Oil Kings’ Kolby Hay earns first shutout in 3-0 blanking of Hitmen
Breadcrumb Trail Links Hockey Edmonton Oil Kings forward Dawson Seitz (20) celebrates his goal with teammates Carter Kowalyk (2) and John Szabo (12) against the Victoria Royals in this file photo November 4, 2022 in Edmonton. Photo by Greg Southam /Postmedia, File Article Contents
Kolby Hay flipped the script Friday in the Western Hockey League’s Battle of Alberta.
advertising 2
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
Stopping his Edmonton Oil Kings to a 3-0 win over the Calgary Hitmen at Rogers Place resulted in the first shutout win of his career.
And it took on an opponent who had won all three previous encounters this season, having bested Edmonton 18-2 in those three wins, including two 5-0 results.
But it was Hay who kept a clean sheet this time as a rejuvenated Oil Kings group ended a triple losing streak and now have eight points from their last seven games.
Hay stopped all 43 shots he faced from a Calgary team delayed by rink weather, while hitmen goaltender Brayden Peters stopped 27 of 30 shots at the other end.
And Hay would have dealt with more if it wasn’t for a slew of blocked shots from his teammates in front of him.
advertising 3
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
“It makes my job a lot easier,” Hay said.
THE SCORING
Edmonton jumped onto the board first when the team’s leading scorer emerged with a puck that spun out of the corner and just in front of Calgary’s net before swinging wide with the sticky side and pushing it past Brayden Peters.
Another giveaway from Calgary just 61 seconds later saw Dawson Seitz hit the top corner over Peter’s glove from a sharp angle, keeping the keeper in step with a decoy.
Just to show no love was lost between their rival cities, gloves were dropped after a collision behind Calgary’s net as hitmen captain Riley Fiddler-Schltz tried to cheer his team by taking on Rilen Kovacevic.
And the Oil Kings forward didn’t budge, despite testing some new jabs after being cut by a skate blade on his last time out as the two wrestled each other onto the ice and couldn’t get more than a jab or two.
advertising 4
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
After a scoreless second third that wasn’t without chances, it ended in equalizers after tempers flared again and the final frame started in a four-on-four, with Kovacevic being stopped at the elbow by Peters in a lone breakout attempt.
An empty goal from Noah Boyko ended the goal with 49.3 seconds remaining.
MORE MELNYK
What a way to start a new era for the Oil Kings.
Friday’s game was the first in which Rhett Melnyk wore the captain’s C for the team, having been awarded the letter at a press conference at Rogers Place a day earlier.
The 18-year-old Fort Saskatchewan player takes over from last year’s captaincy, former Oil Kings forward Jake Neighbors, and becomes the 15th leader on the ice in the club’s modern history.
advertising 5
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
“It’s not so much my shutout, but it’s for Melnyk’s first night as captain,” Hay said. “He did a great job for us.”
Originally drafted in the second round (33rd overall) by the Tri-City Americans in 2019, Melnyk is in his debut season with his hometown club and came in second in the team standings with 11 goals and 23 points in 44 games game on Friday.
“It starts with the quality of his character,” said Oil Kings head coach Luke Pierce. “Since his arrival he has shown consistent performances on and off the ice and shows a true desire to improve every day and every game.
“He embodies what it means to be an oil king and has demonstrated the core values of our culture of joy, humility, trust and sacrifice.”
ENTER A ‘D’
Edmonton added Jager Gugyelka to a WHL grant and development agreement.
advertising 6
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
“Jager is a competitive young player who is playing a committed game at both ends of the ice,” said Michael Chan, Oil Kings scouting director.
The 6-foot, 185-pound Coaldale defender was out of uniform at Rogers Place on Friday night but is expected to face the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes (4pm) on Sunday.
Drafted in the 10th round (219th overall) of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, Gugyelka played with the U18 Triple-A Lethbridge Hurricanes, where he recorded five goals and 25 assists in 29 games at a points-a-game pace achieved.
“He was able to earn the trust of his under-18 coaches as a 15-year-old with good attacking decisions and a solid defensive game,” said Chan. “We look forward to his continued advancements as part of our organization.”
OUT OF SERVICE
Veteran defenseman Tom Cadieux joined the Oil Kings list of injured after exiting the game early last Sunday, clutching his abdomen. Also out was forward Loick Daigle, who was suspended for a dangerous boarding violation in that game against the Prince George Cougars.
Email: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
Share this article on your social network Ad 1
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Remarks
Postmedia strives to maintain a vibrant but civilized forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to be moderated before they appear on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve turned on email notifications – you’ll now receive an email when you get a reply to your comment, there’s an update on a comment thread you follow, or when a user you follow comments follows. For more information and details on how to customize your email settings, see our Community Guidelines.
