Vikings take rematch over depleted Kings lineup

Brent Forster - RDC

Red Deer, AB – The Red Deer College Kings entered Saturday's contest against the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings with a depleted roster. With several players ill and injured, including goaltender Arik Weersink, the Kings got down a pair in the first period and couldn't close the gap with a shortened bench. The Vikings picked up a 5-2 road win.

"We are dealing with a lot of adversity right now. Guys out of the lineup with sickness, concussions and we went to Augustana with one goalie last night and he played really well," says Kings Head Coach Trevor Keeper. "Tonight he has the flu and he is the only guy. No turning back. No excuses."

Augustana applied pressure, testing Nathan Alalouf with five consecutive shots, but the third-year goaltender was equal to the task. Perhaps the best early opportunity went to RDC's Chance Longjohn while shorthanded. The penalty killing specialist caught Curtis Skip moving to his left and shot against the grain, but the steady Vikings goaltender squeezed the puck between his arm and body.

Midway through the first, the Vikings were rewarded for their energetic start. After Alalouf made the initial save, Augustana's Travis Mayan slid the rebound into the back of the net. Shortly after, Kings fifth-year forward Dylan Thudium one-timed a shot that rattled off the left post.

As the period was winding down, the visitors went up by a pair. Lukas Biensch quickly snapped a rebound past Alalouf. Ryan Groom recorded his second assist of the frame.

"We didn't do ourselves any favours in the first period. We weren't good moving and supporting the puck," says Keeper. "Lots of turnovers and we let them get up 2-0 and no matter how hard you push, when you get yourselves dug in a hole like that it's tough. Especially when you're short staffed, sick and injured and all the rest of that."

The Kings began the middle stanza on their toes, but the Vikings defence and Skip were solid. Augustana bumped their two goal margin to a trio with 4:19 left in the second. The Vikings tested Alalouf from the left side and Jarod Hovde pounced on the rebound.

RDC hit the board with 27.2 seconds left in the frame. On the power play, Trevor Costello's shot was blocked, but Austin Hunter beat Skip with a quick release. Sylvan Lake's Chase Thudium had the other helper.

Hunter (14)

The late second period goal provided momentum as RDC began the third. Less than a minute from puck drop, Kyle Salaway pulled the home team within one (3-2), but it didn't last long. Travis Mayan skated across the slot on his backhand and found space inside the far post, notching his second. Then on the power play, Augustana restored a three goal cushion. Inside the Kings' blue line, Tavis Roch spotted Travis Mayan down low and a quick touch pass across the crease to Ryan Groom put the visitors up 5-2.

Alalouf had to leave the game with an injury late in the third period and was replaced by Devon Carroll.

"Devon is an RDC student. He is a Jr. B goalie for the Rocky Rams. He's our emergency backup. He came in when our only goaltender got hurt in the third and recorded his first save in the ACAC," says Keeper. "It's good that he was able to back us up tonight at least because last night we didn't even have a backup goaltender, which has never happened in the 27 years of coaching for me." 

The Kings had a three minute power play late in the game and pulled their goaltender for a six-on-four opportunity, but couldn't climb any closer.

"We had four defencemen to start tonight and that's how we finished yesterday, but we just ran out of energy," explains Keeper.

Kyle Salaway, from Estevan, Saskatchewan, was named the Collegiate Sports Medicine Kings Player-of-the-Game.

Salaway (59)

Travis Mayan received the award for the U of A Augustana Vikings.

The Vikings outshot the Kings 31-25.

Prior to an important series next weekend against the first place NAIT Ooks, the RDC Kings will look forward to having a more complete lineup. 

"Everybody is coming back to practice next week. They're cleared to go," says Keeper. "They are just going to have to recover from sickness, injury and being off. We have a couple guys that have been off a whole week."

On Friday, Jan. 24, the second place Kings (13-3-2-0) will host the NAIT Ooks (16-2-0-0) at 7:00 pm. The U of A Augustana Vikings (9-9-0-0) will compete against the MacEwan University Griffins (12-5-0-1) on the same evening 30 minutes later in Camrose.

Alalouf (1)