The Edmonton Oil Kings scored three goals in the second period and held off a third period comeback from the Kootenay Ice to win 4-3 at Western Financial Place in Cranbrook on Sunday afternoon.
The Ice paraded to the penalty box for much of the affair and also lost captain Cale Fleury to a game misconduct after he rode Davis Murray into the boards in the middle frame.
Ice head coach James Patrick said his team lost their focus after 20 minutes.
“I thought we became unraveled in the second period,” Patrick said. “[We were] undisciplined, then we lost so many battles; they won battles and kept the puck in our zone, so I think that was the difference in the game for me.”
Bailey Brkin got the start but was pulled after two quick goals in the second period in favour of Kurtis Chapman, who played out the rest of the night.
Travis Child stood between the pipes for Edmonton, stopping 21 shots.
It was the third game in as many nights for the Ice, which lost twice and won once over the weekend in WHL action that included a double-header with the Spokane Chiefs.
The Oil Kings opened the scoring in the first period just as a power play was expiring, with Trey Fix-Wolansky sniping the corner from the side of the faceoff circle.
Fleury tied up the game 10 minutes later, trailing the play and slapping a drop pass from the high slot past Child.
Brett Davis put the Ice ahead just over a minute later to give Kootenay a one-goal lead going into the middle period.
That’s when the wheels fell off.
Matthew Robertson hacked at a puck that somehow slipped by Brkin to tie the game, then a minute later, Kobe Mohr scored on a floater that ended Brkin’s night.
Davis Koch then doubled the lead after the halfway point as the Oil Kings buzzed in the Kootenay zone with an extra attacker on a delayed penalty.
The Ice got into penalty trouble, especially when Fleury got tossed for cross-checking Murray into the boards and took a five-minute major in the process as well. Murray was able to get up and skate off with the help of teammates and the trainer but didn’t return to the game.
Though the Ice went to the box five times, they didn’t officially give up a goal.
“I’ve liked our penalty kill for the most part now,” said Patrick. “You’re finding guys who can kill and where they fit in the pecking order of who you want to put on the ice. Every game is a teaching moment as far as how we want to kill.”
Keenan Taphorn brought some life into the crowd of 2,482 when he blitzed down the left wing and picked the corner over Child’s glove in the third period to make it 4-3 while trying to spark the Ice to a comeback.
Taphorn skated on a line with Colton Kroeker and Vince Loschiavo on Sunday afternoon, as Patrick said he is still tinkering with combinations.
“I look at Colton Kroeker as our best player. I think he’s our smartest player, I think he’s a good two-way player. I need to find guys that can play with him,” Patrick said.
“I thought him and Vince [Loschiavo] would be a good combination, then I wanted to put a good worker with them who could skate. Keenan has done everything I’ve asked of him. He’s killed penalties, he’s worked extremely hard, he does a lot of the little things, he gets pucks deep, he can forecheck, he tracks back and he’ll get in shot lanes.”
The Ice will take Monday off before getting back into practice on Tuesday to get ready for a quick two-game road trip next weekend.
