Oilers gave the Green Army plenty to celebrate about after their win against Trail

Written by: Scott Savard

Headline photo: Chad Goddard

Okotoks, AB (March 15, 2026) – The Okotoks Oilers sent the Green Army home happy after closing out the weekend at Viking Rentals Centre with a 2-1 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters tonight.

Not only did the Oilers faithful get to see a win on home ice, but they were also treated to a post-game fans skate with the team, and thanks to Okotoks GM, the Green Army were welcomed by Calgary Wranglers defenceman, Daniil Miromanov, as he signed pucks during the first intermission.

When asked what it’s like cheering for a local Oilers team, Miromanov joked by saying, “I mean, it’s the Okotoks Oilers, right?”

“This is a nice arena, I know quite a few guys that played in the BCHL, so it’s a good developmental league. Good to see young guys playing, it’s a nice little crowd here, and it’s a pretty good arena,” Miromanov continued.

Miromanov mentioned that it wasn’t his first time in Okotoks, as he had come down to visit before and had enjoyed the area.

“I think it’s pretty nice, it’s a great area, very close to Calgary, and there is a lot of nice scenery. You can see all the mountains in the back, and quite a bit of golf courses around, so it’s a good area, I like it,” he said.

As anyone who lives in the area knows, deer roam around Okotoks with no care in the world. Miromanov said he hasn’t experienced the deer yet, but added, “Animals have to feel comfortable to be around people, that’s pretty cool.”

Miromanov would also give some advice to the Oilers players as they continue their hockey journey and finish up their 2025-2026 BCHL season.

“Enjoy it. I remember when I was their age, just like it was yesterday. Take one day at a time, one game at a time, one challenge at a time, and never stop growing. You play your whole career, you learn, and you never stop getting better. I met a lot of guys that were much older than me, in their 30’s, almost 40 years old, they were always looking for something that they can learn. So enjoy it, embrace it, and all the challenges that come along the path are blessings,” Miromanov said.

While Miromanov is currently with the Calgary Flames organization, the Oilers have two former Flames: Assistant Coach and Director of Player Development Corban Knight and Strength and Conditioning Coach Keegan Kanzig. On top of Knight and Kanzig, Oilers Head Coach and GM Tyler Deis had a long career playing professional hockey in the ECHL. Miromanov explained that having coaches with that kind of experience is only going to help players develop in Okotoks.

“It’s incredible, when you have somebody with that experience, you play at the highest level possible, it’s amazing that you can teach the guys when you tell them, ‘This is my experience, this is how it was’. I never had guys that played in the NHL throughout my early career that could have helped and shared the message. When you make it that far in your career, you understand what it takes and what you need. So, it’s amazing for the guys and they should be taking full advantage and use the opportunity to learn as much as possible,” he explained.

Miromanov has seen personal success himself this season with the Wranglers, as he leads all defencemen on his team with 29 points.

“Just kind of the same philosophy, one game at a time, one shift at a time, that’s what I focus on. I don’t think about what’s going to happen next month, next year, next season, whatever. I try to learn every single game, trying to review what works, what needs to be done, and continue doing the things that worked well for me and fix the things that didn’t work well for me. Just continue on a daily basis,” Miromanov added.

As for Miromanov’s experience at the Oilers game tonight, he said, “Amazing, it’s great to see people coming out, supporting, and watching hockey. Parents with kids, showing the kids around, showing them what’s possible. It can be them one day, and they have something nice to look forward to. It’s awesome, Canada is a hockey country, it’s ingrained in the culture, and hockey is pretty much a religion for Canadians. It’s awesome to see people coming out on a weekend, socializing, and enjoying a game of hockey. It’s always great.”

It’s been two full seasons where the Oilers and Smoke Eaters have competed, and for the second year in a row, the season series would end in a 2-2 tie after the late heroics from Marko Lisica (Plainview, NY) with the game-winning goal late in the third period.

Justin Giguère (Saguenay, QC) would earn his second BCHL win after turning aside 24 shots. Lyam Leblanc made that start for the Smoke Eaters on the opposite side of the ice.

The first frame would go scoreless with both Giguère and Leblanc standing tall, stopping every shot they faced. Trai led in shots after the first period by a narrow 7-6 lead.

The Smoke Eaters would be the first to get on the scoreboard as Cash Carter found the back of the net over five minutes into the second frame. The Oilers would respond with Kash Crawford (Atlanta, GA) adding his second goal of the campaign with Lisica adding his first point of the night with the primary assist, followed by Grady Gustafson (Williams Lake, BC) picking up the secondary helper.

Exactly 18 minutes after Crawford’s tying goal in the second period, Lisica added the game-winner off a nice backhand goal, beating Leblanc after Joey Meredith (Toledo, OH) made a nice play at centre ice, then skated it into the offensive zone and found Lisica for the winner.

The Green and Gold would then celebrate with the Green Army by hosting them on the ice and creating lifelong memories with the Okotoks youth.

The Oilers will be back on the road for the final time this season as they visit Brooks on Friday, followed by Blackfalds on Saturday. The Oilers will then finish their season off with two home games against the Sherwood Park Crusaders and West Kelowna Warriors on March 27 and 28.