Kings inconsistent against tough opponents

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Wheatland Kings have played an awful lot of hockey in the last week and were exhausted after playing three game in four nights this past weekend; it showed with the inconsistent play that would ultimately cost them.
The team was shelled 6-0 by Three Hills on Oct. 9, 9-3 at home to the Cochrane Generals the following day and 5-4 in overtime to Coaldale on Thanksgiving Day.
Co-coach Emilio Fuoco still thinks the players are not quite clicking at the same pace just yet.
“It’s a little bit of the veterans trying to understand how I’d like to get them to play,” said Fouco.
“It’s a little bit different than they are used to. The young guys are trying to get used to the speed and the strength. The maturity between a 17 and 20-year-old is huge and right now it’s not one particular thing, it’s a matter of getting their feet set underneath them.”
Fouco added he’d rather use the bundle of games now as learning tool as opposed to later in the season when the points become a little more crucial, and thinks it was a combination of things that led to defeats.
“It’s an emotional game,” said Fuoco. “If a couple of bounces don’t go our way, sometimes it’s a snowball down the hill and you’ve got this monster avalanche which should’ve never happened. We’re a much better hockey club than the scores indicated.”
Ryan Grasdahl, Jacen Bracko and Lucas Jones scored against Cochrane.
It was Bracko, Chris Williams, Blake Bishop and Brooked Pretty Youngman who scored in the overtime loss to Coaldale.
The Kings will be back in action on Oct. 17 as they will be in Stettler at 7:30 p.m., and will be back at home to host the Red Deer Vipers on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.