Oil Kings look to maintain momentum on the road
Four-game winning streak on the line when Edmonton faces Pats, Broncos
In a season of streaks for the Edmonton Oil Kings, the one they’re currently riding is the most impressive.
The Oil Kings are on a fourgame winning streak heading into Saskatchewan this weekend for encounters with the Regina Pats on Friday and Swift Current Broncos on Saturday.
The bulk of the streak was achieved when they swept three games in three days, which included a 16-hour road trip to Cranbrook, B.C., to faceoff against the Kootenay Ice.
After beating the Ice 7-2 last Friday, the Oil Kings rode the bus for eight hours before defeating the Saskatoon Blades 5-2 at home on Saturday, and then for good measure, beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-3, at home on Sunday.
“I think that was really impressive for our group. We took a lot of steps forward and we learned a lot about ourselves,” said Oil Kings forward Liam Keeler.
“Having to go through the adversity of a long travel day back from Cranbrook to play that night was really good for our team, and I think it’s going to be a good stepping stone for us going forward.”
Three games in three nights isn’t uncommon in the Western Hockey League, although it’s outlawed in the NHL. Adding 16 hours of travel, however, is almost unheard of.
“By all means, to win all three was awesome. Our guys gutted it out,” said Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer. “It’s a credit to our guys. They put the work in and they did the right things.”
The Oil Kings arrived in Edmonton early Saturday morning after defeating the Ice on Friday. Some players went straight to bed after the long journey, while others went for breakfast.
“I got back from the bus and I went home, but my dad was actually awake, so I had a 6 a.m. breakfast with him,” Keeler said. “I just had a quick breakfast, talked to him a little bit, and went to bed. I woke up around 12:30 p.m., got moving and got ready for the game.”
Surprisingly, it was the Oil Kings who had all the energy on Saturday against Saskatoon, who bused in from Red Deer the night before.
Edmonton out-shot Saskatoon 22-9 in the first period, holding a 20-2 advantage at one point. They finished with a 45-25 shot advantage in the victory.
“We had a really good start to that game and had four shots on the first shift,” Keeler said. “I think we just had that energy that we really needed. We were all up from that great game in Kootenay, and we just wanted to carry that over. I think when you have a really great game like that, you’re itching to get back going.”
Moving on to this weekend, the Oil Kings want to maintain their moment, knowing how quickly things can change. Edmonton began the year by winning five straight before losing their next eight. Their current win streak followed the losing skid.
“We’re pretty confident, winning four in a row, and going into this weekend, we feel we can go in there get two wins,” said Oil Kings forward David Kope. “It’s not going to be easy though. Everyone knows ( both of our opponents are) going through a little bit of a rebuild, but you can’t underestimate anybody in this league. Last year we were always underestimated and we were able to beat some high-end teams. We know being underestimated adds a little fuel to the fire.”
After being one of the elite teams in the league the past two seasons, Regina and Swift Current are facing tough times.
“We definitely can’t take them for granted,” Keeler said. “We know when we were a team in that kind of situation, and when we played one of the better teams, we were ready to go. They do have a lot of skill and they’re just kind of finding their way, so we need to come out and play the same way we did this last weekend.”
Regina sits 11th in the WHL Eastern Conference standings with a 4-11-0 record after hosting the Memorial Cup last season and making it to the league final the previous year.
Swift Current is last in the Eastern Conference with a 1-14-1 record after winning the WHL title last year and also taking part in the Memorial Cup.
“They may have had their struggles at the start of the year, but both teams work extremely hard,” Lauer said. “To me, hard work will beat talent every time if talent doesn’t work, as the old saying goes. We have to be ready to go. ”
Loose pucks: Oil Kings forward Jake Neighbours was named WHL Rookie of the Month for September and October. Neighbours had 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 17 games.