Thudium and Kings down Griffins in rematch

Brent Forster - RDC

Red Deer, AB – It was a game of momentum swings. In their home opener, the Red Deer College Kings skated to a five goal lead, but the MacEwan University Griffins started to chip away. The Griffins scored four consecutive markers, pushing late, but Chase Thudium hit an empty net, solidifying a 6-4 home win.

The RDC Kings had lengthy moments of offensive zone time to begin the rematch. Griffins goaltender Marc-Olivier Daigle was sharp early and made several nice stops, including a right pad save on Kings forward Austin Hunter on the power play.

The Kings were eventually rewarded on their 12th shot. Kings defenceman Carter Wolski controlled the puck in the Griffins' corner and centred the puck to Jacob Wozney, who beat Marc-Olivier Daigle on the blocker side at 15:22. It was Wozney's second tally in as many games.

Jacob Wozney (9)

As time was winding down in the period, the home team went up by two. Once again, smooth skating blue liner Carter Wolski was involved. The first-year Kinesiology student's shot from the point couldn't be corralled and Ryley Smith jammed home the rebound for a 2-0 edge. Big Valley's Tyrell Mappin picked up an assist.

The Kings added to their lead early in the middle stanza. At 1:35 while the teams skated four-on-four, Chance Longjohn connected with Kyle Salaway up ice. From the side, the Instrumentation Engineering Technician student found defenceman Tyler Podgorenko driving the slot, who quickly one-timed it past Daigle's glove.

Less than a minute later, the RDC Kings grabbed a four goal cushion. Chase Thudium released one past Daigle's blocker after being set up by linemates Dylan Thudium and Austin Hunter. Then Regan Doig scored his first ACAC goal on the stick side giving the Kings a 5-0 lead. Chase Thudium and Dylan Thudium had the helpers.

Thomas Davis replaced Daigle in net and the change sparked MacEwan University.

"Tonight, we kind of carried on what we did last night. Their goaltender, Daigle, played very well yesterday and we went to double overtime. I think we had close to 50 shots and tonight we talked about doing the same thing," says Head Coach Trevor Keeper.

"We talked about not getting frustrated if we didn't score early and we talked about keeping the pressure on - keep going to the net and keep making passes east and west and kind of tire him out. Finally, when we got a couple, he started to get a bit frustrated and we ended up getting him pulled. We did the job by banking a 5-1 lead."

With 2:37 left in the middle frame, the Griffins finally solved Kings goaltender Arik Weersink. A point shot caromed off the boards and Cameron Regan shoveled it into the back of the net. 

Early in the third, MacEwan University reduced the gap to three. Brett Smythe found space on the glove side. The Griffins continued to grind.

At 6:49, MacEwan's Spencer McLean pounced on a loose puck, making it a 5-3 contest. With nine seconds left and Davis on the bench, Cam Gotaas added another for the visitors. 

Then with a fraction of a second remaining, Sylvan Lake's Chase Thudium found the open cage and the RDC Kings sealed a 6-4 victory. Donovan Lumb recorded the lone assist.

During the Griffins' push back, the Kings simplified their game.

"They sent two guys in on the forecheck and they were pinching harder on the wall in our d-zone. We knew that they would do that and they were pushing from behind and they had a big hill to climb," says Keeper. 

"When you're at that point when the momentum switches, you can't make plays that you regularly make trying to beat guys one-on-one with the puck. We tried to just get pucks behind their defencemen and grind it out in the corners and below the goal line. Fortunately we were able to do that in the end." 

Chase Thudium was named the Collegiate Sports Medicine Kings Player-of-the-Game, finishing with a pair of goals and an assist. Cameron Reagan received the honour for the Griffins, contributing a goal.

"Chase keeps his feet moving and it's the same in practice. He's one of the most competitive kids that I've ever coached," says Keeper. "He doesn't like to lose anything and he really keeps pushing the pace. Even when we were up 5-1 he's making plays at high speed."

Keeper was also proud of Weersink's performance. The second-year Business Administration student made 18 saves for the win and gave the RDC Kings an opportunity last night. 

Arik Weersink (31)

The Kings earned three of a possible four points in the standings this past weekend. The team will now prepare for a home-and-home series against the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings next weekend.

On Friday, October 18, the Kings (1-0-1-0) will face the U of A Augustana Vikings (1-1-0-0) in Camrose at 7:30 p.m.