Oil Kings (46 30-11-1-4) vs Broncos (45 18-22-2-3)
The Oil Kings kick off a quick two game Saskatchewan road trip tonight in Swift Current. Edmonton is coming off a 5-0 victory over the Prince George Cougars Wednesday night at Rexall Place. Michael St. Croix led the way offensively with a natural hat-trick, while Laurent Brossoit made 26 saves to secure his second goose egg of the season. Brossoit made a save on a Greg Fraser penalty shot in the first period that changed the momentum after the Cougars had the early jump.
The Broncos have won two straight themselves and sit tenth in the WHL's Eastern Conference, they trail Brandon by eight points for the final playoff spot in the conference. Swift beat Victoria 3-1 on Tuesday night at the I-Plex, and shut out Red Deer 4-0 over the weekend. It was the first shutout in former Oil King Jon Groenheyde's career. He has appeared in 12 straight games for the Broncos.
 |
| Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings |
Season Series: This is the third of four meetings between the clubs this season and the final one in Speedy Creek. Edmonton has won the prior two meetings, 4-1 here in Swift and 5-3 in Edmonton a couple weeks back. The teams square off once more at Rexall Place on March 3.
Next Up: The Oil Kings are right back at it tomorrow night in Prince Albert as they wrap up their swing. The Kings have a five game homestand coming up to wrap up January and begin February. Meanwhile the Broncos finish off a three game homestand here tonight and hit the road for a one game trip to Medicine Hat where they face the Tigers tomorrow.
 |
| Photo: Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings |
Goals- EDM- Michael St. Croix (28)
SC-Taylor Vause (24)
Points- EDM- St. Croix (70)
SC- Vause (53)
Wins- EDM- Laurent Brossoit (26)
SC- Jon Groenheyde (15)
PIMS- EDM- Keegan Lowe (95)
SC- Andy Blanke (109)
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- SC- Adam Lowery- Winnipeg Jets (3rd, 2011), Reece Scarlett- New Jersey Devils (6th, 2011), Richard Nedomiel- Detroit Red Wings (6th, 2011)
Injury Report:
EDM: #8, Griffin Reinhart, Upper body, day to day
#21, Travis Ewanyk, Upper body, 1 month
#22, Ryan Dech, Lower body, 1 month
PG: #5, Jordan Evans, Upper body, 1 month+
#13, Shea Howorko, Upper body, week to week
#17, Adam Lowry, Upper body, 1 month+
Notes: Oil Kings forward Michael St. Croix is tied for 5th in league scoring (70), Dylan Wruck is 10th (59). Defenceman Martin Gernat is tied for 9th in rookie scoring (29) and he is tied for 14th in scoring amongst defencemen. Oil Kings netminder Laurent Brossoit is 4th in GAA (2.41), and is 2nd in wins (26). The Oil Kings have the second rated PK in the league, their PP the best in the WHL. For Swift Current, Taylor Vause is tied for 19th in scoring (53). Coda Gordon is 4th in rookie scoring (38), Graham Black is tied for 9th (29). Reece Scarlett is tied for 10th in scoring amongst defencemen (33). This is the third of four meetings between the two clubs this year. Pregame show at 5:45, the puck drops at 6:00 MT on the Team 1260.
