Kings sweep Banff; battle Cochrane in Round 2

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

Doug Taylor Photo

 

For the second consecutive year the Wheatland Kings are moving on to the second round of the playoffs after beating the Banff Bears 4-3 at the Strathmore Family Centre on Feb. 12, sweeping the series 2-0 and earning themselves a date with the number one-ranked Cochrane Generals.
The first period saw Banff execute as they got out to a 2-0 lead, while the second period was a back and forth affair, before the Kings were able find their groove in the third period.
Kings head Coach Emilio Fuoco said he credited his team for using their speed and intensity effectively against a Banff team who didn’t quit.
“We knew after the last game we played them, we peppered them with shots,” said Fuoco. “Once we got our speed going through the neutral zone, they couldn’t keep up with it. That’s what the difference was, get speed through the neutral zone, put some pucks to the net and go for the rebounds.”
Fuoco said for the boys to come back on Banff was nothing new for the team as they had done it a few times throughout the course of the season.
“This is just a little bit of a warm up for us of knowing what it feels like,” said Fuoco. “It feels good. Now the real stuff starts.”
Brooker Pretty Youngman broke the tie at the 4:47 mark of the third to propel his team to the second round.
“I loved the feeling of the hearing the crowd go nuts,” said Pretty Youngman. “(Tyler) Rivest went down low, I knew he was going to cycle, so I followed and there was only one defenseman in front of the net and I had seen an opening.”
Zachary Meadows, Chris Williams and Kristian Ayoungman notched the other goals in the win.
In the 7-5 Game 1 win on Feb. 10, both teams were tied after one before the Kings were able to open it up, outscoring the Bears 5-2 in the middle frame. They picked up where they left off after the second intermission, adding one early in the third period before letting Banff score two more, but that’s as close as it got.
Pretty Youngman and Jacen Bracko led the way with two goals apiece while Blake Bishop, Jayden Smith and Cole Busslinger supplied one goal each.
Second round’s Game 1 happened on Feb. 16 in Cochrane, while the Kings will host Game 2 on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m., Game 4 on Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. and if necessary Game 6 on Feb. 26 at 8 p.m.