OIL KINGS REASSERT DOMINANCE IN WHL’S BATTLE OF ALBERTA
If familiarity indeed breeds contempt, then the Edmonton Oil Kings and Calgary Hitmen needed no introductions when they returned from the Christmas break on Friday.
Nor would they want any. After all, it was the third time this month for the Western Hockey League’s Battle of Alberta, with each side coming in having earned an overtime victory against the other.
But no extra time was needed Friday as the Oil Kings rode some secondary scoring to a 7-3 win at Rogers Place, while making the switch back to their traditional — yet seasonal — red and white uniforms.
Edmonton now holds a 3-0-1-0 advantage over Calgary in their eight-game season series after taking seven of a possible eight points.
Oil Kings goalie Dylan Myskiw stopped 29 of 32 shots in the victory, while Hitmen goalie Jack McNaughton made 31 saves in the loss, as the Oil Kings continue their dominance of Central Division foes with a 13-1-3 record.
GOING STREAKING
The two Alberta clubs both have been on a roll of late, with the Oil Kings having earned points in seven of their last eight games, going 5-1-2-0. The Hitmen, meanwhile, had lost only three times in their previous 14 games heading into the break, having gone 9-3-1-1 to climb back into the top 10 of the Eastern Conference standings.
However, they have now suffered three straight losses.
THE GIFT OF HEALTH
The Oil Kings welcomed back their team-leading scorer in Trey Fix-Wolansky, who missed the two games prior to the break due to illness. The 19-year-old Edmontonian came into Friday’s contest just one point back of Portland Winterhawks’ Joachim Blichfeld in the WHL scoring race.
Fix-Wolansky made up the difference with an assist, pushing his scoring streak to 11 games with eight goals and 19 points.
In fact, he’s gone pointless in only four games this season prior to Friday.
Quinn Benjafield remained out Friday with an injury, while Will Warm is expected to return to the lineup in a week’s time.
GIFT WRAP(AROUND)
The best opportunity of a scoreless first period came when goalie McNaughton unintentionally did his best impression of ol’ Saint Nick, stopping the puck behind his net before realizing the closest skater was Oil Kings forward Brett Kemp.
In a race to the front of the net, the goalie went one way and Kemp went the other, just missing on a wraparound attempt that slid harmlessly through the crease.
“Everyone’s just trying to play a simple game coming back off the break,” Fix-Wolansky told TSN 1260 in the first intermission. “I think you’ve just got to get your legs back under you and get a feel for the puck.”
SCORCHING SECOND
Edmonton cranked up the offence beginning with a 1-0 lead 1:58 into the second period when Vladimir Alistrov deked his way onto the scoresheet in his first game back from injury.
Zach Russel followed up just 10 seconds later by batting the puck out of mid-air off a faceoff in Calgary’s zone for his first goal as a member of the Oil Kings.
He was assisted by Andrej Pavlenko, and returned the favour on a Pavlenko goal exactly five minutes later.
Edmonton also got goals from Andrew Fyten — the overtime hero the last time these two teams met — Wyatt McLeod and Aidan Lawson, who scored his first WHL goal with a long wrist shot from the blue line that left McNaughton breaking his stick in frustration.
Calgary finally got on the board at the 10:30 mark of the second period, getting a goal from Carson Focht while enjoying a two-man advantage.
Mark Kastelic also scored for Calgary with just 34 seconds left in a frame that saw eight combined goals before batting a midair goal of his own on a power play in the third.
Ethan Cap closed out the scoring with a one-timer in the game’s dying seconds.
TURKEY LEGS
As well-deserved as the break
Everyone’s just trying to play a simple game coming back off the break. I think you’ve just got to get your legs back under you and get a feel for the puck.
was for the Oil Kings, they had to make sure they didn’t relax so much they couldn’t crank things back up in a hurry.
After all, there’s no easing back into the schedule, given they’ll play three games in three days, and four in five days, by the time they turn the calendar to 2019.
“The schedule doesn’t do us any favours,” said assistant coach Luke Pierce, adding everyone needed to get away for a stretch. “They’ve got to go and enjoy it. It’s a taxing time for everybody, I think, staff included.”
The Oil Kings are on the road Saturday to open a home-andaway series against the Red Deer Rebels, returning to Rogers Place on Sunday (4 p.m., TSN 1260).
They’ll open 2019 with a New Year’s Day game against the visiting Vancouver Giants (2 p.m., 1260), who are also in Calgary on Sunday.