After starting the 2009/10 season with three consecutive road games, where they went 2-1, the Kings hosted the Neepawa Natives Friday night and the OCN Blizzard Saturday night as part of their Opening Weekend.
Kings fans were introduced to their team prior to the start of Friday's game, which featured a light show, player introductions, the raising of a new banner and welcoming remarks from various dignitaries. Once all the pre-game festivities concluded, the Kings were looking to give the 1218 plus fans in attendance something to cheer about, and that didn't take long. Local product Ryan Dreger opened the scoring just :53 seconds into the home opener. Captain Steven Shamanski managed to find Dreger at the side of the net, who redirected home his first of two on the night to give Dauphin the early 1-0 lead. Allias Kalinsky would make it 2-0 when he buried his own rebound past Neepawa netminder Kelly Andrew while shorthanded. The Kings power play unit would then add to the lead, as Bryce Lamb (from Gaudry) and Shane Luke (from Lamb and Dreger) would both score just past the midway point of the opening period to give the Kings a 4-0 lead. Neepawa would score at the 14:49 mark to pull within three, as the Kings out shot the Natives 16-5 in the first period.
Neepawa would make it 4-2 early into the middle frame, when they scored a power play marker of their own. Shortly after killing off another Neepawa man advantage, the Kings would restore their three goal lead when Shamanski would once again set Dreger up to make it 5-2 at the 10:39 mark. Dauphin wasn't done there, as second year player Brett Fargher netted his first of the season when he fired home a wristshot while playing a rare shift on defence. Joe Caligiuri would make 12 saves in the second period, as the Kings took a 6-2 lead into the third period.
The third period would see both teams clamp down defensively, as they combined for only 10 shots. After a tight checking period, the Kings would skate away with their first home win of the 2009/10 campaign, downing Neepawa 6-2.
20 year old Ryan Dreger would lead the way offensively, scoring twice and adding an assist for a 3 point performance. Bryce Lamb (1G, 1A) and Steven Shamanski (2A) would also record multi-point games. Winnipeg native Joe Caligiuri would earn the win in net for the Kings, stopping 22 of 24 shots, improving his league leading win/loss record to 3-0.
The Kings went 2 for 5 with the man advantage, while Neepawa went 1 for 4. The Kings out shot the Natives 28-24.
The Kings looked to build off a strong performance in the Home Opener, as they faced the OCN Blizzard Saturday night, on a night which saw the Kings unveil their brand new Norwex 3rd jerseys.
Wearing the new red set, the Kings would once again open the scoring in the first minute of the game, this time at the :21 second mark. Brendan Baumgartner would fire a shot on net from a tough angle that would find a way to squeak through to give the Kings the early lead. Mike Boese and Allias Kalinsky would earn the assists on Baumgartner's second of the season. Both teams would be assessed three minor penalties each throughout the opening period, however the Kings would continue to lead 1-0 after 20 minutes.
Special teams would continue to play an important role in Saturday's game, as Dauphin went on the power play three times in the middle frame, and was also forced to kill off two penalties of their own. Brett Willows would turn aside all 7 shots he faced in the second period, as the Kings took a 1-0 lead into the third period.
OCN would pull even with the Kings at the 4:57 mark of the third period. With a total of 8 minor penalties being called throughout the period, the Kings looked to capitalize on one of their power play opportunities to regain the lead. 19 year old forward Colton Graf, who came over from the Battlefords North Stars, would score at the 12:41 mark to give the Kings a 2-1 lead. Steven Shamanski and Jacob Verheyden would assist on the go ahead goal, which was also Graf's first as a King. The Kings would limit OCN's chances late in the period, as they went on to win 2-1, and improve to 4-1 on the season.
Brendan Baumgartner, Colton Graf, Mike Boese, Allias Kalinsky, Steven Shamanski and Jacob Verheyden would all find their way onto the score sheet Saturday night. Kings' netminder Brett Willows would turn aside 20 of 21 shots against the Blizzard, as he improves his goals against average to an impressive 2.98.
The Kings went 1 for 8 on the power play, while OCN went 0 for 7. Dauphin's power play now sits at 30.0% on the season, while the penalty kill is 85.7%. Dauphin out shot OCN 36-21 Saturday, as they earned the home victory in front of 855 fans.
The Kings will now host the Winkler Flyers Tuesday night, who sport a 2-2 record on the season. Game time is 7:30pm.
Make sure you check back to dauphinkings.com for all the latest news, stories and updates surrounding your Dauphin Kings. Dauphin Kings hockey - Our Town. Our Time.
Info from: http://www.dauphinkings.com/article.php?article_id=17
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment