Oil Barons Force Game 7:

Oil Barons force game 7 in series with Saints

By Chris O'Leary, Special To The Journal

April 12, 2010

Everything was all ready.

The champagne was on ice, the Enerflex Cup was on hand and all that stood between the Spruce Grove Saints and the trophy they've been chasing for the last two years was one more win. It seemed like a simple enough equation. Win and it's yours.

On Sunday night, Dylan Seymour and the Fort McMurray Oil Barons took that equation and put it in a blender, poured the contents out and sent them back to Spruce Grove.

Led by Seymour's natural hat trick, the Oil Barons upended the Saints 4-2 at Casman Centre, forcing a Game 7 in the Alberta Junior Hockey League final. That game is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Grant Fuhr Arena in Spruce Grove.

Seymour scored all three of his goals over a six-minute span in the second period, undoing a 2-1 Spruce Grove lead. He also sent the 1,799 fans at Casman Centre into jubilation with his monstrous effort, which included an assist on the Branden Gracel's goal in the first period.

"It was really good," Seymour said. "I've never got a hat trick before, so it's a big thing to me, and getting the win was even bigger. I'm just happy to win the game."

The 18-year-old Fort McMurray product was almost pulled off of Gracel's line on Sunday, Oil Barons head coach and general manager Gord Thibodeau said.

"It's funny, some of the best moves you make as a coach are the ones you don't make," he said with a laugh.

"We talked after the first about maybe taking him off that line with Gracel because he was struggling a little bit.

"You know, Tommy (Keca, assistant coach) decided, 'Let's give him one more shot,' and then he scored and all of a sudden it goes from there."

Despite scoring the game's first goal just three minutes into the first period, the Barons found themselves trailing the Saints 2-1 after 20 minutes, thanks to goals by Wes McLeod and Josh Lazowski. The Saints out-shot the Barons 21-14, controlling the majority of the play.

There was a night-and-day transformation in the next period, which has happened so many times already in this series.

Seymour tied the game at 7:31, when he re-directed a shot from the point by defenceman Brad Stebner. He pushed his team ahead at 11:31, hammering a rebound home with Saints goalie Travis Rolheiser (31 saves in the game) out of position.

The hats rained down onto the ice at 13:24 when Seymour scored his third goal on a power-play setup from Brendan Wright. The fans chanted Seymour's name as the players lined up for the ensuing faceoff.

"It was good for him to get rewarded," Thibodeau said about Seymour.

"He's had a tough series and he's been very physical, but he hasn't had the hands around the net. (Sunday's game) was a long time coming."

Saints head coach and general manager Steve Hamilton represented a subdued locker-room when it was all over.

"I thought we took about a 10-minute break in the second period from our game plan," he said, "and they capitalized."

The 2010 AJHL coach of the year said he told his team it needed to look at the positives in the series.

"We have another chance. You've got to look at the positive side," he said, before adding that he was disappointed in the group's inability to win battles in the game.

"One way or another, there'll be closure on Tuesday. One way or another," he said.

Vipers, Kings in B.C. final

The British Columbia Hockey League championship will be settled tonight.

The Ver non Vipers and the Powell River Kings tangle in a decisive Game 7 for the Fred Page Cup in Vernon, B.C. The winner of that series will make the trip to Alberta for the Doyle Cup, which begins on Friday against either the Saints or Oil Barons.

The winner of that series advances to the Royal Bank Cup to compete for the national junior A championship in Dauphin, Man., from May 1-9.