[ad_1]
Regina Pats Garrett Wright, up, is fighting for the loose puck with Ethan Cap of Edmonton Oil at the Brandt Center in Regina on November 2, 2018.
Fleece Troy / Postmedia
The Edmonton Oil Kings are still under construction, but for all intents and purposes, this is where they should be at this point of the season in the Western Hockey League.
The Oil Kings have had five straight wins this weekend, but are happy with their two-game trip through Saskatchewan.
"I loved our game and our situation since our trip on the American road," said Oil Kings Head Coach Brad Lauer. "I think our game is better, our five-on-five game is much better, and I think as we progress through the year, it has to keep going." 39; improve ".
Edmonton is currently second in the Central League standings at the West League, one point behind the Red Deer Rebels, which they have beaten twice this season.
"I think we're still figuring out who we are and where we are this year," said Oil Kings defenseman Ethan Cap. "In the locker room, we all think we can be a better team in this league and we can be a contender.
"But as far as our record is concerned, we've been a little out of gear. We won five wins, eight losses and five wins again. Now, after this defeat at Swift Current, it's a reunion. Do not do what we did last time, we lost a match and lost the other seven. "
The Oil Kings rebounded well after a long series of losses, which coincided with a six-game road trip across the US division.
The Oil Kings followed a five-game winning streak and lost eight losses.
Last weekend, they defeated the Regina Pats 5-1 and lost 4-3 in overtime to the Swift Current Broncos the following night.
The Oil Kings defeated Swift Current (3-1 deficit) and outshot the Broncos 45-20, including 21-2 in the third period.
Oil Oil Edmonton, Andrei Pavlenko, left, is fighting for the puck with Regina Pats Nikita Sedov at the Brandt Center in Regina on November 2, 2018. Troy Fleece / Postmedia
"Against Regina, we came out strong, we played against them and played a game of about 60 minutes," said Oil Kings forward Brett Kemp, who scored two goals and got help to win. against the Pats. "At Swift, we arrived slowly and it was a frustrating match. It's a heavy team and they like to come in front of you, so nobody really has a lot of room, but we found a way to fight and score. "
Isaac Poulter, who was the main reason they could survive a third-period barrage, gave the players an outstanding performance. Andrew Fyten then scored the winner for the Broncos, with 41 seconds in overtime.
"I thought maybe we were a little tired and maybe a bit tired in this Swift Current game," said Cap. "I think we did bring a really good game to the rink. I thought we had surpbaded them and that we really had the advantage in the shots. We simply could not find a way to get the winner to Poulter. "
Regina and Swift Current are going through tough times after being among the league's elite in the past two seasons. Both teams are currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, having obtained the majority of their star players.
"At the start of the weekend, these two teams were the last two in terms of points, but we stressed the whole week before the two games how important it was to play hard, regardless of the standings," he said. Cap. "We had to play them like any other team, not to underestimate them and Swift Current showed us why Saturday. I do not think it's because we underestimated them, it was one of those games. "
Despite the loss, the Oil Kings feel good about taking part in a three-game road trip this weekend. They will face the Kootenay ice floes on Friday, the Medicine Hat tigers on Saturday and the Lethbridge hurricanes on Monday.
Regina's Pats goaltender Max Paddock slips into the net as Edmonton Oil Kings Trey Fix-Wolansky try their luck at Regina's Brandt Center on November 2, 2018. Troy Fleece / Postmedia
"I think we're all playing with a lot more confidence since we came back from that car trip to the United States," Kemp said. "Obviously, we do not want to go back in that direction. Losing is not fun. After a series of five wins and one loss, we do not want to start a new set of defeats like this one. We will have a good week of training here, then a good weekend. "
Kootenay, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge are chasing all the Oil Kings in the standings. Medicine Hat is two points behind, Lethbridge is four points behind and Kootenay, seven.
"This weekend will be more important because they are all division games," said Cap. "This is where we can put some distance between us and these teams in the standings and gain ground on Red Deer. So, winning a few points this weekend is going to be huge. "
Email: [email protected]
On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest
Source link
