The Kings sweep the Briercrest in ACAC hockey action this weekend

Red Deer, November 5 - Looking for the sweep of the Briercrest College Clippers, the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings came away with a 5-3 win. Coming into this afternoon's game, the Kings currently sit atop of the division with nine points, but the SAIT Trojans are right behind them with eight. The Clippers currently sit in fifth place with four points.

It was all Kings throughout the first eight minutes of the game with the home team only allowing one shot in that time frame. The Kings were able to get their bodies in front of the puck and help out their goaltender Arik Weersink (Business Administration General Management).

Red Deer was able to come out with a fast start. They were pressuring and forechecking well with the puck being in the Clippers zone for most of the first ten minutes of the period.

The first major scoring opportunity was on the penalty kill for the Kings when Holden Knights (Bachelor of Education) stole the puck in their own zone and broke out on a breakaway. But he wristed it high and wide of the Clippers goal. Red Deer was able to kill off this first powerplay of the Clippers.

With under seven minutes left to play, Kings defenceman Ty Ettinger (Open Studies) was given a prime scoring opportunity, but goaltender Dominik Tmej (Business Administration) flashed the leather and robbed Ettinger of the games first goal.

Red Deer was given a full two minutes on a five-on-three powerplay but could not capitalize on it with the Clippers keeping the puck away from the net.

The first goal of the game would go to the home team with under two minutes to play in the first. A shot from Nolan Doell (Open Studies) rebounded off of Tmej's pad and landed on the tape of Knights stick. He would fire it top shelf over the stretched-out Clippers goaltender. Forward Erik Miller was given the second assist on Knights first goal of the season.

Not long after, on the Clippers second powerplay, forward Cole Stevenson was able to capitalize on this late Kings penalty and tie the game up with under 30 seconds to go. Captain Jacob Arsenault and defenceman Brandon Kelly were given the assist on Briercrest's tying goal.

At the end of the first period, the Kings had the slight 9-7 edge in shots over the visiting team.

The Kings were given an early powerplay with first-year defenceman Theo Citrullo going to the box for interference.

However, it was the Clippers with the scoring opportunity on this odd-man advantage.  Forward Caleb Grandfield was given a point-blank shot, but it was steered aside by Weersink with the blocker.

After some aggressive play by the visiting Briercrest College, they were assessed two minutes for holding, two minutes for head contact and a 10-minute misconduct all on the same play. This gave the Kings a lengthy five-on-three powerplay in which they capitalized on to go up 2-1.

A pass that was threaded through the Clippers three-man defence from Jacob Kendall (Bachelor of Education Elementary) made it to the stick of Miller who would snap it into the back of the net. Defenceman Brennan Davis (Justice Studies) was given the second assist on Miller's second goal of the season.

After a penalty was killed of by the Clippers, Weersink was forced to make another point-blank save on a shot by Grandfield to keep it a 2-1 lead for his team late in the second period.

But more pressure from the visiting team with some four-on-four hockey in which they were able to take advantage of the open ice and tie the game up at two. Defenceman Campbell Ens would fire it on net in which Weersink gave off a rebound right onto the stick of forward Colton Aikens. He would one-time it home with just over a minute to play to tie the game up at two.  

The Kings would still lead in shots 22-13 after the end of the second but had to start the third period down a man for just under four minutes. Second-year forward Chase Haygarth took a late cross-checking penalty which resulted in a four-minute powerplay for the Clippers.

After the Kings killed this long powerplay off, they used that momentum to score a goal and take the 3-2 lead four minutes into the third. The Kings put their forecheck on which led to a shot from the top of the faceoff circle by defence Layne Toder (Management Certificate Skywing). In front of the net was teammate Deegan Mofford (Open Studies) who would deflect it past Tmej for the Kings third goal of the game. Kendall was awarded the second assist on Mofford's fourth goal of the season.

Not long after the Clippers were able to find their powerplay groove and score a special team's goal to tie the game up at three a piece. Weersink was not able to corral the rebound from a shot from the point and Grandfield was able to find the loose puck and put it over top of the Kings goalie who was laying on the ice.

The Kings were awarded a penalty shot after the Clippers defenceman covered the puck in the blue paint. Miller attempted the penalty shot for the Kings but was not able to guide it past Tmej.

Moments later a play developed from behind the Clippers net leading to another Kings lead. Wozney played the puck from behind the goal line to forward Hayden Clayton (Open Studies) at the side of the goal who would one-time it home to take the 4-3 lead. Captain Chance Longjohn (Bachelor of Education Elementary) got an assist on Clayton's fifth goal of the season.

With under two minutes to play the Kings were able to get an insurance goal on the powerplay from Kendall. A shot from Toder created a rebound off the Clippers goaltender Tmej which the forward from Camrose took advantage of and hit the back of the net.

The Kings were able to pull off the weekend sweep of the Clippers with a 5-3 win. The final shots on goal were in favour of the home team with 32. Briercrest College finished with 15 shots on net.

The players of the game were awarded to forward's Cole Stevenson and Jacob Kendall. Stevenson finished off the afternoon with one goal and Kendall had a goal and two assists.

The visiting Clippers will play a two-game series at home next weekend against the NAIT Ooks. The Kings will get next weekend off before travelling out to Edmonton to take on the Ooks on November 18.