Kings close out weekend with pair of wins

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Wheatland Kings are gaining ground, working their way back into this season, claiming a pair of wins on home ice over the course of the weekend.

The Kings took a 3-1 victory over the High River Flyers on Nov. 26 and followed it up with a 4-1 win against the Red Deer Vipers the next day. 

Doug Raycroft, head coach for the Kings, said he was pleased to see a four-point weekend squarely under their belts.

“Yesterday, we played a really good game, and today we were a little sloppy, but when somebody hits, sometimes the puck goes in the net and sometimes it doesn’t,” he said. “With our team, we have really been working on playing a strong 60-minute game, so we actually are happier with (Saturday’s) game more than today, but it’s important for us to get wins.”

Regarding the previous game against High River, Raycroft explained it was a tight game, with a solid display of defense, discipline and passing from the Kings. 

Adding to that, over the course of the game, the Kings were able to claim some power play goals, which solidified their lead enough to claim the win. 

Sunday, however, despite the victory, Raycroft said it was a bit of a different story. 

“We were not happy with our first period at all. It was 1-1 at the end of the first, (but) going into the second and the third, we picked up our game and we were a little bit better,” he said.

Currently the Wheatland Kings are also picking up the slack left behind by their two highest-scoring players, Kage Yellowfly and Philip Raycroft. 

Yellowfly did not play on Sunday (unspecified absence), and Philip Raycroft is out for several weeks with a shoulder injury.

“It’s hard because they are pretty good players … but it also gives opportunities to other guys, so that is what we are focussing on,” said Raycroft. “This weekend was a pretty good team effort, and people picked up the slack. We will just have to keep doing that until our guys get back.”

Yellowfly currently leads the team in goals scored, with nine goals and 10 assists to his name so far this season. Philip Raycroft follows immediately behind Yellowfly with six goals scored and eight assists under his belt.

The Wheatland Kings are scheduled to square off against the Cochrane Generals on Dec. 3 (8 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre, before heading on the road to take on the Sylvan Lake Wranglers the following day.