It was a tough weekend of hockey for the Agra Risk Wheatland Kings, who battled hard through back-to-back matchups but came up just short on the scoreboard.
Friday night at the Strathmore Family Centre, the Kings hosted the Red Deer Vipers in front of their home crowd. Despite generating offense and pushing late, Strathmore ultimately fell 5-2. Adam Moore and Josh Alberda were bright spots, each picking up multi-point nights and keeping the Kings within striking distance throughout the contest.
The following evening in Cochrane, the Kings came out firing. Tanner Phillips wasted no time, burying a beautiful goal less than two minutes into the game to give Strathmore the early lead. The Kings defense and goaltending stood tall, holding the Generals to a single goal apiece deep into the third period. But with just five minutes remaining, momentum swung. An interference penalty put Strathmore shorthanded, and the Generals capitalized with the go-ahead powerplay marker. They added an empty-netter and a late insurance tally to close out a 4-1 win.
Kings GM Cody Holdaway said there are positives to build on despite the results.
“The team saw lots of improvement on Saturday over Friday. But we definitely still have lots to work on,” Holdaway explained. “After just two weeks of play, we can definitely see a clear shift in the South Division — it’s definitely up for grabs.”
The Kings now look ahead to a busy road swing this weekend, putting some miles on with games in Okotoks, Coaldale, and Rocky Mountain House.
