GAME SUMMARY: Worthington solid in debut as Oil Kings edge the Broncos in OT
Edmonton, AB – The Edmonton Oil Kings (22-6-2-1) enter the holiday break on a three-game winning streak thanks to an exceptional debut from Alex Worthington and Jalen Luypen providing the overtime heroics on Saturday afternoon against the Swift Current Broncos (11-15-3-1).
After combining for 13 goals on Friday night, the Oil Kings and Broncos would only have one puck find the back of the net in the opening 20 minutes Saturday afternoon.
Oil Kings rookie netminder Alex Worthington made his WHL debut in the game and was busy early on turning away 10 Swift Current shots in the opening nine minutes. At the other end, the Oil Kings had a handful of good looks on Isaac Poulter but could not solve the veteran Broncos netminder.
With the Broncos on a late first period power play, Matthew Ward was able to settle a bouncing puck in the left-circle and snap a shot over the shoulder of Worthington for the period’s only goal to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the intermission.
Midway through the second period, the Oil Kings would turn their one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead in short order getting two goals 1:10 apart. On an Edmonton power play, Carter Souch took a beautiful cross-ice pass from Simon Kubicek in the right-wing circle where he had all the time in the world to load up and rip a low wrist shot past Poulter to tie the game at one. Chase Friedt-Mohr staked Edmonton to their first lead of the game on a delayed penalty to the Broncos after he was able to snap a shot top corner through a screen from the top of the left-circle.
Worthington stopped all nine shots he faced in the middle frame to preserve the Oil Kings lead into the intermission.
In the third period, the Broncos fired 12 more puck the way of Worthington and were finally able to solve him for a second time at the 11:35 mark with Braeden Lewis lasering a shot top-shelf from the left-circle.
Both goaltenders would then come up with a pair of big saves in the final few minutes of regulation to send the game into overtime.
In the bonus period, the Oil Kings won the opening faceoff, worked the puck around the offensive zone and then Luypen decided enough was enough as he skated his way off the right-wing boards, cut to the middle and feathered a shot past Poulter to give the Oil Kings the 3-2 victory.
Next up, the Oil Kings hit the road for a seven-game road trip starting on December 27 in Regina against the Pats at 6:00 PM.
NOTES:
- The Oil Kings have now won seven straight games against the Broncos.
- Jalen Luypen’s game winner was his first career overtime goal.
- Jaxsen Wiebe is now on a three-game point streak (1G, 3A).
- Simon Kubicek is now on a three-game point streak (1G, 2A).
- The Oil Kings played tonight’s game missing 10 regulars from their lineup; F Jake Neighbours (World Junior Championship), F Dylan Guenther (World Junior Championship), F Jakub Demek (World Junior Championship), F Brendan Kuny (injured), F Tyler Horstmann (injured), F Jacob Boucher (injured), F Josh Williams (injured), D Kaiden Guhle (World Junior Championship), D Luke Prokop (injured), and G Sebastian Cossa (World Junior Championship).
Edmonton Oil Kings Season Seats, Flex-Packs, Weekend Passes and Single-Game tickets, for as low as $20 per game, are currently on sale at oilkings.ca.
The Oil Kings next home game is Tuesday, January 11 when they welcome the Prince Albert Raiders to Rogers Place at 7:00 PM.
