The reigning kings of the Central Division remain undefeated with an 8-0 record.
The Edmonton Oil Kings were victorious against the Calgary Hitmen in a nailing biting 4-3 victory on Friday night to open the weekend.
The Hitmen put up a tremendous fight and arguably have been one of the toughest challenges the Oil Kings have faced yet this season. Edmonton had 31 shots on net while Calgary had 29.
Both teams played a hard-fought, two-way game. There was a lot of end-to-end action with some big hits, great shots, and scoring chances coming from both sides.
Josh Williams potted his sixth goal of the season in the second period. That goal turned out to be the game-winner.
Jalen Luypen, the first star of the game, had a fantastic outing. He was all over the ice and finished with two goals and one assist on the night. In fact, his line, with Carson Latimer and Liam Keeler was dynamite.
“I think there’s no line that can match with our speed, I think we’re the fastest line in the league,” said Luypen. “For us, using our speed, getting behind their D, working it down low, you saw tonight that we chip pucks, cycle the game.”
They kept it in the Hitmen zone often throughout the game and forechecked hard with speed and grit. The chemistry with this line is working well.
“Good things happen and I love playing with those two. Keels (Keeler) is a veteran in the league and he knows what to do and Lats (Latimer) has taken a big step in our lineup playing with us and he’s going to be a great player in this league these next years coming up,” explained Luypen.
Latimer had a goal and an assist and was the second star of the game. He was buzzing all night with his smooth, quick skating ability and skill.
Keeler notched a pair of assists and was named the third star of the game. He played a smart, hard, two-way game.
The solid play of this line is a reminder of how deep this Oil Kings squad really is. Although the top players played well tonight also, it was depth that really shined brightly in this contest.
Sebastian Cossa was solid yet again as he made 26 saves. He looked calm and composed and faced a decent amount of quality scoring chances throughout the game.
There were a few times in the game where the Oil Kings were caught in a frenzy of chaos or two. The Hitmen pressed hard with great opportunities and capitalized on their chances.
Head Coach Brad Lauer was happy to get the win and commended the effort of his team.
“Its, our guys are doing good things right now, you know, we’re playing hard, we have our moments,” said Head Coach Lauer. “Like I said, we have our moments where it’s not very good, but we may bend but we don’t break and we find ways to win hockey games and that’s the important part of it.”
There isn’t much rest time between now and the next game. The Oil Kings take on the Hitmen again in a Saturday matinee at 2 PM MDT in Calgary at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex.
