Written by: Scott Savard
Headline photo: Scott Savard
Okotoks, AB (February 6, 2026) – The Okotoks Oilers honoured the late Cameron Casorso, J.J. Wright, and Caden Fine with the Southern Alberta Mustangs tonight at Viking Rentals Centre as they brought the Mustangs on the ice before puck drop against the Brooks Bandits.
The Mustangs tragically lost their three teammates earlier in the week, and the Oilers Organization made sure to pay tribute to the Mustangs by holding a moment of silence before the game got underway. Former Okotoks Oiler, Carson Beers, would also be in attendance as he was surrounded by the Mustangs for the ceremonial puck drop.
Beers made his first appearance in an Oilers uniform during the 2013-2014 season, as he stepped on the ice for two games. He would then become a staple of Oilers hockey as he played four full seasons from 2014 to 2018 for the Green and Gold, totaling 221 games. During his time with the Oilers, Beers posted 158 points (35G, 123A), showcasing his playmaking skills. Beers not only had skill, but was a tough customer as well, with a total of 605 penalty minutes.
The last time the Oilers and Bandits met, the Green and Gold broke the curse against Brooks, taking a 5-4 overtime win on the road after Michael Kowalski (Chicago, IL) scored the game-winner with a highlight reel, between-the-legs goal back on January 25. Even though the last meeting wasn’t that long ago, both teams have made changes to their rosters and played a different lineup compared to their game two Sundays ago. Unfortunatley tonight wouldn’t be a repeat as they fell 6-3 to Brooks.
Eric Young (Mill Bay, BC), who has been a mainstay in net for the Oilers, made the start tonight and turned away 22 shots against his Interior East Division rival. Lincoln Molind picked up the win for Brooks as he was between the pipes for the Bandits tonight in Okotoks.
The first frame saw a back-and-forth battle between the long-term Alberta rivals and ended with a 2-2 tie. The Oilers opened the scoring on a pretty passing play by Joey Meredith (Toledo, OH), bringing out his best Denis Savard impression with a spin-o-rama in the Bandits’ zone, finding a trailing Hunter Sawka (Cochrane, AB), who put it in the back of the net just over four minutes into the first period. The Bandits answered back exactly a minute later with Lazarus Ebanoidze tying it up at one goal apiece. Less than five minutes later, Liam Fitzpatrick would give the Bandits their first lead of the game.
With over three minutes left in the first frame, assistant captain Jamie Hikida (Richmond, BC) crashed the net like he has all season long and was rewarded with his first of two goals on the night. Holden Pajor (Eden Prairie), who was awarded the “Hardest Working Oiler” honours, collected the lone assist.
The Bandits took the lead back in the second period with a goal from Jack Rosensteel, along with Fitzpatrick adding his second of the game. Fitzpatrick completed the hat trick while on the power play near the mid mark of the third period to give the Bandits a 5-2 lead.
Hikida would pick up his second of the night on a beautiful shot that he would blast past the Bandits’ netminder to give the Oilers life just past the midway point of the final frame. Pajor would collect the primary assist for his second point of the night, followed by Josh Wiebe (Calgary, AB), who added the secondary assist. Isaac Johnson cemented the game for Brooks as he added an empty net goal before the final buzzer.
The Oilers will host the Spruce Grove Saints, who they are chasing in the standings for the final playoff spot in the Interior East Divsion tomorrow night at Viking Rentals Centre with a 7:05 MST start time.
Tickets are still available at: https://tickets.okotoksoilers.com/events/37876-spruce-grove-saints-vs-okotoks-oilers
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.
