Written by: Scott Savard
Okotoks, AB (October 31, 2025) – The Okotoks Oilers are on the road to start the weekend as they face the Sherwood Park Crusaders for the second time during the 2025-2026 BCHL season.
Tomorrow night, the Oilers will be back at home at Viking Rentals Centre as they host the Bulldogs for the second time this season, and a total of three games have been played between the two early on in the campaign.
Oilers assistant coach Reed Hnatowich is looking forward to a rematch with both teams as the coaching staff and players have been working hard at practice to continue to grow their game.
“If you look at the Blackfalds game, I think we were a little bit inconsistent with what we were doing, especially our aggressiveness on the wall and the corner play. So, that’s an area where you look at the breakdowns, it stems from that,” Hnatowich said about their last game against the Bulldogs.
“Against Spruce Grove, our first period wasn’t great. We identified that, and then the same type of issues with regard to the wall play and the exits, and the support off our breakout. I thought that once we cleaned that up, obviously, we had a lot more success in getting out of the zone, and then I think it was more even.”
During the game against Spruce Grove last weekend, the Oilers had some long stretches of time where they hemmed in the Saints in their zone, and constantly put pressure with shots while finding open lanes. Hnatowich mentioned that it was something that they want to see more consistently from the team.
“I think it stems from the first guy and being tenacious, not overthinking. If you go in, you’re heavy, you go in with good sticks, and you try and separate and disrupt them, I think that’s huge. We talked about it today (Wednesday) a lot at practice for the same table of ideas. When we had our sustained offensive zone time, it was us being quick on them and then us outnumbering them in situations. When they have their one guy, how do we be aggressive with our one guy, and then how do we identify to get our second guy in there? The more tenacious and aggressive we are in those situations, it stems positivley towards us,” he said about the sustained pressure the Oilers got last game.
When it comes to tonight’s game, the coaching staff is well versed with the Crusaders and their home arena, which Hnatowich explained is smaller than most in the BCHL.
“Their barn is a big portion of this pre-scout. It’s extremely tiny, and there’s minimal neutral zone. We have to make sure these pucks are managed, and we have to make sure that we’re getting these D turning. So, being smart and controlled in the neutral zone, getting pucks in behind their D. We’re pretty good when we can get their D turning and our first guys in there and our second guys in there. That’s a huge component to it. SO being simple, getting pucks behind their D, and then making sure on the forecheck part were ridiculous aggressive, and we don’t give the time and space to get out,” Hnatowich said about the smaller rink in Sherwood Park.
A player to watch this weekend is the Oilers’ assistant captain Hunter Sawka (Cochrane, AB), as he leads the team in points with 12 (5G, 7A). Sawka is already one goal away from his season totals from last year, is currently on a five-game point streak, and has at least one point in 10 of the 11 games he’s played this season.
“Last year was a tough year for him. Obviously, he is coming off surgery, and he was getting more comfortable with that. But even his production wasn’t where he probably wanted it to be last year, but he seemed to get more and more comfortable with the pace and his decision-making. He’s always been a kid who, no matter what level he plays at, he’s very much process-oriented. He has the awareness. So I think this year, you’re a year removed from the surgery, feeling a bit better about himself, and he has that year of experience under his belt, whereas this is an entirely different level (in the BCHL compared to the AJHL),” Hantowich said about Sawka.
“That’s the biggest [art with him too, you sit there and you do video with him and he’s the polar opposite of a selfish player. He’s always looking how to set guys up, how to make plays. I think talking with him a lot, it’s him being composed and confident, where sometimes the right decision is to put (the puck on net).”
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. MST in Sherwood Park tonight.
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.
