The Leduc Oil Kings weren't happy with their Tuesday showing at the Telus Cup. They delivered a more focused effort on Wednesday and handed the Mississauga Rebels their first loss of the national midget hockey championship.
A Wednesday afternoon game at CN Centre saw the Oil Kings skate to a 4-1 victory against the Rebels. The win - sparked by three power-play goals - was a satisfying one for Leduc, which had fallen 4-1 to the Cape Breton West Islanders the day before.
"We met as a team and looked over some video and reflected on a little bit of a lacklustre performance (Tuesday) and had more of a defensive-minded structure," said Oil Kings head coach Taylor Harnett. "Guys stuck to the game plan to a T, and it was a big reason why we won."
With the win, Leduc elevated its record to 2-1. The Oil Kings started the tournament with a 4-1 victory against the Cariboo Cougars on Monday.
The Rebels, who began the Telus Cup with 5-2 and 4-0 decisions against the Regina Pat Canadians and Saint-Francois Blizzard respectively, slipped to 2-1.
In the Oil Kings-Rebels game, Leduc led 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 after the second. Two more Oil Kings goals in the third produced the final result.
Leduc got a boost when Tyler Schendel scored on a power play with just 11 seconds left in the opening period. The Oil Kings then struck again early in the second, the goal by Tyler Smithies. Before the middle frame was done, Massimo Petricca got the Rebels on the board with a man-advantage marker.
In the third, the Rebels took four penalties before the 14-minute mark and the Oil Kings finally made them pay when Schendel chipped a shot over the pad of Mississauga goaltender Christian Purboo at 13:43. A few minutes later, with Calder Lund of the Rebels serving a double-minor for a hit to the head, Oil Kings blueliner Jack Sander zipped a wrist shot into the top corner of the net behind Purboo. Sander, who turns 17 on May 1, is on the 50-player protected list of the WHL's Prince George Cougars.
The Oil Kings finished 3-for-11 on the power play and the Rebels went 1-for-8. Leduc outshot Mississauga 28-25 and made a winner out of goalie Easton Hesse.
Today at CN Centre, the Pacific champion Oil Kings will play the Regina Pat Canadians at noon. The Rebels, the Central region champ, will hit the ice against the Islanders at 4 p.m.
