KINGS SWEEP INTO TIE FOR TOP SPOT IN CONFERENCE
Victories over Brantford, Guelph and Cambridge come courtesy of the compete level coach Ty Canal wants to see consistently as the regular season rolls over into the playoffs
AFTER THREE WINS THIS weekend, the Elmira Sugar Kings are tied for first place in the Midwestern Conference. Their 67 points (33-91) equal Listowel’s.
With just seven games left in the regular season, head coach Ty Canal hopes to see his team keep that pace.
“If we can keep going like we did this weekend, we will be getting a lot closer to how we think we can play in the playoffs,” he said. “It is just trying to make sure that all the guys are on the same page with how we want to play and the type of game we want to play. We also have to make sure that all the guys are healthy, and ready for that time period.”
The Kings’ winning weekend started in Brantford against the 99ers on Thursday night. The game got off to a strong start for the team, with two goals from Ethan Skinner and Jake Brown. In the second period, the guys let the foot off the gas, allowing Brantford to take the lead with three unanswered goals. The boys staged a comeback in the third with goals from Jeff Jordan and Klayton Hoelscher, ending the game 4-3.
“We came out of the gate pretty strong, got off to a pretty good start. Then, the compete level started to get shaded,” said Canal. “Guys tried to do too much, instead of playing the same way we did in the first period. Brantford came out strong in the second period, they got some goals and picked up some momentum and they had those three goals. We were just giving up the scoring chances and we took some penalties in there too. Then, the guys were able to settle it down in the third, and play a bit better and come out with the win.”
After a day off, the Kings made their way to Guelph Saturday to take on the Hurricanes. Skinner earned himself a hat trick, with a fourth goal from Zack Cameron. Guelph couldn’t get the puck past Elmira’s Jonathan Reinhart, ending the game 4-0.
Canal says the game was a good example of the guys bringing what they learned in practice to the ice.
“We took a few too many penalties, but we cleared the d-zone quite well. I thought we kept to the game plan. It was a lot better than Thursday,” he said. “The third period was really strong for us, and we didn’t give up that many shots or scoring chances. The guys shuttled in and played really well defensively.”
The Kings came back home on Sunday afternoon for a matinee match-up with the Cambridge Winter Hawks. After playing on Cambridge’s heels for the
first period, Canal says the guys got together and really showed up for the last 40 minutes of the game.
“Cambridge was coming from a few days off. We had just had those two road games, and we gave up too many shots in the first. Then, the guys settled in. That is the big thing we wanted in the second and third period – to spend as little time in our end as possible, and that is what we did,” he said. “There were those two quick goals and we worked hard for those. We had to get to the right spot, we had to create contact, so it was nice to see that the guys stepped up for the second. They played more of our style that we want to play to try and limit the scoring chances, which I thought we did pretty well on.”
Cambridge scored first, with a goal from Corson Searles on the power play. Elmira’s Brown was quick to respond with a marker of his own less than a minute later. In the second period, Skinner and Ty Biles both scored short-handed in less than a minute. Quinten Bruce scored Elmira’s fourth of the afternoon 10 minutes into the third period, giving a final score of 4-1.
Canal says the game play last weekend was something he expects to see more of from the Kings.
“I think it is just going to be about taking some momentum from this weekend, especially with our defensive zone, and limiting scoring chances,” he said. “When we aren’t chasing the puck, controlling what we can and not trying to do too much, that is when we are playing good hockey. When we play like that I think we create a lot too. We just have to make sure that the guys are aware of that.”
The Kings will be visiting Brampton on Feb. 10 for an 8:30 p.m. start before returning back home on Feb. 12 to face the Listowel Cyclones. The team will also be playing an unusual midweek game against Kitchener on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in Kitchener.