Written by: Scott Savard
Headline photo: Scott Savard
Okotoks, AB (November 22, 2025) – The Okotoks Oilers head home after the BC road trip with a split after beating the Cranbrook Bucks on Friday night and then falling tonight 7-1 in Trail against the Smoke Eaters.
Not only do the Oilers come back with a split over the weekend, but both teams they played against are now tied 1-1 in the season series against Okotoks. The Smoke Eaters would outshot the Oilers 39-33 tonight, including an onslaught of shots in the first period as they got the puck to the net 15 times. The Green and Gold tried for a late comeback as they peppered Trail with shots in the third period, getting 17 shots on goal, but it wasn’t enough to solve Trail.
Eric Young (Mill Bay, BC) made his third straight start for the Oilers, making 32 saves in the contest. Lyam Leblanc started between the pipes for Trail, playing in his first BCHL game.
Former Okotoks Oiler, Otto Hanson, would get the game started with the opening goal coming at 6:44 into the first period on the power play. Zach Coutu gave the Smoke Eaters a two-goal lead with less than two minutes left in the period.
The second period would end in a 4-0 Trail lead as Louis Jonerhiem and Cash Carter both found the back of the net. Halfway into the third period, Trail would continue to add to their lead with Cade De St. Hubert and Dylan Lariviere adding their first goals of the hockey game.
With just over a minute left in the game, Grady Gustafson (Williams Lake, BC) broke Leblanc’s shutout bid for his second goal in as many weekends. Nate Porter (Hingham, MA) and Gabe Simpson extended their point streaks to two games with the assists. Colton Whitfield added a goal for Trail 15 seconds later to end the game at 7-1.
The Oilers will now host four home games in a row as they have back-to-back weekends of games played at Viking Rentals Centre. Friday, the Coquitlam Express will face the Oilers for the first time this season and visit the VRC for the first time in franchise history. Saturday, the Salmon Arm Silverbacks will head to Okotoks for the first time during the 2025-2026 BCHL season.
Tickets for the weekend games can be purchased at: https://tickets.okotoksoilers.com/
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.
