Written by: Scott Savard
Headline photo: Chad Goddard
Okotoks, AB (November 29, 2025) – The Okotoks Oilers put on a show for the Green Army tonight at Viking Rentals Centre as they completed the weekend sweep with a 5-2 win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Joey Meredith’s (Toledo, OH) father, Scott, along with his sisters Emma and Katelin, were in attendance for the tilt against the Silverbacks. Meredith made sure to give his family a game to remember as he scored his first career BCHL hat trick and added an assist for a four-point night.
“Unbelievable feeling, got to credit my linemates, Mikey (Michael Mikan, Edina, MN) and Willy (Brett Wilson, Calgary, AB), and the whole team. It takes a whole team,” Meredith credited his team with helping him reach the hat trick milestone tonight.
“It’s just a good feeling for them to be here and just get it done in front of them,” he added about his family being in attendance for the hat trick.
Meredith joined the line with Mikan and Wilson, since Hunter Sawka (Cochrane, AB) was unfortunately taken out of the lineup as he works to get back to 100 per cent.
“It’s a nice little opportunity for me while he’s out getting healthy, but they’re great playmakers. It’s easy to play with them. They play fast, and it’s been nice,” Meredith said about Wilson and Mikan.
The two wins were the first time the Oilers had a weekend sweep since the October 10 weekend, when they beat the Surrey Eagles and Chiliwack Chiefs on the road. Meredith said that the two wins were important for the playoff push and added that they need to play like this for the rest of the year.
“Two good teams. When you come in here and beat both of them, I think that’s big for the team, and a big confidence booster for the boys,” He said about the weekend sweep.
Meredith is already looking forward to next weekend, when they have an opportunity to continue their win streak with two games at Viking Rentals Centre.
“It’s huge, another two home games in front of the Okotoks faithful. We’ve got to bring the same attitude and same preparation,” Meredith explained about next weekend’s games.
Oilers captain Brett Wilson also had himself a weekend, collecting four assists, which has him leading the team in points with 22 (7G, 15A) in 22 games. Wilson is currently sitting one assist away from tying his BCHL career high at 16 helpers.
“It feels good. Success can’t be defined by individual points, though. The weekend sweep was a lot better (than picking up four assists), and I was happy I could contribute towards those wins,” Wilson said about currently leading the team in points.
Wilson added that, as cliché as it sounds, what got them the win was that they stuck to their game plan.
When asked about Meredith’s hat trick, Wilson responded by saying that he could feel a weight being lifted off Meredith’s chest once the puck crossed the goal line for a third time by the forward from Ohio, and added that he was happy to see him reach the milestone.
“He’s a smart player. He can see the ice well, and he’s easy to play with. You know where he’s going to be, and we were clicking tonight for sure,” he said about Meredith.
In both games this weekend, the Oilers would hold a lead in the third period, only for the Express and Silverbacks to tie things back up late in the game. The Oilers wouldn’t panic and answer back before the end of regulation, showing resilience in each game.
“I think just trust each other. The small talk on the bench, when someone has a tough shift or turnovers, just being like ‘All right, just get out there, next time keep the legs moving,’ and then positive reinforcement. If they make a good play, you’re yelling at them, bringing the energy, and just building off the momentum,” Wilson explained about how the team kept their cool after seeing their leads disappear in the third period.
As for the momentum going into next weekend with the two big wins at Viking Rentals Centre, Wilson said he believes it will carry over to this coming Friday and Saturday’s games, but added that the team will hit the reset button on Monday as they will get back to work while they continue to improve with each practice and game played together.
Eric Young (Mill Bay, BC) made his second straight start over the weekend, earning back-to-back wins for the Green and Gold. In tonight’s game against the Silverbacks, he would earn the second star honours as he helped pick up the win with his 36 saves on the night. Daniel Dirracolo made the start for the Silverbacks.
Salmon Arm opened the scoring for the Silverbacks halfway through the first period with Liam Bursaw collecting the goal. The Oilers would respond five minutes later after Meredith parked himself in front of the net with his stick on the ice, and Jordan Murray (Decker, MB) would get it over to Meredith, who redirected the puck into the net. Wilson would grab the secondary assist for his first point on the night.
Mikan would get the lone goal in the second period as he cashed in on the power play with a laser shot that rang off the post and past the Silverbacks’ netminder for the Oilers’ first lead of the game, and for his team leading 10th goal of the season. Meredith collected the primary assist with Michael Kowalski (Chicago, IL) picking up the secondary helper.
Luke Lepper for the Silverbacks would tie the game back up in the third period with under 14 minutes remaining, after the Oilers had nearly killed off an over five-minute Salmon Arm power play, which saw two minutes of 5-on-3 action during the penalty kill for the Oilers.
Not even a minute and a half later, Meredith responded with the game-winning goal and his second of the night after the Oilers were awarded a power play. Wilson and Mikan would both get the helpers on Meredith’s eventual game-winner. One minute and 40 seconds later, Marko Lisica (Plainview, NY) picked up the insurance goal to give the Oilers a little bit of breathing room as they were attempting to close out the game.
Meredith finished off tonight’s scoring with an empty netter, completing his hat trick with 22 seconds left in the game. Young helped the Oilers shut the door in the final frame with 16 saves alone in the third period.
The Green and Gold will be back on home ice Friday as they host the Langley Rivermen for the first time in franchise history.
The Okotoks Oilers are a not-for-profit, community-run junior hockey franchise competing in the BCHL and operating out of Viking Rentals Centre. For more information, visit okotoksoilers.com or follow the Oilers on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
