Thudium brothers help Kings defeat Thunder in Edmonton

Brent Forster -RDC

In a game where not much separated the two teams on the scoreboard, the Red Deer College Kings were given a spark by Dylan Thudium's return to the lineup from injury on Saturday evening against the Concordia University Thunder in Edmonton. In a back-and-forth game, Thudium scored the game-winning-goal in the third period to help the RDC Kings earn a 5-4 road win and pick up four out of a possible four points this past weekend. 

Sherwood Park's Troy Trombley got the start in net for the RDC Kings while Tanner McCorriston was between the pipes for the Concordia University Thunder. Both goaltenders were busy on the night.

The Kings were looking for a faster start and Tyrell Mappin opened the scoring for the RDC team 4:18 into the first period. Tyler Berkholtz had the assist. The RDC Kings continued to press and at 11:53, Lynnden Pastachak put RDC up by a pair. Tanner Butler and Tyrell Mappin picked up the assists. With 5:27 remaining in the first period, Concordia University's Phil Dillon made it a 2-1 contest. The Thunder outshot the Kings 13-12 over 20 minutes.

In the middle frame, Scott Allan, of the Thunder, tied the game 2-2 at 2:25. Less than two minutes later, Concordia University pulled ahead 3-2 off a Chance Thomas goal at 4:18. Dylan Thudium responded less than a minute later to knot the game up 3-3. His brother Chase Thudium added the helper. With 6:43 remaining in the second period, Jacob Wozney struck to give the Kings a 4-3 edge. Damien Kulynych and Jason Miller set up the go ahead goal. The Kings tested McCorriston 17 times while the Thunder responded with 13 shots in the period.

Rory Davidson, of the Thunder, evened the score 4-4 at 3:44 of the third period but the Kings persisted. With 9:57 left, Dylan Thudium scored his second goal of the game to give the Kings a 5-4 lead. Chase Thudium and Trevor Costello added the assists. McCorriston was pulled with 1:23 left on the clock for the extra attacker. The Thunder tried to score the equalizer but Trombley stood tall and the RDC Kings earned a 5-4 road victory. Concordia fired 12 shots at Trombley in the period for a game total of 38. RDC directed 7 shots on McCorriston and had 36 over 60 minutes.

Kings Head Coach Trevor Keeper was pleased with effort and the win. "We worked hard tonight and had a good forecheck that created several turnovers," said Keeper. "We weren't quite as sharp tonight and we made a few more mental mistakes, but we competed and picked up the two points to climb in the standings."

Dylan Thudium made a positive impact in his return. "Dylan (Thudium) wanted to be back in the lineup tonight and he played well on a line with his brother Chase (Thudium)," said Keeper. "They had some chemistry playing together." Chase Thudium, a first-year forward, picked up a pair of assists.

Dylan Thudium, a Bachelor of Commerce student from Sylvan Lake, was named the player-of-the-game for the RDC Kings. Rory Davidson picked up the award for the Concordia University Thunder.

The RDC Kings (11-4-1-0) improve to 23 points in the standings and hold sole possession of second spot. The NAIT Ooks (13-1-1-1) sit in first with 28 points. The MacEwan University Griffins, University of Alberta Augustana Vikings and SAIT Trojans are tied for third with 20 points. 

The Red Deer College Kings will play an important home-and-home series against the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings (9-5-2-0) next weekend. On Friday, January 12, the Vikings will host the Kings at 7:30 p.m. in Camrose, and on Saturday the venue will shift to the Penhold Multiplex at 7:00 p.m.