SCRUTINY BETWEEN THE PIPES
Oil Kings evaluate their goalies
The Edmonton Oil Kings are searching for their next monster in goal for the 2015-16 Western Hockey League season and fivefoot-eleven Patrick Dea is making a strong push for the starting role.
Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton remained quiet during the week about which goalie would start against the defending WHL champion Kelowna Rockets on Friday at Rexall Place. But it was ultimately Dea with his skates planted in the Oil Kings crease.
The game ended in a 5-3 loss for the Oil Kings, with the Rockets’ final goal scored on an empty net. Dea stopped 38 of 42 Rockets shots for his part in the Oil Kings’ third straight loss.
“I’m just doing my thing and seeing how many starts I can get, trying to earn my role,” Dea said before the game. “If I can, (I want to) keep going and keep playing strong."
Dea put together a spectacular performance between the pipes on Sept. 27 in a losing effort against the Red Deer Rebels, stopping a career-high 39 shots. He kept the Oil Kings in that game early, turning aside all 19 shots he faced in the opening period.
“He’s a competitive guy, who finds a way to be really successful,” Hamilton said. “I’m not surprised, in the least, that he gave us that kind of a start. I know he’s hungry to play as much as he possibly can.”
On Friday, Dea made a trio of saves from in-close on an early Rockets power play in the first period and then bailed centre Lane Bauer out of an ill-advised pass in front of the Oil Kings net.
Later, Rockets left-winger Tanner Wishnowski intercepted a pass at his own blue line, creating a breakaway, deking in on goal and finishing with a wrist shot that dribbled just wide after Dea got a piece of it.
The battle for the Oil Kings crease is well-matched: Alec Dillon is a Los Angeles Kings draft pick who recently returned from his first NHL training camp and Dea served last season as backup to Tristan Jarry, now a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect.
“Last year was a learning curve for me, coming into the league from midget,” Dea said. “The speed of the game was different, the shots were faster. I had to adapt and Tristan helped me a lot last year.”
“One thing I can say about Patty is he’s excelled at every level that he’s ever played at,” Hamilton added. “He’s always been right up there amongst the league leaders, whether it’s bantam or minor midget. In major midget he was an all star.”
Dea has pushed along his hockey career quite nicely since his time in bantam triple-A with his hometown St. Albert Sabres. He had an outstanding 2013-14 season with the St. Albert Raiders of the AMHL, posting a 1.97 goals against average and .941 save percentage.
He is currently the favourite to take control of the Oil Kings’ net.
“I’ve been playing goal since I was about five,” Dea said. “I’ve faced a lot of pucks. I’ve had to work hard throughout it.”
I’m just doing my thing and seeing how many starts I can get, trying to earn my role.