Short-staffed Kings earn weekend split

Tyler Lowey
Times Reporter

 

Burdened without their starting goalie, second leading scorer and top rookie, the Strathmore Wheatland Kings picked up a momentum-saving 5-2 win over the High River Flyers Nov. 26 at the Strathmore Family Centre.
“That was a huge win for us. The guys quickly forgot about the game in Okotoks and were ready to go from the drop of the puck. Every point helps,” said Kings head coach Shadoe Stoodley.
Now into the second half of the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) season, the Kings looked to keep their strong play going following a sweep last weekend of the number two and three ranked teams. The Kings entered the game five points ahead of the Flyers (6-15-0) for the final playoff spot in the south conference.
Matt Thomson led the way offensively as the Kings built their cushion on the edge of the playoff picture.
For Thomson, it was his second hat-trick of the season. He recorded one Oct. 14 against the Airdrie Techmation Thunder.
Kody Briggs smacked Nolan Lightning inadvertently in the face with a high stick in the Kings’ zone and was issued a four-minute minor. That high stick set the tone for the game and allowed Thomson to take over.
Walking along the blue line, sidestepping a pair of poke-checks, Thomson unleashed a blistering snapshot, beating Flyers netminder Bryce Shegelski. Laval Jerry and Brooker Pretty Youngman picked up assists on the power play marker 7:39 into the first.
“We have told him, anytime he thinks he can get a shot off, take it. He has an NHL-caliber shot, so use it,” said Stoodley.
Zachary Meadows won the opening faceoff to start the second period back to defenseman Hayden Vanderploeg, who opted to drive wide instead of dumping it in. From behind the Flyers net, Vanderploeg spotted Thomson open to the right of the net and he wasted no time blasting it past Shegelski 25 seconds into the frame.
He completed the hat trick on a two-on-one rush with Meadows in the third period, when he elected to shoot from the hash marks, burning Shegelski for a third time.
“There was no way I was passing, he missed a chance that I set him up with earlier,” said Thomson. “Sometimes you got to get a little greedy to get those goals; thankfully the score and the stage of the game allowed me to do that.”
Thomson has organized a toy drive Dec. 10 when the Kings host the Okotoks Bisons. He is taking this opportunity to give back to the Ronald McDonald House, a place that helped him out when his daughter, Alora, was born last spring.
“It’s really been a night and day difference since he’s became a father. I coached against him when he was in midget and he used to be a guy that we could get under his skin and take bad penalties. While he still has flashes of that, he has a much better understanding of what he is doing out there,” said Stoodley.
Joining the dad club was George Montour, who now has a three-week old son and netted his second on the season on the power play from Vanderploeg and Pretty Youngman 2:48 into the second.
Nearly four minutes later, Kings captain Keenan Ogle came crashing down Broadway to jam home a Jaks Faris shot attempt for his first goal in three games.
The offensive outburst was more than welcome, considering the Kings were without Kristian Ayoungman who was away with the flu, and rookie winger Kody Hammond who is day-to-day with a lower body injury after blocking a shot in Okotoks.
Also absent was their regular puck stopper Brady Hoover, who was attending a family matter. Hoover has worked tirelessly for the Kings this season, facing an average of 37 shots per game. The Kings called upon rookie Pierre Wiederhold to step in.
Wiederhold was steady and reliable when necessary, stopping 43 shots for his first career HJHL win. It was the first win by a Kings goaltender not named Hoover.
“Feels nice to get this win and put it behind me, especially seeing as I know so many of these guys from Okotoks,” said Wiederhold, who noted he knew a few of the Flyers forwards from his time with the Okotoks midget AA Oilers last season.
“As a rookie, coming through for us, coming off the bench like that is a character thing to do,” said alternate captain Brenden Moore.
With Hoover in net, the Kings were badly outshot 51-29 in Okotoks the night prior, losing 6-2 at Murray Arena. With the win, the Bisons jump to 13-8-0, five points ahead of the Kings in third.
“It was a tough loss. It was a good game in the first, but then we got in penalty trouble as we tend to do sometimes,” said Moore.
Pretty Youngman netted his 10th and leads the Kings with 28 points, and Cole Busslinger chipped in with his seventh on the power play from Jerry and Moore.
The Kings start December with a home-and-home series with the Coaldale Copperheads (14-5-1). First, the Kings travel Dec. 3 to Coaldale Arena, before hosting the Copperheads Dec. 4 (2 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre. It will be the first time this season the two teams square off. Last season, the Kings went 2-1-1 against the Copperheads with a minus-3 goal differential.