Kings in tight against visiting Brampton
The weekend’s other game postponed due to weather, Elmira was ready and waiting at the WMC Sunday night
FRIDAY NIGHT’S WEATHER HAVING wrought havoc on traffic and hockey, the Elmira Sugar Kings found themselves with just one weekend game. A trip to Stratford scratched, they were well rested for what would be a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the visiting Brampton Bombers Sunday night.
It was a nail-biting affair as the two teams spent much of the time deadlocked. Even when the Sugar Kings pulled ahead in that final period, things got no easier.
The opening frame saw nothing in the way of goals scored, but a bit of loose play on the part of the Kings gave Brampton a penalty shot just five-anda-half minutes in. The shot was taken by Ivan Brewer, and could very easily have cost Elmira the game if not for the goaltending of Tyler Mazzocato.
The keeper denied Brewer, sending both teams into intermission with an uneasy 0-0 between them.
“Tyler [Mazzocato] has been playing a lot better for us. He’s a lot more calm and solidified in the net for us. It’s been excellent to see,” said head coach Trent Brown.
It was in the second frame that the scoreboard saw some movement. Elmira’s Ethan Skinner would get thing rolling with the first goal of the match about midway through the second. Picking up the assist were Braydon Munn and newcomer forward Marcel Berube in what was his first game with the Kings.
Also sporting the Sugar Kings colours for the first time was defenseman Damian Figueira. Both were acquired by the Kings just before the trade deadline last week.
“I think it went pretty well,” said Figueria, just after the game. “A little turnover in the first period, but I just stuck with my game and started to get better throughout the game.”
Brown noted the two will need some time to come into their own with the team.
“I think for those guys ... there’s going to be an adjustment period. There’s going to be a little bit of feeling out between linemates, teammates, new town, new league – all of those things,” he said.
With one up on the board at 10:36, the Kings were finally on top. They had maybe a good five minutes to savour the moment, however, as the Bombers hit back with a power play marker. Once again, both teams were tied, heading off into the second intermission at 1-1.
With the final 20 minutes to go, the game was inevitably played down to the wire as both teams fought for the crucial advantage. The Kings hammered at the opposition, shot after shot, until the biscuit finally squeaked in at 9:45. It was Ethan Wiseman who lodged the game-winning goal into the back of the Bombers’ net, with Munn and Skinner picking up assists.
Having taken the lead, the Kings were determined to keep it. Brampton wasn’t keen on that idea, bringing it to the home team as time ran down. The final push came with a minute left as the Bombers took advantage of an offensive zone faceoff to pull their goalie in favour of an extra attacker. That wasn’t enough, however, as the Kings were able to sweep the puck out of their zone again and again despite the Bombers’ best effort.
The 2-1 lead held through the final buzzer.
“It was a good game. Good win, but we got to be better,” said Figueria.
With their victory on Sunday, the Kings are on a five-game winning streak.
Every win counts now as the Kings (16-18-0-2) hold the third-place position in the GOJHL’s Midwestern Conference, just a hair’s breadth in front of the fourth-place Waterloo Siskins (19-13-1-3). A fair distance ahead of the Kings in second place is Stratford (26-8-1-1), followed by Listowel (31-5-0-1) in first.
“I think we’re starting to play the way we need to to win games, and put ourselves in a position to win games. We have a lot of speed. We have a lot of skill. But when those two don’t mesh and we can’t play the way we want to, then that’s when we’re struggling with getting those results that we want,” said Brown.
Coming up this week, the Kings will play host to the Listowel Cyclones in a Sunday matinee for charity that’s sure to be a difficult scrap. On Tuesday, the Sugar Kings will head over to the Kitchener Kinsmen Arena for an evening game against the Dutchmen.
A rescheduled match against the Warriors will see the Kings in Stratford on Wednesday.