Coaldale gets revenge against Wheatland Kings

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

The junior B Wheatland Kings suffered a heavy defeat 10-3 against the Coaldale Copperheads on Nov. 10 in Coaldale.
The Kings had beaten the Copperheads the week before by a score of 6-3 but struggled to recreate that success.
“It was just one of those nights where everything just seemed to not be clicking,” said Wheatland Kings Head Coach Joel Robinson. “Whether it be goaltending, getting the puck out of our zone or coming back into the d-zone to pick up the high forward.”
The shots were almost even in the first period but the Kings couldn’t find the back of the net. The Copperheads fired in three goals putting the Kings on their heels early. Kings player Cole Busslinger scored 35 seconds into the second period to breathe life into his club but it didn’t last long. The Copperheads put another three in the net before the halfway mark of the second, making a comeback unlikely.
Zachary Suntjens tailled a power play marker from Garret Vander Ploeg with just under five minutes remaining in the second, but the Copperheads added another one with 11 seconds remaining. Rylee Hebert added the final Kings goal in the third as the club skated to a disappointing final result.
“The guys definitely did not have fun and like I said it’s embarrassing,” said Robinson.
The Kings head coach believes his players will use the big loss as motivation going into the next few games and turn what was a negative into a positive.
The Kings now sit in fourth place in the southern division with an 8-6-1 record. They won’t have to wait too long for a chance to get back into the win column with a busy week ahead. They will play three straight road games starting Nov. 13 against the Three Hills Thrashers. After that they take a trip to Claresholm on Nov. 17 to play the Lomond Lakers before returning to Coaldale on Nov. 18.
“Coaldale’s just another bump in the road and we got them on Sunday so we can get redemption,” said Robinson.