oct. 18 clash with the Express in Coquitlam.
For more information, go to okotoksoilers.com.
