GAME SUMMARY: Oil Kings make it three straight, defeat Tigers again
Edmonton, AB – The Edmonton Oil Kings (16-1-0-1) used a strong first and third period to pickup another win over the Medicine Hat Tigers (12-5-0-1) on Saturday night, skating to a 4-1 win at Co-Op Place.
With a depleted forward group, missing four regulars, the top-line of Jake Neighbours, Kaid Oliver and Josh Williams again paced the team’s offensive attack, combining for three goals and eight points in the win.
For a third straight game the Oil Kings got the start they were looking for and were rewarded with another two-goal first period cushion. Just 1:59 into the game, Oliver picked up his 10th goal of the season after he buried a rebound off a Neighbours chance in front. Oliver found the puck down below the goal line, centered for an open Neighbours in-between the hashmarks who one timed a hot-shot on goal that Garin Bjorklund made an exceptional save on, but couldn’t do anything about the follow up chance that found Oliver alone in front for the tap in. The Oil King would dominate the first period outshooting the Tigers 13-6 and would finally extend their lead with 3:28 left in the frame on a great individual effort by Neighbours for his ninth goal of the season. Neighbours grabbed the puck deep inside his own zone, charged to center-ice on a two-on one, toe dragged a sprawling Medicine Hat defenceman, had the puck get chipped up into his mid-section, but would bunt it past Bjorklund to send the Oil Kings to the dressing room up 2-0.
After a slow start in the first period, the Tigers came out with plenty more jump in the middle stanza and nearing the midway mark of the period, they drew a power-play that the league’s top scoring defenceman, Cole Clayton, capitalized on. Nearing the end of their man-advantage, Clayton took a pass from former Oil Kings forward Brett Kemp and sifted a shot off an Edmonton defenceman in front and past Sebastian Cossa. The Oil Kings got a couple of opportunities on the power-play themselves in the period, but could not solve Bjorklund, keeping their lead at just one heading into the third period.
For a second consecutive game, the Tigers discipline would get the better of them in the third period and the Oil Kings would take advantage scoring on two of four power-play chances less than nine minutes into the period. First, Williams collected his 11th goal of the season after re-directing a point-shot from Oliver from between the hash-marks at the 6:53 mark of the period. Then, Matthew Robertson blasted home his fourth goal of the campaign after Oliver spotted him wide-open in the high-slot.
The Oil Kings ended the night going 2-for-6 on the power play, while the Tigers were 1-for-2. The Oil Kings outshot the Tigers 44-25. Cossa made 24 saves for his 14th win of the season.
These two teams play again Sunday night back in Edmonton at the Downtown Community Arena.
Notes:
- Jake Neighbours extended his point streak to 17 games with a goal and two assists (9G, 22A).
- Kaid Oliver extended his point streak to seven games with a goal and two assists (5G, 6A).
- Josh Williams extended his point streak to four games with a goal and an assist (3G, 5A).
- Williams now has 15 points (5G, 10A) in 14 career games against his former team.
- Tonight’s win was Head Coach Brad Lauer’s 100th career win behind the Oil Kings bench (100-31-10-9).
- Lauer becomes the fastest coach in Oil Kings history to 100 wins doing it in 150 games, 25 fewer than Derek Laxdal.
- The Oil Kings are now 13-2-0-1 vs. Medicine Hat over the past two seasons.
