HC Energie Karlovy Vary 4 — Fort McMurray Oil Barons 1
OMSK, Russia — The Fort McMurray Oil Barons’ trip to Russia came to an end on Friday with a hard-fought 4-1 loss to the Group B winners from the Czech Republic, HC Energie Karlovy Vary.
The loss drops the Barons’ record to 0-3 in the group stage of the tournament, and their overall record on the two-week trip to 1-4.
The game may have featured the best start of the tournament for Fort McMurray, as they became the first team to score on the Czechs when Harrison Hendrix found a loose puck in front of the net and jammed it between the pads of goaltender Denis Rauscher for a 1-0 lead, only 3:35 in.
But the inability to convert on scoring chances that dogged the Barons throughout their international trek returned through the final 40 minutes.
A Matt Szpak tripping penalty put the Czechs on the powerplay in the second, and Jaromir Kverka converted on a screen shot 7:32 in, to tie the game.
A later four-on-three powerplay allowed Tomas Harkabus to tip a point shot past goaltender Tanner Jaillet 15:14 into the second to give the Czechs a lead they would not relinquish.
Jaillet was replaced with local minor hockey product Logan Stebner for the third period, as overage starter Brody Hoffman did not dress for the final group stage game. The Barons were also without the services of injured forwards Carson Cooper and Kevin Lacroix.
Fort McMurray kept the game close until the 16:40 mark of the third, when a four-on-two Czech rush ended with Vojtech Tomecek beating Stebner off a cross-ice one-timer to extend the lead to two.
Energie later sealed the deal with an empty net goal thrown the length of the ice by Otto Novak.
With seconds remaining in the game, Fort McMurray rookie forward Wyat Haustein dropped the gloves with older Czech defenceman David Troska. The spirited tilt ended with a cut to Haustein’s forehead.
The Czechs will move on to the tournament final against the Russian Red Army team.
The Barons now prepare for their home opener on September 16th at the Casman Centre against the Okotoks Oilers.
