Written by: Scott Savard
Headline photo: Chad Goddard
Okotoks, AB (October 30, 2026) – The Okotoks Oilers enter the weekend atop the BCHL Interior East Division standings and will look to hold that position with games against the Spruce Grove Saints and the Cranbrook Bucks.
Tonight, the Oilers will head to Spruce Grove to face their Interior East rivals, who are currently struggling as they have posted a 0-5-1 record in the last six games. While the Saints have not come out on the winning side of many games to start this season, the Oilers are a team they did pick up a “W” against, with a 6-5 OT victory on September 20. The Green and Gold, however, would get redemption with a 5-1 win over the Saints at Viking Rentals Centre six days later.
Since the first meeting between the Oilers and Saints, the Green and Gold have gone 8-3-0 while the Saints have had the opposite luck with a 2-8-2 record.
Captain Jamie Hikida (Richmond, BC) believes the Oilers’ success comes from the buy-in from everyone on the team, along with the early team building.
“I think what has led us to success recently is how hard-working and committed this team is to winning. I think we have a great group of guys that have bonded well since the first day at camp,” Jamie Hikida said.
The injury bug has crept into the Oilers lineup early this season, but the team’s depth is evident as they keep finding ways to win and having a new hero every night, even when down to five defencemen which came against the Crusdasers. A great example was the Oilers’ last game, where defenceman Cohen Carter (Drayton Valley, AB) posted a hat trick against the Crusaders, or the fact that Ben Deacon (St. Albert, AB) picked up five points in his last six games. Anywhere you look in the lineup, each player is bringing something to the game every night, and it’s helping the team with their hot start.
Jamie Hikida explained that while it’s not ideal to have injuries, it’s no excuse for the team to come up short in games. “All teams go through injury trouble at some point in a year. Our depth has been huge for us. Lots of guys have stepped up and have been playing big minutes for us.”
While the Oilers have found success against the Saints this season, they have only played one game against the Bucks, and they came home from Cranbrook with a 4-2 loss. This time it’s the Oilers’ turn to play host, and it will come on the spookiest night of the season with a special Halloween game. The Bucks have a very similar record to the Oilers as they enter the weekend with a 7-5-1 record and have won their last three matchups.
Oilers captain explained that Okotoks will need to come out strong against the Bucks to set the tone of the game and to grab the win against the Interior West Division team.
“I think this time around we definitely need to tighten up in the defensive zone and be ready to go from the very start of the game. We’ve been playing great recently and just need to stick to our game plan,” Jamie Hikida added.
Assistant captain Conner Radke (Langdon, AB) will be relied on this weekend after picking up the BCHL First Star Honours as he produced a hat trick and three assists in two games. Radke sits at the top of the BCHL in points with 25, as well as assists with his 16 helpers in 13 games. Carter also earned the honours of the BCHL Second Star of the Week with his hat trick and two assists in two games.
Tickets for the Halloween game against the Bucks are still available at: https://tickets.okotoksoilers.com/events/44427-cranbrook-bucks-vs-okotoks-oilers
Kids 12 and under who are wearing a costume will get free admission to the Halloween game, and all ages can dig into some free candy that will be available around the rink.
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, YouTube, and Instagram.
