Okotoks Drillers

Okotoks Drillers
City	Okotoks, Alberta, Canada
League	Chinook Hockey League
Founded	2013
Operated	2013–2015
Home arena	Scott Seaman Sports Rink
Colours	Blue, orange, white

The Okotoks Drillers were a AAA senior men's ice hockey team based in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada, that competed in the Chinook Hockey League. The club was founded in 2013 as an AA affiliate of the Chinook Hockey League and gained AAA affiliate status in 2014 after winning the 2014 Investors Group Hockey Alberta Provincial Senior AA Championship. The Drillers played their home games at the Scott Seaman Sports Rink.

History

The Drillers were formed in 2013 and joined the Chinook Hockey League (ChHL) as an expansion team for the 2013–14 season as an AA affiliate. ^{[1] [2] [3]} The team competed in two games of the Chinook Hockey League's pre-season showcase tournament winning their opening game against the Innisfail Eagles and losing the second game to the Bentley Generals. ^[4] The Drillers finished the regular season in fourth place, advancing to the 2014 Investors Group Hockey Alberta Provincials Senior AA/A tournament. ^{[3] [5]} The Drillers defeated the Morinville Kings in the quarterfinals of the tournament and advanced to the AA bracket semifinal against the Bonnyville Pontiacs. ^[3] After defeating the Pontiacs 10-2 the Drillers advanced to the AA bracket final where they defeated the Daysland Northstars to win the AA tournament and gained AAA affiliate status for the 2014–15 season. ^[3] The AAA status allowed the team to compete in the Chinook Hockey League's AAA playoffs and attempt to qualify for the Allan Cup tournament. ^[3]

The Drillers started the 2014–15 season with two games in the Chinook Hockey League's pre-season classic tournament with games against the Innisfail Eagles and Stony Plain Eagles. ^[4] The team improved on the previous year's ranking in the regular season finishing second in the standings behind the Bentley Generals. ^[6] The Drillers were drawn against the Innisfail Eagles in their opening round of the playoffs where they lost the series, winning only one of the five games. ^[7] In July 2015 the team announced that they were taking a one-year leave of absence from the ChHL due to financial issues however they are not expected to play in 2016–17 season either. ^[8]

Season-by-season results

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA	Finish	Playoffs
2013–14	24	7	16	1	15	76	128	4th	Won 2014 Alberta Provincial Senior AA Championship defeated Daysland Northstars 4–1
2014–15	24	13	10	1	27	117	122	2nd	Lost in Chinook Hockey League AAA Playoff semifinal series, 1–4 (Innisfail Eagles)

Roster

Updated 19 April 2015 ^[9]

#	Nat	Name	Pos	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
26		Curtis Beech	D	37	2014–15	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
61		Curtis Billsten (C)	F	39	2013–14	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
57		Aaron Boyer	F	41	2014–15	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
8		Travis Bradshaw	F	37	2013–14	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
82		Jeremy Chadsey	F	42	2014–15	Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
31		Dan Dunn	G	37	2014–15	Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
31		Adam Melon	G	40	2013–14	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
17		Campbell Elynuik	F	32	2014–15	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
18		Derek Endicott	F	42	2013–14	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
29		Gerry Festa	G	41	2014–15	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
34		Todd Ford	G	41	2013–14	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
9		Adrian Foster	F	43	2014–15	Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
48		Branden Gay	F	39	2013–14	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
14		Tanner House	F	39	2014–15	Cochrane, Alberta, Canada
4		Clay Howe	D	34	2014–15	Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
12		Mike Kneeland	F	41	2014–15	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
55		Paul Kurceba	D	38	2014–15	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
15		Keaton Lackten	D	33	2013–14	High River, Alberta, Canada
1		Todd-Daniel Lafontaine	G	49	2014–15
11		Justis Lowry	F	30	2014–15	Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada
25		Curtis Martin	D		2014–15	Okotoks, Alberta, Canada
2		Mitch McColm	D	36	2013–14	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
7		Clinton Pettapiece	F	38	2014–15	Christina Lake, British Columbia, Canada
96		Alexander Pronchuk	F	33	2013–14	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
10		Kyle Reed	F	38	2013–14	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
5		Justin Schmit	D	40	2014–15	Strathmore, Alberta, Canada
79		Jesse Todd	F	38	2014–15	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
20		Jessie Tresierra	D	37	2014–15	Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada
6		Joe Vetere	D	38	2014–15	Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Notable alumni

• Adrian Foster ^{[10] [11]}

References

1. "Okotoks Drillers". Chinook Hockey League. 2013-09-16. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
2. Gilbertson, Wes (2015-01-22). "Okotoks Drillers no minor-league product". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on 2015-07-12. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
3. Greer, Remy (2014-04-02). "Drillers in a league of their own at provincials". Okotoks Western Wheel. Archived from the original on 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
4. "Schedule". Chinook Hockey League. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
5. "Chinook HL Team Standings 2013-2014". Elite Prospects. Archived from the original on 2015-04-06. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
6. "Chinook HL Team Standings 2014-2015". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
7. "Chinook Hockey League 2015 AAA Playoffs Bracket". Chinook Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
8. "1 Year Leave of Absence". Okotoks Drillers. Archived from the original on 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
9. "Okotoks Drillers". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2015-04-19.
10. "Adrian Foster Stats and News".
11. Greer, Remy (2014-11-26). "Drillers downed by league champs". Okotoks Western Wheel. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.