Kings coaching staff like the team’s resiliency

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Wheatland Kings are seeing more resiliency from their players to have the ability to come back in hockey games lately.
In Three Hills on Friday night, the Kings were down 3-0 but were able to get a couple quick goals to make it a game, but lost 3-2.
Assistant coach Joel Robinson applauded the team for not giving up but he admits the slow start cost them.
“The game against Three Hills on Friday night was more or less playing 20 minutes of good hockey and 40 minutes of it was questionable and not necessarily Kings hockey,” said Robinson. “That’s something we’ve been preaching to the guys lately is that when we play the way we can that we’re a team that no one in our league can skate with or even compete with us.
“At times we’re beating ourselves because of the fact that we’re letting teams like Three Hills get three quick ones in the second period and then in the third we responded finally, sometimes it’s just a little too late.”
Kirby Ruzesky and Brayden Beckeley scored for the Kings in the loss.
Robinson does admit though that the team has shown a lot of character in the last few games and showing signs of getting better in every aspect in their play.
“You look at our penalties to start the year, we were one of the most penalized teams. I think if you look in the last five to seven games, we’ve been trying to stay out of the box and we’ve been more discipline,” he said. “I know that’s been a big part of us winning and we’ve gotten 10 out of the last 14 points. I mean we’re doing things right but it’s just we’ve got to get on a little bit of a role.”
On Saturday night at home against Medicine Hat, the Kings had a lot of positives to take out of the game, as they gave up the first goal but were able to storm back with six unanswered to beat the Cubs 6-1.
“So it shows you, that they did get the first quick one but we battled back and we showed them ‘no, we’re going to dictate this game’ and this is Kings hockey,” said Robinson.
Some players are consistently finding themselves on the scoresheet and as a result, line-mates are producing, too.
“It’s a good thing, especially a guy like Cody Willis, he kind of went on a little bit of a drought there, he scores a goal last weekend and then (versus Medicine Hat) he had two goals and two or three crossbars,” said Robinson. “So in a sense a guy like Cody, he’s starting to really take that stride. We need him to and he has to get better every game now.”
Ruzesky and Willis each scored twice, while Lucas Jones and Calvin Gordon also scored in the win.
“I think as a unit we only had four goals scored against us this weekend,” said Robinson. “(We’re) one of the teams with the highest goals for in the league, but worst goals against. In our last seven games if you look at it, we’ve only had I think less than two or three goals scored against us.”
The Kings will host the Mountainview Colts on Friday, Nov. 14 (8 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre before heading on the road the following day to take on the Coaldale Copperheads (at 8:30 p.m.).