In Exhibition, Vikings over Hockey Kings

With a break in their regular season schedule, the Red Deer College Kings Hockey team faced the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings in exhibition action Saturday evening. After Augustana took a lead, the Kings responded in the 3rd period but time expired and the Vikings skated to a 4-1 win. Mike Salmon and Devon Fordyce shared the goaltending duties for the Kings while Zach deGraves suited up in the Vikings net.

At 13:15 of the 1st period, Paul Lovsin put Augustana up 1-0. After 20 minutes of play, Salmon stopped 9-of-10 shots he faced. The RDC Kings tested deGraves 11 times.

With 5 seconds remaining in the 2nd period, Jeff Lorenz put the Vikings up 2-0. The Vikings had 10 shots on Salmon and Fordyce in the middle frame, while the Kings fired 8 shots at deGraves.

Adam Osczevski gave Augustana a 3-0 lead about midway through the 3rd period. On the powerplay, Tyler Berkholtz responded at 16:46 to narrow the lead 3-1. Dylan Baer picked up the lone assist. The Kings pulled Fordyce for the extra skater but Logan Sproule found the open cage to seal the 4-1 Vikings win. In the final period, the Augustana Vikings had 10 shots on Fordyce while the RDC Kings had 11 shots on deGraves. Shots were even 30-30 after 60 minutes. 

The Red Deer College Kings effectively killed off all 7 of the Vikings power plays and also connected on 1-of-4 of their opportunities with the extra skater.

Kings Head Coach Trevor Keeper saw inconsistencies tonight.

"It really was an inconsistent game from our standpoint," said Keeper. "There were spurts of us competing hard tonight but it wasn't always there."

With a continued break in their schedule, the Kings have a plan to stay in shape.

"With it being 2 weeks before we face SAIT, we will hit the ice often to keep in top physical condition. We are planning a mini boot camp to keep us in game shape," said Keeper. "This type of training is difficult to do during the regular season so we want to take full advantage. We plan to practice at a very high pace. This time away from game action also gives us a chance to heal any injuries."

The RDC Kings travel to Calgary to face the SAIT Trojans Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:00 p.m. In the 2nd half of the home-and-home series the Kings host the Trojans at the Penhold Multiplex Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7:00 p.m.