Oil Kings (7 3-2-1-1) @ Swift Current Broncos (6 2-3-1-0)
The Oil Kings will look to rebound tonight in game 3 of their 5 game trip. The Kings dropped a 5-1 decision last night in Saskatoon, in a chippy affair. The Blades scored a couple early goals and controlled the game the rest of the way. The lone Oil King tally came from Stephane Legault, his first of the season. Kristians Pelss and Curtis Lazar had assists.
Meanwhile the Broncos are coming off a 6-3 victory last night at the Credit Union iPlex. Swift picked up their second victory of the year, and former Oil Kings Jon Groenheyde was a winner in his first game as a Bronco.
Edmonton: Jordan Peddle. The 20 year old former Bronco captain makes his return to Swift Current tonight. Look for him to create a lot of energy for the Oil Kings something they lacked in Saskatoon. Peddle was a fan favorite in his 198 games in Speedy Creek.Swift Current: Jon Groenheyde. The 20 year old goalie went the other way in the deal joining his third WHL team. Groenheyde was instrumental to the Oil Kings turning their season around last year after a slow start. He was picked up from Kamloops and helped settle down the goaltender position. Expected him to have a strong outing facing his former team.
Last Year:
The Kings were 3-1-0-0 against Swift Current last year. The Broncos finished out of the playoff race after trading superstar Cody Eakin to the Kootenay Ice near the trade deadline. They managed 26 wins on the season, second least in the league.
Leaders:
Goals- EDM- Martin Gernat (5)
SC- Taylor Vause, Coda Gordon, Adam Lowery (4)
Points- EDM- Gernat (10)
SAS- Vause (11)
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)
SC- Adam Lowery- Winnipeg Jets (3rd, '11), Steffan Soberg- Washington Capitals (4th, '11), Reece Scarlett- New Jersey Devils (6th, '11), Richard Nedomiel- Detroit Red Wings (6th, '11).
Notes: Defenceman Griffen Reinhart will not be in the Oil Kings lineup tonight as he continues to serve a suspension for a knee on knee hit in the Kootenay game. No official word on the length of the ban as of yet. The Broncos are without goaltender Steffan Soberg who left the team during training camp to return to his native Norway. Broncos head coach and GM Mark Lamb spent parts of 5 seasons with the Oilers winning the Stanley Cup in 1990. Swift Current recently announced that the club lost close to $200,000 last season, causing some concern amongst Bronco fans about the future of the club in southern Saskatchewan.
