Kings split weekend opener

Times Reporter

 

After a tough loss to open the 2011-2012 campaign, the Wheatland Kings had to forget about the past and focus on the future.

The local Junior B team did exactly that when they won a thrilling 4-3 overtime game against the Coaldale Copperhead on Sept. 24 at the Strathmore Family Centre, a mere 24-hours after a lopsided 6-2 loss in Didsbury against the Mountainview Colts.

The Kings were battling the Colts neck-neck, before officiating changed the complexion of the game, and the Colts responded with four powerplay goals en route to the win. Wheatland used the motivation of playing their home opener next night to earn a split in their opening weekend.

“It was exciting, but it wasn’t quite the game that we would have liked to play, but (we’ll take it),” said head coach Doug Murphy after the home opener. “It’s coming together – you can see the speed, you can see the skill and the character hanging on until the end. 

“(You’re) seeing some of the maturity. There are guys here going into their fourth season and we’ve been in overtime before and we haven’t always been on the right end of it. Now, with the talent we’ve got and the maturity, these one-goal and tied games are not as daunting as they used to be.

“Two years ago (this game would have been), at best a tie but more likely a loss.”

Instead, veteran defenceman Graham Douglas joined the rush and unleashed a slapshot that found its way to the back of the net.

“It feels pretty good, especially the home opener,” said Hussar native Douglas after the game. “I wanted to get in the zone and I thought, ‘take the shot’ and it went in.”

While the Kings needed overtime to secure the two points, the game wouldn’t have gone past the third period if not for the outstanding goaltending of Richie Hubbell.

The second year King made a handful of jaw-dropping saves to secure the win.

“Richie stole that one for us,” said Murphy. “He was absolutely outstanding tonight and he gives us full value (every time he’s on the ice).”

Despite the barrage of shots against, the goaltender relished the role of stopping Coaldale.

“I felt the adrenaline from the home opener kind of helped pump me up for the game to play better,” said Hubbell. “The defence played really good – they made (them take) all the shots from the point so I could see them. There was not a lot of traffic and the defence made my life easier.”

However, things were a little more hectic on Friday night. The team was taken off of their game by shady officiating. 

“We had a dirty hit (against) our team – their guy wrecked our guy from behind, really dirty,” said Hubbell. “Then after, the guy shot the puck and I made the save, and their guy tackled me into the net. The puck never went in the net until after the whistle went, but he called it a goal.

“That lead to a line-brawl, which lead our whole team to lose its focus. That was the turning point and it went downhill from there.”

Despite the loss, the Kings turned thing around in time for the home opener.

The team will now head to Medicine Hat on Sept. 30 to tangle with the Cubs, before hosting the High River Flyers Oct. 1 at the Strathmore Family Centre. Game time is 8 p.m.