Wozney strikes in double overtime, Kings down Griffins in Edmonton

Brent Forster - RDC

The RDC Hockey Kings faced the MacEwan University Griffins in Edmonton Friday evening, and after the Kings trailed 3-1 they elevated their game and eventually downed the Griffins in double overtime. 

Troy Trombley got the start in net for the Kings while Marc-Olivier Daigle got the nod for the Griffins. 

Brett Njaa opened the scoring for the Griffins at 5:33 of the first period. Just over two minutes later the Kings responded. Tyrell Mappin beat Daigle at 7:37 to knot the game up 1-1. Lynnden Pastachak and Dylan Baer assisted on the equalizer. On the power play, Ryan Benn gave MacEwan University a 2-1 lead at 12:36. With 1:01 left in the opening period, Brett Smythe scored to push the Griffins ahead 3-1. 

At 10:24 of the second period, Arie Postmus pulled the Kings within a goal. Jacob Wozney and Nick Fountain earned the helpers. Less than five minutes later, the RDC Kings tied the contest. Damien Kulynych found the back of the net at 15:12 to knot the game up 3-3. Jacob Wozney and David Heath picked up the assists and the Kings headed into the intermission on even terms. 

In the third period, the teams traded goals. Brett Njaa clicked on the power play at 1:30 to give MacEwan University a one goal edge but the Kings didn't quit. With 1:18 left, Dylan Baer fired a shot past Daigle to tie the game 4-4. Chase Thudium and Jacob Wozney had the assists. Time expired and the teams headed to 5 minutes of 4-on-4 but neither side could break the deadlock. During the 3-on-3 second overtime period, Jacob Wozney made the comeback official and beat Daigle at 4:40. Tyler Berkholtz recorded the lone assist. Wozney had a fantastic game and contributed 4 points in the victory.

Kings Hockey Head Coach Trevor Keeper was impressed with the performance from Wozney, a first-year forward from Richmond, British Columbia. "Jacob Wozney played really well. He was flying out there tonight," said Keeper. "He played with a lot of confidence and really used his speed."

Troy Trombley had another solid outing in net for the Kings and the second-year Open Studies student from Sherwood Park stopped 38 out of 42 shots (0.905) for the win. "Troy Trombley was great in net for us tonight," said Keeper. "He made several key saves and I'm very proud of his performance."

Despite the road victory, Keeper would like to see the special teams play more of a prominent role for the Kings in the rematch. "I'd like for the results on our special teams to be better on Saturday. Our penalty kill looked good, but the result wasn't good," said Keeper. "They scored twice with the man advantage. Our power play generated some chances but we couldn't score."

The RDC Kings went 0-for-4 on the power play and the Griffins clicked on 2-of-4 opportunities. 

In a rematch, the second place RDC Kings (15-5-1-0) will face-off against the third place MacEwan University Griffins (13-7-1-0), Saturday, January 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Penhold Multiplex. The Kings are on a roll and have gone 8-2 in their past 10 games.