Salmon Kings Have Happy Homecoming

Published on March 12, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Victoria Salmon Kings News Release


Victoria, BC - In a Wednesday night match-up the Victoria Salmon Kings and Ontario Reign met in the first contest of a four-game set. Goaltender Julien Ellis started in net for the Kings while the Reign countered with Jeff Zatkoff.

The Kings were the first to score in the opening frame. With just under five minutes of play, Adam Taylor would find the back of the net and collect his fifth goal of the season. Due to some gritty play down low, Cutis Billsten was able to walk out of the corner and feed Taylor in front to give Victoria the one goal lead. Taylor wasn't done there; he would tally a goal on a beautiful snap shot on an offensive rush and beat Zatkoff high glove side. That goal was his second of the game and sixth of the season. That concluded the first period of play with the Kings ahead 2-0.

Victoria would add to their lead in the middle frame, as Sean O'Connor banged home a rebound from a Gary Gladue point shot. Time of the goal 5:21, that's his 16th of the year. Just one minute later Jordie Benn would notch his first goal as a professional after he picked up the puck, cut in behind the Reign's net, skated into the right face off circle and spun then mustarded a hard wrist shot over the left shoulder of Zatkoff. With a 4-0 lead Victoria, would continue to press, Adam Taylor would complete the hat trick when he found a rebound sitting in the slot and fired it in the gaping net. The last Kings hat trick was by Wes Goldie on Sunday December 14th versus Phoenix. Goldie would get into the action when he collected his 44th of the season by snapping home a loose puck that was up for grabs in front of Ontario's net. The Reign's Bud Holloway would cut into the lead when he crossed the blue line on the right wing and wired a shot over the glove hand of Ellis to make it 6-1. That's how the second period would end.

Ontario looked early to cut into Victoria's 6-1 lead; while on the man advantage a clear Brad Mehalko slap shot snuck its way through Ellis's legs. Playing in his first home game as a Salmon King, Aaron Brocklehurst would bury his fifth of the year at the 5:34 mark. While quarterbacking the Kings power play, Brocklehurst would walk in and drop Zatkoff with a fake shot allowing room for a backhand shelf tally. With a 7-2 lead, Victoria continued to put points on the board; Olivier Labelle received a cross-ice pass on a 3-2 rush from Chris St. Jacques and slid a low wrist shot past the screened Reign goalkeeper. Ontario kept battling despite an 8-2 deficit, after winning a puck battle down low in Victoria's end Tim Kraus found David Walker, who had slid down from the point, and he beat Ellis with a quick shot. Walker's seventh of the year cut the lead to 8-3. The Kings would re-establish their six goal margin while on the power play. Olivier Filion got tripped to his knees on his way to the slot, still having control of the puck Filion slid and shoveled a backhander over Zatkoff's glove. In this high scoring affair it was fitting that with just 10 seconds left in the game Ontario forward Brad Melhalko would get stringed out on a breakaway from a Tim Kraus pass up the middle. Melhalko made sure to collect his second of the game by beating Ellis top glove corner. Salmon Kings 9 Reign 3.

Victoria finished 2/5 = 40% on the power play, while Las Vegas finished 1/4= 25%. The Salmon Kings outshot the Reign 50-37.

The Salmon Kings and Reign return to action at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:05 p.m. and then on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Tickets available at www.selectyourtickets.com.

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