Written by: Scott Savard
Headline photo: Scott Savard
Okotoks, AB (September 22, 2026) – The Okotoks Oilers weekend wasn’t for the faint of heart as they came away with a point after hitting the road in Brooks and Spruce Grove in less than 24 hours to open the 2026-2027 BCHL season.
Both games were a back-and-forth tilt, with their second game of the weekend having to be decided in extra time. The Green and Gold held the lead for the majority of the game against the Saints but couldn’t hold on to pick up two points in Spruce Grove.
For the second year in a row, the Oilers would face the Bandits in Brooks for their home opener. Justin Giguère (Saguenay, QC) got the call to start in the season opener for the Oilers, making 21 saves, including some highlight-reel stops early in the first period and throughout the game.
The Bandits opened the scoring on a power-play opportunity with Zachary Deleau capitalizing on the man advantage just over eight and a half minutes into the first frame. The Oilers would outshoot the Bandits in the first period, 13-11, and were rewarded at the 15:29 mark of the first frame as Matthew Hikida (Richmond, BC) ripped one past Emile Beaunoyer (Brooks netminder) for his first goal as an Okotoks Oiler and tied things up at 1-1. Ben Deacon (St. Albert, AB) earned the primary assist, with Jeff Niehaus (Calgary, AB) picking up the secondary helper.
(Scott Savard/Okotoks Oilers)
The second period would go scoreless as both goalies stopped every shot they faced, which saw Giguère accumulate 11 saves in the period.
With less than three minutes into the final frame, Brooks would retake their lead with Michael Kucherawy putting it in the back of the net. The Oilers would answer back once again with Eli Molde (Plymouth, MN) sniping one in for his first-ever BCHL/Junior goal. The Bandits, however, would get an opportunity on a penalty shot, with Makaio Van Tassel giving Brooks the lead once again. Rylan Hue cemented the Bandits’ win with an empty-net goal with 58 seconds left in the game.
The Green and Gold would have little time to think about the game, as they were in Spruce Grove for an early 2:00 p.m. start on Sunday, making it back-to-back road games in a very short amount of time.
Jackson Silverberg (Los Angeles, CA) got the call in net and made 39 saves in the contest for his first regular-season start for the Green and Gold. On the other side of the ice, Colten Scott tended the goal for the Saints.
Assistant captain Nolan DuPont (Calgary, AB) got the Oilers on the board first with his first of the season coming at the 3:45 mark of the opening period. Fraser Leonard (Cochrane, AB) earned the primary assist, with assistant captain Jordan Murray (Decker, MB) adding the secondary helper.
Murray would then extend the Oilers’ lead to 2-0 with under nine minutes to go in the opening frame as he blasted one from the point while on the power play, with DuPont and assistant captain Conner Radke (Langdon, AB) earning the assists.
The Saints responded with two goals in less than four minutes as Owen Leckelt and Adam Perron got on the board. The Oilers wouldn’t let the score stay even for long as Trey Fredenberg (Loveland, CO) sniped one past Scott to give the Oilers a 3-2 lead before the end of the first period.
Exactly as the game went in Brooks, the second period would go scoreless as both goalies stood tall in their respective nets. Silverberg would stop 11 shots, just as Giguère did in the previous game.
The Saints came pouring on in the third period as they scored three goals in less than seven minutes to take a 5-3 lead at the 7:40 mark of the third frame. Scott Sandilands, Fleix Haibock, and Lucas Achim were the goal scorers for Spruce Grove, with Haibock’s coming on the Oilers’ penalty kill.
The Oilers didn’t fold, as Caden Lindsay (Minnetonka, MN) ripped one past the Saints’ netminder’s ear for a snipe to earn his first-ever BCHL/Junior goal and give the Oilers life with just over five minutes remaining in the third period. The Saints would take two late penalties, and captain Jamie Hikida (Richmond, BC) made Spruce Grove pay by tying things back up at 5-5 with a clutch goal as 12 seconds remained on the clock. Tyler Russell (Redondo Beach, CA), Jacob Guille (Farmington, MN), and Ian Kastamo (Heartland, MI) all picked up their first points as Oilers with the assists, along with Radke adding his second helper of the night.
The Saints would close things out with Brett Barnes earning the game-winner in overtime, but the Green and Gold would pick up a point after pushing the game to extra time.
The Oilers will be back on the ice on Friday with a game in Cranbrook against the Bucks on Friday, but then host the Saints in a rematch from this past weekend for the Home Opener at Viking Rentals Centre on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. MST.
For those who haven’t secured your Season Tickets, it’s still not too late. Visit https://tickets.okotoksoilers.com/events/40207-2026-27-season-tickets for more info.
About the 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.
