Kings attempt to rally, but Vikings pick up road win

Brent Forster - RDC

The Red Deer College Kings Hockey team opened their season with a pair of wins against the Concordia University Thunder last weekend, and the Kings looked solid on the ice with their special teams playing a big role in their victories. The Kings entered Friday's game against the University of Alberta (Augustana) Vikings with the top power play in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Men's Hockey with a 57.1% success rate and it clicked again. After Augustana scored the first three goals, the Kings played with more urgency and scored a pair. They pushed in the late stages to tie the game, but time expired and the Vikings picked up a 3-2 road win.

Troy Trombley got the start in the RDC Kings net while Curtis Skip got the nod for the Vikings.  At 7:35 into the opening frame, Jimmy Sheehan put the Vikings on the board first. Augustana extended their lead 2-0 at 13:18 when Dillan McCombie found the back of the net.

At 2:53 into the middle frame, Mitch McMullin scored on the power play to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead.  The Kings started to pressure Augustana and Dylan Thudium scored with 5:04 remaining to pull the Kings within a pair. Tanner Butler and Tyler Berkholtz picked up the helpers. The Vikings headed to the intermission with a 3-1 lead.

The Kings started the final period with some jump. Tanner Butler sniped a power play goal to pull the RDC Kings within a goal at 18:46. Kings Hockey Head Coach Trevor Keeper pulled Trombley with 1:24 remaining for the extra skater. Skip was solid the rest of the game and he shut the door. The Augustana Vikings picked up the 3-2 win. Trombley stopped 35 out of 38 shots, while Skip turned aside 39-of-41 Kings' attempts.

While the Kings were the better team in the second half of the game, Keeper would like to see a consistent effort over 60 minutes. "We started alright but then we got a little casual. Defensively, we started to relax and Augustana had several odd man rushes after about 7 minutes into the first," said Keeper. "We took the foot off the gas and let them gain some momentum."

Keeper would like the Kings to hit the ice with more energy. "We need to start well and try to get on the scoresheet first," said Keeper. "We need to learn how to get a lead and lock it down rather than chasing from behind." 

The power play clicked for the RDC Kings once again. "We have the right personnel on our power play units. The players are sticking to our structure, moving the puck well and having screens in front," said Keeper. "A lot of good things are happening on the power play. Our penalty killing tonight was outstanding. Special teams are really important, especially in the playoffs."

The RDC Kings went 1-for-5 on their power play and also killed off 6-of-7 Vikings' opportunities with the extra skater.

Dylan Thudium as chosen as the Kings player-of-the-game while Curtis Skip received the honour for the Vikings.

In Camrose, the Kings (2-1-0-0) will face-off against the U of A Augustana Vikings (1-2-1-0) on Saturday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m.