Defending the Kingdom
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Edmonton, AB - With the Oil Kings net empty Dylan Wruck tallied an equalizer with 37 seconds left to play as Edmonton would go on to a 5-4 shootout win over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Family Day Monday. After a rough first 10 minutes the Oil Kings found themselves trailing 3-0 including a pair of power play markers. Edmonton would then show some push back following a goaltender change in the first before finally scoring one late in the second. The Kings leading scorer Michael St.Croix found the puck at the top of the slot an snapped home his 38th of the season to make it a 3-1 game going into the third. The goal ties St.Croix for the all time modern franchise record for goals in a season with 12 games remaining.
Edmonton was then able to over come a 3-1 deficit with a pair of goals. The first was from T.J. Foster who scored his 23rd of the season with under nine minutes to play. Captain Mark Pysyk then made a big play as he rushed the puck to the slot lost it but continued to the net. Henrik Samuelsson then poked the puck past the Medicine Hat defenders backdoor when Pysyk waa able to sprawl and tip home the 3-3 goal with under six to play.
But with under three minutes left in the game Tiger's fifty goal man Emerson Etem scored what could have been a game breaker on the breakaway to make it 4-3. But Pysyk once again made a nice pinch and put a shot on net to produce a juicy rebound that Wruck scooped up and put upstairs for the game tying goal.
Tyler Maxwell and Martin Gernat would both score in the shootout as Tristan Jarry shut the door in relief of Oil Kings starter Laurent Brossoit. Jarry would finish with 16 saves on 17 shots and stop both Etem and the Tigers Curtis Valk to raise his record to 6-2-1-0.
The win leaves the Oil Kings alone in first place in the WHL Eastern Conference with a record of 39-14-3-4 and a total of 85 points. The Kings stand alone at second in the WHL overall standings, just a single point behind the Kamloops Blazers in the race for the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. Edmonton has one of the league best home records at 24-4-1-1.
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The Oil Kings will continue this short homestand on Wednesday night as they take on the Kelowna Rockets. It will be a battle for home town bragging rights as Tyler Maxwell goes head to head with fellow Manhattan Beach, CA product Shayne McColgan, the Rocket's leading scorer. It's the second last K97 Wiener Wednesday of the season with $2 hot dogs on sale all night! Tickets start at just $15 bucks the best side seats are $20 bucks! Tickets are on sale now at any Ticketmaster outlet, online at oilkings.ca, OR by calling 414-GOAL.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
