Oil Kings even WHL Championship Series with Game 2 triumph

Edmonton, Alta. – Defenceman Luke Prokop scored a pair of goals as part of a four-point night as his Edmonton Oil Kings evened up the 2022 WHL Championship Series at a game apiece with a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds Sunday.

The Nashville Predators prospect scored twice in the second period, while forward Brendan Kuny deflected home a Prokop point shot 8:46 into the third period to break a 4-4 and send the series to Washington state on level terms.

The two sides grinded through a scoreless opening frame, with goaltenders Sebastian Cossa and Thomas Milic each parrying aside ten shots.

Oil Kings netminder Cossa stood tall late in the frame, in helping his side kill off a pair of first period penalties, stopping one-timers from Thunderbirds forwards Jordan Gustafson and Lukas Svejkovsky.

The home side started the second period on the front foot, coming close on a Jake Neighbours rush in the opening minute before a Prokop point shot sifted through traffic and beat Thunderbirds netminder Thomas Milic 1:35 into the period.

Seattle equalized just over two minutes later, when forward Matthew Rempe found himself in front of an open net, depositing his second goal of the series.

But 32 seconds after that, Prokop found the back of the net again, jumping into a two-on-one rush with Neighbours and converting from the left circle after the Edmonton captain fed him the puck.

Edmonton added to its lead at the 13:11 mark when forward Carter Souch was sprung free on a breakaway. He lifted a backhand shot over Milic from in close for his 11th goal of the post-season.

Souch extended his goal-scoring streak to four games in the process.

Two minutes after the Souch marker, Seattle struck on the power play to cut the Oil Kings lead to 3-2, but Edmonton would restore its two-goal lead before the period was through when Justin Sourdif deflected a point shot past Milic for his fifth tally of the post-season.

The Thunderbirds started period three on a power-play and quickly took advantage on a pretty one-timer from leading scorer Jared Davidson. The Edmonton product fired a puck past Cossa from the right circle for his team-leading 12th goal of the 2022 WHL Playoffs.

Linemate Lukas Svejkovsky tied the game at 4-4 two and a half minutes later with a backhand effort from just outside the crease shortly after Milic had denied Sourdif from in close with a glove stop.

The series has been physical on both sides of the puck, but Oil Kings captain Jake Neighbours put an exclamation point on Game 2 with a thunderous check on Rempe 3:30 into the third period.

“I think that hit by Jake really set the tone for the rest of the period,” Prokop noted.

Minutes later, Prokop earned his fourth point at 8:46 when a shot from the right point was deftly deflected by Brendan Kuny over the shoulder of Milic to give Edmonton a 5-4 advantage.

“It was all this guy,” Kuny said after the game, pointing to Prokop.

“[Prokop] elevated his game,” Lauer commented. “He created a lot of energy which was great to see.”

“I don’t think we had the start that we wanted but I liked our resiliency,” Svejkovsky said after the game.

“It’s something we can build off for the next game,” the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect added.

Deflections and rebound goals have been the order of the first two games in the series, which Lauer opined on following Sunday’s contest.

“Our forwards have to find a way to get [to the front of the net]. We did that tonight, we can still be better. Our second and third efforts were there,” Lauer said.

“It was nice resiliency from our team being down 4-2 and clawing our way back to tie the game, said Thundebrirds head coach Matt O’Dette.

“They did a good job with point shots and getting guys to the net,” he added. “That’s what happened on the winning goal.”

“After that first game they said they wanted to get more traffic to the net, which they did,” Seattle defenceman Jeremy Hanzel noted.

“As a defensive team, we have to box out and get more blocks, start being heavier around the net.”

Cossa made 26 saves in the Oil Kings crease, while Thomas Milic stopped 36 shots for the Thunderbirds.

Seattle went 2/6 on the power-play while Edmonton was 1/3.

The series now shifts to Kent, Wash. for Games 3 and 4, beginning Tuesday, June 7 (7:05 p.m. PT, accesso ShoWare Center).