The Kings come away with a 6-3 victory over the Clippers

Red Deer, November 4 - In Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) action on Friday night in Red Deer, it was a battle of last years quarterfinals match between the Briercrest Clippers and the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings. The Clippers had the last laugh in the 2021-2022 season with the team from Saskatchewan taking the playoff series 2-0.

The Clippers would open the scoring just over five minutes into the game. Defenceman Campbell Ens would spring a pass from their own zone to his teammate Joshua Wiens, who would break into the Kings zone and fire one past goaltender Arik Weersink's (Business Administration General Management) glove. This was the first shot on goal for the visiting team.

Not long after, the Kings win the face off in their own zone and Jacob Wozney (Bachelor of Education Secondary) would skate all the way up the ice on his own and wrist one just above goaltender Kolter Pawlick's pad to tie the game up at one. Brennan Davis (Justice Studies) and Layne Toder (Management Certificate Skywing) grabbed the assists on this goal.

Wozyney would make it two in a row and put his team up 2-1 half-way through the first period. Toder would grab his second assist of the match on Wozney's fourth goal of the season. This would do it for the first period scoring with the Kings outshooting the visiting team nine to four.

After a cross-checking minor was handed out to Clippers Daine Milgate (Business Administration), the Kings would go up 3-1 with a powerplay goal early on in the second period. Forward Nolan Doell (Bachelor of Education) slid a pass to his teammate Hayden Clayton (Open Studies), who would be stopped on his first shot but Pawlick could not contain the rebound and Clayton put it home for his fourth goal of the season.

The Clippers would come within one of the Kings with a powerplay goal of their own three minutes later. It was a play that started from the blueline then down to the corner and Zachary Thususka would finish off the tic-tac-toe sequence in front of the net. Clippers Curtis Wiebe and Brandon Kelly were awarded the assists on Thususka's first goal of the season.

Late in the second period, the Kings would take a 4-2 lead. Kings forward Erik Miller would thread a pass through two Clippers players to Doell, who would wrist it past the opposing goaltender. Chase Haygarth was given the second assist on this goal, which would give him five on the season.

Early in the third period, Weersink was forced to make a big save after Milgate was sent on a partial breakaway but it was the Kings goaltender who would steer it aside.

Inside the 16 minute mark, the Kings struck again after some great work on the boards leading to a pass from Regan Doig (Open Studies) to Ryland McNinch who was in the slot and would put it home for a 5-2 lead. Defenceman Konrad Belcourt would pick up his first point of the season on this goal.

Clippers Brandon Kelly would cut into the Kings lead with a scrappy goal inside the blue paint. Briercrest's Jake Dale would put it in front of the net to Brandon Kelly, who would put it over Weersink. Curtis Wiebe got the second assist on this goal.

Late in the third period, the home team was put on a five on three penalty kill after Wozney and Belcourt took two minute minors. Luckily, the Kings were able to kill it off which led to some more momentum on their side for a five-on-five goal. Kendall would sneak into the offensive zone and slide one past Pawlick to take a commanding 6-3 lead, which ended up being the final score.

Clippers Brandon Kelly and Kings Nolan Doell were awarded the players of the game. Kelly and Doell finished with a two point (1G, 1A) night.

These two teams with face-off in a rematch tomorrow afternoon in Red Deer at 1 pm.