Christmas break benefits Kings
Mario Prusina
Times Editor
Right before the Christmas break, the Wheatland Kings ended a six-game losing streak by winning a pair of games before the holidays.
Some time away from the rink allowed the team to spend time with their families and get rejuvenated for the second half of the hockey season.
It also allowed them to get healthy for the first time in a long time.
“We were pretty beat up and the coaching staff was weary (before the holiday),” joked Kings head coach Doug Murphy. “It was good that everyone got an opportunity to rest and watch some World Junior.
“The only player not to give us a doctor’s clearance is Ty Goodeagle – he says he’s ready to play, but we want to make sure that the doctor says he’s ready to play too.
“Overall, Santa was very good to us.”
Not only are the Kings healthy, but they received some great news right before Christmas. Ross Fox, who went to post secondary in Lethbridge, transferred to Mount Royal, which means the star forward from last season is back in the fold.
During the 2010-2011 season, Fox had 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points in 25 games.
“He has a really good scoring touch and he has incredible vision on the ice,” said Murphy of Fox. “He’s an incredible talent and he also has some size too, which doesn’t hurt.”
Fox made an immediate impact on his return this past weekend, when the Kings defeated the Banff Bears 9-2 on Jan. 6, before losing a close 5-3 battle to Airdrie the following night at the Strathmore Family Centre.
Fox chipped in with five points in his opening weekend, finding instant chemistry with forward Andrew Bergmann.
The Kings started 2012 off with a bang, going into Banff and hammering the Bears.
“We kind of got our legs back under us and it was very nice to be playing with a full team,” chuckled Murphy. “We just completely dominated it – if the guys hadn’t of backed off, it easily been double that (9-2 score). It was a great way to start the New Year.”
The following day, the Kings played a very close game with the always-tough Airdrie Thunder, losing by a pair of goals, including an empty netter.
“It was a game we definitely played well enough to win,” said the coach. “It was closer than what the score itself shows. We played really well defensively and offensively, but their goaltender in the last 10 minutes made some all-world saves. We hit a crossbar, we hit a post – that’s (the way it goes) sometimes.”
The Kings will now hit the road for games against a pair of upper-echelon teams this coming weekend. Wheatland will travel to Red Deer on Jan. 14 (8 p.m.) before facing Okotoks the following day at 1:15 p.m.
The Kings next home game is Jan. 21 (8 p.m.) when they host Medicine Hat.