Oil Kings Show Progress Not Results
By Riley Neilson on December 1, 2022
The Edmonton Oil Kings might have lost 5-1 to the Saskatoon Blades but they showed signs of improvement. The offence had it’s usual struggles scoring one goal on only 11 shots but the defense was much better despite what the score might suggest. The Oil Kings held the blades too 24 shots and most of the goals were not the fault of the defense.
The first goal was a goal that Kolby Hay got a piece of but still managed to squeak by him. The second goal was pure chaos in front of the net that somehow managed to go in despite the net being knocked off. Goal number 3 was the first shot Hay faced over 10 minutes into the second period and was a very deceptive shot that fooled him. All in all it was a very close 2-1 game decided by goaltending.
Austin Elliot made 10 saves in the win, whereas Kolby Hay made 19 saves in the loss.
Some new faces made their debuts for the Oil Kings. Noah Boyko and Rilen Kovacevic were both acquired in separate trades on Monday. Kovacevic made an impact immediately laying out a massive hit in the first period before taking two penalties and a 10 minute misconduct as he instigated a line brawl in the dying seconds of the game.
Next up for the Oil Kings Connor Bedard will make his final trip to Rogers Place as a member of the Regina Pats. The key to the game is to shut down Bedard. Do this and Regina will struggle.