Oil Kings clinging to life late in season
6 years ago
Getting set for the second half of their season the Oil Kings held a closed-door meeting and as a team, they set their goals for the remainder of the season.
“The games in March need to matter, if we can find a way to work ourselves into a conversation for the playoffs then we’ve had a hell of a January and a hell of a February,” said Head Coach Steve Hamilton when asked about the goals his team has set.
If that can’t happen, then the team just wants to focus their play and controlling what they can.
“We want to do everything in our power to be a hard team to play against and disrupt the playoff picture” added Hamilton.
The goal to be in the playoff conversation has taken a hit over the past ten days as the team won just once in their last four games, and haven’t looked very good. They were outscored by their opponents 19-9 over that stretch, they didn’t win the shot battle once and were dominated in the faceoff circle. It was like every problem that was present with this team at the beginning of the year came back in the three losses to Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Lethbridge.
The special teams were a problem as well, and likely cost them on Saturday against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Edmonton was up 2-0 going into the third before missing on back-to-back power plays in the final frame. Momentum shifted after that.
The team then took two minor penalties and got burnt by both of them. Three goals in the final two minutes of the Hurricanes propelled them to a 3-2 win. There are no excuses for collapsing like that late in a game. Third periods were a problem for this team over the course of the last ten days as well, giving up ten goals in the final frame.
Over the course of their last three losses, the Oil Kings powerplay didn’t score once and their penalty kill was just 73%. The team has their share of holes and problems, but their special teams cost them.
As it sits right now, Edmonton is dead last in the Eastern Conference and sit 14 points of the final playoff spot.
One positive over this recent span has been the play of two veterans, Colton Kehler and Tomas Soustal, both of whom are in the final days of their WHL careers.
Sitting at the bottom of the standings and with their junior careers almost over, some wouldn’t blame the two if they mailed it in or had some off nights, but that’s far from the case
“I talked to Tomas specifically around the deadline and he was 100% all in,” said Steve Hamilton “He’s embraced his role and how important he is.”
The same can be said for Kehler, who’s been the team’s captain for most of the season. It’s clear that these two are very proud to be Oil Kings and that can rub off on younger players on this team.
While they may not be able to will this team to a playoff spot, their presence both on and off the ice will have an incredibly positive impact on the next group of leaders.
The Oil Kings will be back in action tonight from Medicine Hat as they take on the Central Division leading Tigers.
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