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Oil Kings Win Wild Afternoon Affair Against Lethbridge

October 1, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Edmonton Oil Kings News Release


Edmonton, AB - The Edmonton Oil Kings notched a season-high eight goals on Sunday afternoon to claim an 8-5 win over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes at Rogers Place.

The Oil Kings and Hurricanes were locked in a scoreless draw for much of the first period thanks to some fine goaltending from both Logan Cunningham in the Edmonton crease and Brady Smith for Lethbridge but in the final two minutes of the period both teams were able to find the back of the net just 11 seconds apart.

First, Marshall Finnie ripped home his fourth goal of the season after taking a perfect centering pass from Rilen Kovacevic in the slot after a Lethbridge turnover with 1:58 left in the period to give Edmonton a short-lived lead with Anton Astashevich replying for Lethbridge less than a dozen later.

In the second period, the Oil Kings would take complete control of the game scoring four times to take a 5-1 lead into the second intermission.

Kovacevic gave Edmonton a 2-1 lead 6:21 into the middle stanza with a shorthanded marker after streaking into the Lethbridge zone and roofing a shot from the left-circle.

28 seconds later, Kovacevic was back at it again after racing onto a loose puck below the Lethbridge goal line and banking the puck in off Smith from a sharp angle.

The Oil Kings were then able to build on the lead with just under eight minutes left in the period thanks to a pair of goals just 1:13 apart. Adam Jecho made it 4-1 Edmonton after taking advantage of a Lethbridge turnover in the right-circle and firing a shot past Smith for his first career WHL goal and then, Vojtech Port and Rhett Melnyk worked a perfect give-and-go with Port finishing it for his first goal of the season, making it a 5-1 game.

A wild third period would see the Hurricanes score four times to keep the game interesting with a pair of goals from Dustin Renas, along with singles from Noah Chadwick and Miguel Marques. But, Jecho's second goal of the game, on a setup from Aidan Litke, halfway through the third period would end up as the eventual game winner. Marc Lajoie and Nathan Pilling each had empty-net goals in the final minutes to secure the Edmonton victory.

Cunningham made 39 saves for his first win of the season, while Smith finished up the afternoon with 21 stops. The Oil Kings went 0-for-1 on the power play, Lethbridge was 0-for-3.

Next up, the Oil Kings hit the road for a pair of games in Saskatchewan starting Tuesday, October 3 when they battle the Prince Albert Raiders at 7:00 P.M. at the Art Hauser Centre. You can catch all the action on the road by tuning into the Oil Kings Radio Network, iHeartRadio Canada.

The Edmonton Oil Kings next home game is Friday, October 7 at 7:00 P.M. when they take on the Prince Albert Raiders at Rogers Place.

The Oil Kings are Edmonton's first choice for family fun with great seats starting at $20 and season seats for as low as $299 for an entire season of thrilling WHL action!

Head to OilKings.ca to secure your seat today!

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