GAME SUMMARY: Oil Kings outlast Broncos in high scoring affair
Edmonton, AB – The Edmonton Oil Kings (21-6-2-1) scored early and often on their way to an 8-5 win over the visiting Swift Current Broncos (11-5-2-1) on Friday night at Rogers Place.
The Oil Kings started with a bang as less than 90 seconds into the game they had a 2-0 lead. First, Jalen Luypen drilled home a one-timer from the slot setup by Carter Souch. Just a shift later, Shea Van Olm gathered in a headman pass from Ben Wright, powered his way to the middle of the ice in the Broncos zone and lasered a shot over the shoulder of Swift Current netminder Reid Dyck. Wright’s assist on the Van Olm goal was his first career WHL point.
The Broncos wasted no time in answering right back as Connor Hvidston was able to bring the Broncos to within a goal just 1:40 after the Van Olm marker as he placed a wrist shot perfectly under the crossbar from left circle.
Following the three-goal burst in the opening three minutes, it wouldn’t be until the final 90 seconds before we saw another goal where it would Souch restoring the Edmonton lead to two as he hammered a one-timer just under the bar from the right-circle on an Edmonton power play.
The second period, just like the first period, saw the Oil Kings outscore the Broncos by a 3-1 margin. Just 1:05 into the middle stanza, Carson Golder roped in a low point shot off a John Szabo offensive zone faceoff win to increase the Edmonton lead to 4-1. At 7:09 of the period, Jaxsen Wiebe made it a 5-1 lead as he broke in on a two-on-one rush and his cross-ice pass deflected in off a Swift Current defender. Wiebe’s goal was assisted by Gavin Hodnett, the Oil Kings 2021 WHL Prospects Draft first round pick from last week, giving his first career WHL point in his first career game; the goal also chased Dyck from the Broncos cage after giving up five goals on 26 shots as he was replaced by Isaac Poulter.
The Broncos were able to draw back to a three goal deficit just past the midway mark of the frame as former Oil King Raphael Pelletier burst onto a loose puck in the Edmonton zone and elevated a shot over the shoulder of Kolby Hay.
Before the period was out, the Oil Kings were able to make it a four goal spread once again with Cole Miller muscling home his first goal as an Oil King off a rebound in front of the Swift Current net.
In the third period, the teams combined for five more goals. Josh Filmon, Ryan Bettahar and Pelletier all picked up power play goals for the visitors, while Souch and Josh Williams were able to pop in a couple more for the Oil Kings to wrap up the Rogers Place track meet.
Hay, making his fourth straight start, made 28 saves in the win, while Poulter and Dyck combined for 37 saves on 45 Edmonton shots. The Oil Kings went one-for-six on the power play, the Broncos were three-for-seven.
Next up, the Oil Kings and Broncos tangle again tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 PM at Rogers Place.
NOTES:
- The Oil Kings have now won six straight games against the Broncos.
- Josh Williams is now on a three-game point streak (2G, 5A).
- The Oil Kings played tonight’s game missing nine 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), D Kaiden Guhle (World Junior Championship), D Luke Prokop (injured), D Logan Dowhaniuk (suspended) 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 Saturday, December 18 when they welcome the Swift Current Broncos to Rogers Place at 4:00 PM.
