Special teams spoil Kings home opener

By Mario Prusina, Times Editor

Five on five, the Wheatland Kings went toe to toe with the Okotoks Bisons.
However, special teams proved to be the downfall for the local Junior B hockey team, which fell 6-1 in their home opener on Sept. 21 at the Strathmore Family Centre.
The Kings went 1-11 on the power play – scoring their lone marker on a five-on-three advantage – while allowing three goals against on five shorthanded opportunities.
With numbers like that, it’s easy to spot where the game was lost.
“Honestly, I think five-on-five we can take these guys all day long – it’s just a matter of staying out of the box,” said Kings assistant coach Ron West. “The battle and compete level is good, but the bottom line is stay out of the box. We gave up (too many) power play goals and we need to stop that. That will stop.
“We have a big weekend next week – three games – and we’ll knock it out then … when you lose the first one with that kind of number, you want back (on the ice) as fast as possible.”
Trailing 3-0 early in the third period, the Kings scored their first goal of the season, when Lucas Muenchrath and Adrian Kusu teamed up to find Kody Hammond on the power play. Unfortunately, any momentum gained was squashed 59 seconds later, as the Bisons restored their three-goal lead. The Bisons scored twice late in the game to cement the win.
Despite the result, the Kings are optimistic for the upcoming season. They are a young team built on speed and work ethic. Those strengths can be utilized on the bigger Olympic-size ice surface at the Strathmore Family Centre.
“We just have to (use our home ice) to our advantage. It’s a big ice and when we have the big ice, we have to dominate,” said West. “We can outskate them; we know what we’re doing on the big ice where other (teams) don’t because they are used to the small ice. We know how to dump and chase a little bit better, know how to beat them through the middle and control the centre.”
The Kings will now prepare for a huge weekend, as they host three games in three days, starting with a home game versus Lomond on Friday, Sept. 27 (8 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre. The Kings will then host High River on Sept. 28 (8 p.m.), before returning the next day to host Coaldale at 4:15 p.m.