Comeback effort ends in OT as Oil Kings settle for single point in Vancouver
The Edmonton Oil Kings (14-5-4-2) erased a three-goal deficit to earn a single point in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Vancouver Giants (12-10-1-1) in front of 4,077 fans at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday night.
Dylan Guenther, Riley Sawchuk, Matthew Robertson and hometown kid Josh Williams were the goal scorers for the Oil Kings, in what was a penalty-filled affair that saw special teams play a pivotal role in the night’s action.
Todd Scott (7-3-4-1) took the loss in goal, allowing five goals on 31 Giants shots.
Trent Miner (6-5-1-1) earned the win, stopping 32 of 36 shots he faced.
The Giants bookended the first period with goals at 3:57 and 18:56 to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
The home side commanded play in the first 20 minutes, outshooting the Oil Kings, 16-8.
In the second they picked up right where they left off, adding to their lead – 3-0 – just 14 seconds in, but the visitors soon answered back.
Guenther was on the receiving end of a pass from Jake Neighbours while on the power play and cut the Vancouver lead to 3-1 at 2:18, with the secondary assist to Sawchuk.
As the end of the middle frame neared, it was Sawchuk who extended his team lead in goals to 12 to make it a 3-2 game, from Wyatt McLeod, at 17:06 which rounded out scoring after 40 minutes.
Shots in the middle frame shifted, 11-7, in favour of the Oil Kings.
Eight infractions were whistled between the two teams in the second period, but even more was to come in the third, which equated into the game-tying goal which began third period scoring.
Killing off a 5-on-3, Robertson sprung from the box while the Oil Kings were still shorthanded and registered his sixth of the season to tie the game, 3-3, from Ethan Cap at 7:22.
But special teams continued to leave its mark, this time just four seconds after the Giants were penalized for boarding, as Vancouver restored their one-goal lead, 4-3, at 8:49.
Back on the power play the Oil Kings mustered yet another comeback, this time by the Langley, BC native Williams at 12:31, assisted by Neighbours to make it a 4-4 game, which would round out regulation scoring and eventually send the game to overtime.
The Oil Kings commanded much of the 3-on-3 extra period, but a rush finished by Justin Sourdif ended the game in the Giants favour at the 2:57 mark.
Edmonton outshot Vancouver 16-7 in the third period, while the OT frame was even at 1-1 for a game total of 36-31, Oil Kings.
Vancouver was 0-for-6 on the power play, while Edmonton was 2-for-6 with the man advantage, each team with a shorthanded goal.
Riley Sawchuk (EDM) (3), Milos Roman (VAN) (2), and Tristen Nielsen (VAN) (1) were selected as the Three Stars of the Game.
Wyatt McLeod, Matthew Robertson and Ethan Cap each wore an “A” and skated as alternate captains to Scott Atkinson.
The Oil Kings play game four of their five-game road trip through BC when they face the Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday, November 26 at 8:05 PM, then finish the trip in Kamloops against the Blazers on Wednesday, November 27 at 8:00 PM MT.
EOK365 Season Seat Memberships, Five-Star Plans, Flex Packs and single game tickets are available for every Edmonton Oil Kings game this season. Ticket packages start at just $99 per seat, and single game tickets are as low as $20. Call 780-414-GOAL (4625), email [email protected] or visit OilKings.ca for more information.
