GAME RECAP: Flames Rookies 3, Oilers Rookies 1

PENTICTON, BC – Carl Berglund scored the Oilers Rookies' lone goal in a 3-1 defeat to the Flames Rookies at the 2024 Young Stars Classic in the Battle of Alberta at South Okanagan Events Centre on Saturday.

The Swedish forward connected with Savoie in the first period after the St. Albert product won the puck down low with a hard forecheck and found his teammate out front for the opening goal, but the Flames Rookies would score twice before the intermission through Hunter Brzustewicz and Sam Morton before adding an empty-netter from forward Luke Misa late in the third period to seal the victory.

Goaltender Connor Ungar made 19 saves on 22 shots for the Oilers Rookies, while forward Connor Clattenburg and defenceman Nate Corbet both dropped the gloves in the defeat.

"It's a much different feeling for me personally," Head Coach Colin Chaulk said. "They made way more plays. They made way more interior plays. We skated and we had the puck a lot more. We shot the puck, we got it back and we extended offensive zone plays.

"We made some strides today and the result wasn't what we wanted, but we're not going backwards. So we've got to celebrate that, talk about some of the things that we did well and try to keep encouraging that confidence."

With the loss, the Oilers Rookies fall to 0-2 heading into their final match of the Young Stars Classic on Monday afternoon against the Jets Rookies.

FIRST PERIOD

The Battle of Alberta (Rookie's Version) brought the intensity you’d expect from the two provincial rivals who make up opposite sides of hockey’s most heated rivalry – even on neutral ground in the Okanagan.

For the second straight night, fans of the Oilers Rookies inside South Okanagan Events Centre were treated to a solid scrap in the opening minutes when Connor Clattenburg and Parker Bell dropped the gloves in front of the Flames’ bench and exchanged haymakers.

The Oilers’ 2024 fifth-round pick from the Flint Firebirds landed a few uppercuts to the 6-foot-5 Flames’ left-winger to pop his helmet off before landing another blow that earned Clattenburg the takedown, unanimous decision and the momentum for the Oilers Rookies that his team quickly jumped on.

"I was just doing whatever I could to get the guys going, and I know after the first game, everyone kind of got up after that first fight," Clattenburg said. "When I have the chance, I just do it and the boys got some energy. It built into the rest of the game."

Just 20 seconds later, the Oilers earned their first goal of the tournament on a play that began with a stellar forecheck from forward Matt Savoie, who stripped the puck off the stick of a Calgary defender and kept his head up to find Carl Berglund wide open out front for the opening goal at 16:02 of the opening frame after the off-season acquisition from the Buffalo Sabres had the puck land back on his stick behind Calgary's net.

Savoie showcased his high work rate and playmaking to pick out Berglund, who’s the second-oldest player on the Oilers Rookie roster behind his Bakersfield Condors and Fort Wayne Komets’ teammate Ethan De Jong from the 2023-24 season.

"He had some real good moments," Chaulk said of Savoie. "He set up the first and only goal on a heavy forecheck winning a battle. It wasn't just this highlight-reel type of offensive opportunity, so I think doing those things in different ways, I think he probably feels a lot better about his game today."

However, the Flames quickly found themselves on the power play when defenceman Hyde Davidson took an important hooking call to deny the equalizer on an in-front wrap around, but Calgary cashed in with the man advantage on a deflection by Brzustewicz off a one-timer from the right circle with just under 15 minutes left still to play in the first period.

Calgary and Edmonton continued to trade chances for the next five minutes, with Dalyn Wakely being denied by the blocker on Ignatjew on a breakaway and Flames winger Luke McNamara missing a wide-open net at the back post that should’ve been converted to give Calgary the lead.

Ultimately, the Flames found their second goal on an odd-man rush with 12:17 on the clock in the opening period after Marc Lajoie couldn’t break up the pass under his stick that was blasted past Ungar by centre Sam Morton for the 2-1 lead.

Calgary’s one-goal lead would hold through 20 minutes despite some more brilliance from Savoie sifting a pass through to De Jong in front, but the forward’s redirection struck the far post.

SECOND PERIOD

Lajoie nearly turned a holding call in the first four minutes of the frame into an equalizer for the Oilers when he exited the penalty box and chased a cleared puck down below Calgary’s goal line, where he avoided the two chasing Calgary D-men before coming out front for a great chance that the former Edmonton Oil Kings' defenceman couldn't slide under the right pad of the Flames' netminder.

The Flames missed another sitter at the back post to expand their lead, marking two wide-open nets Edmonton's provincial rivals missed in this game, and the Oilers almost made it count. Soon after, a shot from the point from Lajoie went through traffic and the chest protector of Ignatjew in the Flames' crease, but his effort caught the right post to keep it 2-1 with over half a period left in Penticton.

Ungar settled in during the middle frame for the Oilers after allowing two first-period goals and came up clutch inside the final six minutes of the frame, showing good edge work to lash across his crease and take away forward Luke Misa's two quick looks at the left post.

"He competed really hard," Chaulk said. "He settled in and I think at the pro level, it's about keeping it close... Those are the moments as a professional goaltender that you need to keep you within striking distance for your team, so I think that's a real measuring stick."

Edmonton's next best chance to equalize came late in the middle stanza on a backwards pass from Sam O'Reilly that found Savoie for an open look from the right circle that the 20-year-old St. Albert product put off the side netting.

While only Savoie was able to find the scoresheet offensively, Clattenburg said he's liked how the chemistry between him, Savoie and O'Reilly has slowly improved as the tournament's progressed.

"Today I think we were buzzing a bit more and we created a few more chances. We were all moving better," he said. "So I think we built a lot off that first game."

THIRD PERIOD

Camp invite & defenceman Nate Corbet continued to make his presence known in Penticton to the Oilers' management staff with his second fight of the Young Stars Classic after coming to the defence of his teammate Ethan De Jong, who took a hard hit in open ice from forward Lucas Ciona before accepting the challenge from Edmonton's tryout who had two goals, five assists and 72 penalty minutes in 51 games for the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers in 2023-24.

Edmonton was on the penalty kill again midway through the third period thanks to a tripping call against 2024 seventh-round pick William Nicholl, but nearly had an equalizer at the other end when Savoie offloaded a backwards pass to O'Reilly that hit the meshing of Calgary's net.

The short-handed chance helped push momentum into the Oilers Rookies' favour for the final push.

"That brought us some energy and we definitely stayed in their zone quite a while and had tons of chances, so we definitely built off those penalty kills," Clattenburg said.

As time dwindled down, the Oilers Rookies pounded the blue paint, generating a flurry of chances against the Flames Rookies in the final few minutes before pulling their goalie for a last-desperation chance at tying the game. Ignatjew tried to air out a full-ice shot into the empty Edmonton net, but Frankie Marrelli batted the puck out of mid-air with a high stick to prevent any miracle hail mary from Calgary's crease-guard.

After the Oilers Rookies took their timeout with 18 seconds left, an icing from Calgary and failed attempt at putting a puck on goal from the Blue & Orange resulted in an empty-netter for Luke Misa with less than a minute on the clock that sealed them the 3-1 victory in the Battle of Alberta from Penticton.