OIL KINGS PREPARE TO RENEW HOSTILITIES WITH MEDICINE HAT
The Edmonton Oil Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers left a few lingering battle scars on each other during a bruising six-game Western Hockey League playoff series this past spring.
On Friday, the two teams will renew the rivalry from the top of the Central Division standings as the Oil Kings host the Tigers (7 p.m.) at Rogers Place.
The game is the biggest to date for the Oil Kings, going up against an opponent they’ll likely battle with for the rest of the season in the race for top spot in the division.
“I think there are a lot of similarities between the two clubs,” said Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer. “Offensively, they have a lot of guys that can put the puck in the net. They’re solid in goal and I think we’ve all talked about how good our division is this year with Calgary, them and Lethbridge.”
The Oil Kings eliminated the Tigers in the first round of last year’s playoffs, taking the series in six games. They went on to sweep the Calgary Hitmen before falling to the eventual champion Prince Albert Raiders in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Oil Kings are off to an
8-1-3 start this season and lead the Central Division, two points up on the Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes. The Tigers are off to an 8-3-1 start this season.
“They’re a good team, they’re built real well and they are nipping at our heels right now,” said Oil Kings forward Josh Williams, who was acquired from Medicine Hat last season. “They are playing good hockey just like we are. Playing in Medicine Hat my first year and a half in the league, it’s always a little extra motivation for me and it should be a good game on Friday.”
Williams, 18, is having an outstanding season for the Oil Kings. He has five goals and 13 points in 12 games and is second in team scoring behind Riley Sawchuk, who has six goals and 14 points.
The Oil Kings are currently on an eight-game undefeated streak and have been off for a week after beating the Red Deer Rebels 5-1 last Friday.
They go into the contest well rested and playing their best hockey of the season.
“I think we’re clicking right now, we’re starting to figure some stuff out,” Williams said. “I think earlier in the year, defensively, we weren’t great. I think we’re starting to figure that out, and offensively, it’s been staying the same. I think once we figure out how to play well in our own zone, I think our offence will come even more.”
The only regulation defeat for the Oil Kings this season came to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in their fourth game of the year. Since then, the Oil Kings have managed at least a point in eight straight games.
“Our team game is much better than it was at the start,” Lauer said. “I thought our team game at the beginning of the year was a little bit loose and our structure wasn’t there and it’s better the last six, seven games.”
The Tigers have been getting
A lot of similarities between the two clubs. Offensively, they have a lot of guys that can put the puck in the net.
the job done at both ends of the ice this season. They have scored a league-high 50 goals through their first 12 games and have only conceded 27.
Goaltender Mads Sogaard is having a strong season, posting a 5-3-1 record with a 2.36 goalsagainst average and .917 save percentage. Rookie goaltender Garin Bjoklund is also off to a good start this season.
“Mads is a good goalie,” Williams said.
“You have to get traffic in front of him, make his life as hard as possible because if he’s going to see it he’s probably going to save it.”
The encounter Friday is the first of six meetings between the teams this season.
Each game could be a preview of what may be to come in the playoffs. The road to the WHL title appears as though it will have to go through either the Gas City or the city formerly known as the City of Champions.