GDB #64 @ Kootenay

Oil Kings (63 41-15-3-4) vs Ice (63 34-21-4-4)

The Oil Kings hit the road for a single game in Cranbrook when they face the defending WHL Champion Kootenay Ice tonight.  The Kings have won back to back games after knocking off the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon.  They roared out to a 3-0 lead in the first ten and a half minutes, with a pair of  Mitch Moroz goals and a Tyler Maxwell powerplay marker.  It seemed the Kings then backed off a bit, and the Hurricanes found their legs to keep it tight the rest of the way until Stephane Legault sealed it with an empty netter.


The Ice are back home after a four game road trip out east.  They picked up bookend wins in Brandon and Prince Albert.  They fell behind the Raiders 3-1 in the the first, but Max Reinhart led the rally recording a pair of goals and two assists.  Reinhart tied the game on a penalty shot in the third period and set up his brother Sam for the winner 19 seconds into overtime.

Photo: Edmonton Oil Kings

Season Series:  Edmonton has had success against the Ice this year, winning all four previous matchups.  They knocked off the Ice 2-1 in a shootout in their first game and followed that up with 6-1, 3-2 (overtime) and 3-1 victories.  The teams play one final time in the regular season on March 14 in Cranbrook.

Up Next: The Oil Kings return home for three games, beginning on Saturday when they host the Swift Current Broncos.  Saskatoon visits Sunday, the Moose Jaw Warriors are in town on Wednesday for a showdown for top spot in the Eastern Conference.  The Ice open a two game home stand tonight.  They face Calgary on Saturday.

Stretch Drive:  The Kings have eight games left after tonight.  Four at home (Swift Current, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Red Deer), and four on the road (Red Deer, Kootenay, Medicine Hat, Red Deer).  The Kings have clinched a playoff spot and lead the Eastern Conference by four points over Moose Jaw.  They lead the Central Division by eight points over Medicine Hat.  

The Ice have eight games left after tonight.  Four at home (Calgary, Medicine Hat, Edmonton, Calgary), and four on the road (Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Spokane, Calgary).  The Ice are fifth in the Eastern Conference with 76 points.  They trail Calgary by one point for 4th, and lead Saskatoon by two for 5th.

Leaders:

Goals- EDM- Michael St. Croix (39)
KTN- Max Reinhart, Sam Reinhart (26)

Points- EDM- St. Croix (95)
KTN- Max Reinhart (70)

Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (35)
KTN- Nathan Lieuwen (25)

PIMS- EDM- Keegan Lowe (129)
KTN- Jesse Ismond (93)

Photo: Edmonton Oil Kings

Drafted:

EDM- Mark Pysyk-Buffalo Sabres (1st Round, 2010), Kristians Pelss- Edmonton Oilers (7th, 2010), Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011)

KTY-  Max Reinhart- Flames (3rd, 2010), Joey Leach- Flames (3rd, 2010), Drew Czerwonka- Oilers (6th, 2010), Nathan Lieuwen- Sabres (6th, 2011).

Injury Report:

EDM: #22, Ryan Dech, Lower body,  day to day

KTY:  #6, Luke Paulsen, Upper body, day to day
#19, Drew Czerwonka, Lower body, 3-5 weeks

Photo: Edmonton Oil Kings

Notes: Oil Kings forward Michael St. Croix is 8th in league scoring (95), Dylan Wruck is tied in 14th (75). Defenceman Martin Gernat is 8th in rookie scoring (47) and he is 8th in scoring amongst defencemen.  Oil Kings netminder Laurent Brossoit is 3rd in GAA (2.51), and is tied for 2nd in wins (35).  For Kootenay, Sam Reinhart is 3rd in rookie scoring (57).  Joey Leach is tied for 18th in scoring amongst defencemen (38).  Nathan Lieuwen leads the WHL in GAA (2.39), he is third in save percentage (.918).  This is the fifth of six meetings between the two clubs this year. Pregame show at 6:45, the puck drops at 7:00 on the Team 1260.

Weekly Review #20

Review: The Oil Kings picked up four of six points last week.  They opened with a disapponting loss to the Kelowna Rockets, 6-4 at Rexall Place.  For the third straight game the Kings pulled their goalie in the loss.  They rallied back for a win, 4-1 over Calgary in a very tight game.  They scored a pair of empty netters in the victory.  The week wrapped up with an uneven 4-1 win over Lethbridge on Sunday afternoon.  The biggest news over the week was the return of Travis Ewanyk to the lineup.  Ewanyk had missed the entire season after undergoing off season shoulder surgery. 

Wednesday Feb. 22- Loss 6-4 vs Kelowna

Friday Feb. 24- Win 4-1 @ Calgary

Sunday Feb. 26- Win 4-1 vs Lethbridge

Upcoming: The Kings play three games this week, kicking off Wednesday night in Cranbrook when they face the Kootenay Ice.  Swift Current visits Edmonton on Saturday night, and Saskatoon is in town on Sunday evening.

Leaders: Goals: Michael St. Croix (39)

Assists: St. Croix (56)

Points: St. Croix (95)

PIMS: Keegan Lowe (129)

Plus/Minus: St. Croix (+36)

Wins: Laurent Brossoit (35)

Firsts: Game- Martin Gernat, Ashton Sautner, Cole Benson @ Red Deer, Sept 25. Tristan Jarry @ Saskatoon, Oct 8. Cody Corbett @ Brandon Oct 29, Brandon Baddock @ Lethbridge Nov. 19, Henrik Samuelsson @ Medicine Hat Jan. 12.

Goal- Gernat @ Red Deer, Sept 25,Curtis Lazar vs Medicine Hat Sept 30 (first regular season goal, scored in playoffs Mar 31, 2011), Mitch Moroz @ Swift Current Oct. 9, Ashton Sautner vs Portland Oct 21, Cody Corbett @ Victoria Nov. 8, Cole Benson vs Prince Albert Nov. 18, Henrik Samuelsson vs Kootenay Jan. 14, Tristan Sieban @ Prince Albert Jan 21.

Point- Gernat, Sautner @ Red Deer Sept 25, Tristan Sieben @ Medicine Hat Oct 1, Laurent Brossoit vs Regina Oct. 14, Corbett @ Victoria Nov 8, Benson, Mason Geertsen vs Prince Albert Nov 18, Henrik Samuelsson @ Medicine Hat, Jan 12.

Win- Tristan Jarry Oct 26 vs Everett.

Streaks: Martin Gernat three games (0-3-3), TJ Foster two games (1-1-2)

Notes: The Kings head into the week leading the Eastern Conference with 89 points through 63 games, four points more than the Moose Jaw Warriors. Michael St. Croix entered the week 8th in WHL scoring with 95 points in 63 games. Dylan Wruck is tied for 14th in league scoring with 75 points in 60 games. The Oil Kings have the second ranked power play and third ranked penalty kill heading into the week.

Drafted: Mark Pysyk-Buffalo Sabres (1st Round, 2010), Kristians Pelss- Edmonton Oilers (7th, 2010), Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011)

Schedule:

Tuesday-

Wednesday- @ Kootenay Ice, Cranbrook RecPlex, 7pm

Thursday-

Friday-

Saturday- vs Swift Current Broncos, Rexall Place, 7pm

Sunday- vs Saskatoon Blades, Rexall Place, 6pm

Monday-

Top Ten #20

This is a poll of several Team 1260 members who follow the WHL closely and is compiled each Monday of the WHL season.

GDB #61 vs Kelowna

Oil Kings (60 39-14-3-4) vs Rockets (60 25-27-3-5)

The Oil Kings wrap up a quick two game home stand tonight when they face the Kelowna Rockets for the second time in a week.  The Kings are coming off a thrilling 5-4 shoot out win over the Medicine Hat Tigers on Monday afternoon.  They fell down 3-0 midway through the first period, but chipped away to tie it with just over five minutes left in the game.  Emerson Etem put the Tigers ahead with 2:41 left.  Dylan Wruck tied the game again, with his 20th of the season with 37 seconds left.  Tyler Maxwell and Martin Gernat scored in the shoot out to secure the two points.  Tristan Jarry picked up his sixth win of the year.

The Rockets are coming off a 4-3 shoot out win over the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday night. After falling behind 2-0, the Rockets rallied to lead 3-2, five minutes into the third period.  Mat Dumba tied it for Red Deer with 32 seconds left, but Damon Severson ended a seven round shoot out for the win.

Photo: Wayne Moore- Castanet

Season Series:  This is the third and final meeting between the clubs this year.  The Rockets took the first in a very tight 2-1 shoot out win in November.  Zach Franko ended an eight round shoot out, Kristians Pelss and Colton Sissons traded first period goals.  Laurent Brossoit and Jordan Cooke took over after that in between the pipes.  The Oil Kings took the return matchup 6-3 last week in Kelowna.  They rallied from a 2-0 first period deficiet, scoring five times in the second to cruise to the victory.

Up Next: The Oil Kings hit the road for their final regular season matchup with the Calgary Hitmen on Friday night.  The Rocket are beginning a five game road trip here tonight, they are in Lethbridge on Friday night.

Leaders:

Goals- EDM- Michael St. Croix (38)
KEL- Colton Sissons (26)

Points- EDM- St. Croix (92)
KEL- Shane McColgan (56)

Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (33)
KEL- Adam Brown (19)

PIMS- EDM- Keegan Lowe (119)
KEL- Brett Lyon (126)

Photo: Edmonton Oil Kings

Drafted:

EDM- Mark Pysyk-Buffalo Sabres (1st Round, 2010), Kristians Pelss- Edmonton Oilers (7th, 2010), Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011)

KEL-  Brett Bulmer- Minnesota Wild (2nd , 2010), Shane McColgan- Rangers (5th, 2011).

Injury Report:

EDM: #21, Travis Ewanyk, Upper body, day to day
#22, Ryan Dech, Lower body,  2 weeks

KEL:  #5, Mitchell Chapman, Upper Body, 1 week
#10, Filip Vasko, Lower body, 2 weeks
#15, Colton Sissons, Upper body, 1 month+
#16, Spencer Main, Upper body, 1 month+

Photo: Edmonton Oil Kings

Notes: Oil Kings forward Michael St. Croix is tied for 5th in league scoring (92), Dylan Wruck is tied in 12th (75). Defenceman Martin Gernat is tied in 8th in rookie scoring (44) and he tied in 9th in scoring amongst defencemen.  Oil Kings netminder Laurent Brossoit is 4th in GAA (2.56), and is 3rd in wins (33).  For Kelowna, Carter Rigby is tied for 15th in rookie scoring (30).  This is the second of three meetings between the two clubs this year. Pregame show at 6:45, the puck drops at 7:00 on the Team 1260.

Road Trip Photo Blog #4

The Olympic Torch in Vancouver looking from the water towards downtown.

A closer look at the Torch, the arms are made from panes of glass.

The hallway outside of the Giants room in Vancouver

A seaplane taking off in Vancouver

Looking into the visitor's room in Vancouver

The Oil Kings warming up at the Pacific Coliseum

View from broadcast booth in Kelowna.  Great spot, but, in behind the cameras.

Weekly Review #19

Review: The Oil Kings continued their season long 11 day road trip last week with stops in Kamloops, Kelowna, and Vancouver.  They played a solid 40 minutes in Kamloops, building up a 2-0 lead after the second period.  The Blazers rallied for three third period goals, including the winner with less than a minute on the clock for the victory.  The Kings bounced back the next night coming from behind to beat the Rockets, 6-3.  The trip closed with a 6-2 loss in Vancouver.  Again a solid 40 minutes was for not, as the wheels came off in the third period.  Edmonton would get back on the winning side when they returned home, downing the Tigers 5-4 in a shootout.  They fell behind 3-0 in the first but fought back to tie it twice, including Dylan Wruck's 20th of the season with 37 seconds left.

Tuesday Feb. 14- Loss 3-2 @ Kamloops
Wednesday Feb. 15- Win 6-3 @ Kelowna
Friday Feb. 17- Loss 6-2 @ Vancouver
Monday Feb. 20- Win 5-4 SO vs Medicine Hat

Upcoming: The stretch drives continues with three games this week.  They host the Kelowna Rockets in a rematch on Wednesday night, play their final game of the season in Calgary on Friday, and finish their season series with Lethbridge on Sunday afternoon.

Leaders: Goals: Michael St. Croix (38)

Assists: Dylan Wruck (55)

Points: St. Croix (92)

PIMS: Keegan Lowe (119)

Plus/Minus: St. Croix (+34)

Wins: Laurent Brossoit (33)

Firsts: Game- Martin Gernat, Ashton Sautner, Cole Benson @ Red Deer, Sept 25. Tristan Jarry @ Saskatoon, Oct 8. Cody Corbett @ Brandon Oct 29, Brandon Baddock @ Lethbridge Nov. 19, Henrik Samuelsson @ Medicine Hat Jan. 12.

Goal- Gernat @ Red Deer, Sept 25,Curtis Lazar vs Medicine Hat Sept 30 (first regular season goal, scored in playoffs Mar 31, 2011), Mitch Moroz @ Swift Current Oct. 9, Ashton Sautner vs Portland Oct 21, Cody Corbett @ Victoria Nov. 8, Cole Benson vs Prince Albert Nov. 18, Henrik Samuelsson vs Kootenay Jan. 14, Tristan Sieban @ Prince Albert Jan 21.

Point- Gernat, Sautner @ Red Deer Sept 25, Tristan Sieben @ Medicine Hat Oct 1, Laurent Brossoit vs Regina Oct. 14, Corbett @ Victoria Nov 8, Benson, Mason Geertsen vs Prince Albert Nov 18, Henrik Samuelsson @ Medicine Hat, Jan 12.

Win- Tristan Jarry Oct 26 vs Everett.

Streaks: Michael St. Croix three games (2-3-5), Tyler Maxwell three games (3-2-5)

Notes: The Kings head into the week leading the Eastern Conference with 85 points through 60 games, four  points more than the Moose Jaw Warriors. Michael St. Croix entered the week tied for 5th in WHL scoring with 92 points in 60 games. Dylan Wruck is tied for 12th in league scoring with 75 points in 60 games. The Oil Kings have the second ranked power play and third ranked penalty kill heading into the week.

Drafted: Mark Pysyk-Buffalo Sabres (1st Round, 2010), Kristians Pelss- Edmonton Oilers (7th, 2010), Keegan Lowe- Carolina Hurricanes (3rd, 2011), Travis Ewanyk- Oilers (3rd, 2011), Michael St. Croix- New York Rangers (4th, 2011), Martin Gernat- Oilers (5th, 2011), Laurent Brossoit- Calgary Flames (6th, 2011)

Schedule:

Tuesday-

Wednesday- vs Kelowna Rockets, Rexall Place, 7pm

Thursday- Travel Day

Friday- @ Calgary Hitmen, Scotiabank Saddledome, 7pm

Saturday-

Sunday- vs Lethbridge Hurricanes, Rexall Place, 2pm

Monday- vs

Top Ten #19

This is a poll of several Team 1260 members who follow the WHL closely and is compiled each Monday of the WHL season.