Home Game #10: A Triumphant Return

November 14th, 2014: Oil Kings 7, Saskatoon Blades 1

After a dismal US road trip (1-5-0-1), the Oil Kings were back in black last night at Rexall Place.

This marked the second meeting for the Blades and Oil Kings in the regular season and the Oil Kings made it a perfect 2 and 0. The Oil Kings got things started early in the first, as Tyler Robertson wired one past rookie goaltender Trevor Martin. Ashton Sautner would net his first of the game late in the first. Dysin Mayo started the second off with a goal, to put the home team up by three. At the halfway mark, Davis Koch netted his first WHL goal in only his fifth game played. As the second period wrapped up, things got extremely heated, resulting in Nick Zajac and Mitchell Walter starting the third with matching 10-minute misconducts. The third period was a much different game compared to the first two: Sautner notched two more, both on the powerplay, to complete his hattrick. Mayo scored his second of the night to bring Edmonton to seven unanswered goals. When it looked like everything was said and done, Cory Millette scored the lone goal for the Blades with just over a minute and a half left in the game, ruining Patrick Dea’s shutout. The 7-1 win for the Oil Kings is their second in a row after their lengthy skid.

With his hattrick, Sautner set an Oil Kings modern franchise record as the first defenseman to notch three goals in a single game. He is now tied for most goals on the team (7, alongside Brett Pollock) and sits second in total points on the season, leading defensemen. The defensive pair of Sautner and Dysin Mayo combined for 5 goals on the night (7 points all together). Pollock is currently the points leader on the team; last night was his third consecutive two-point game.

Edmonton is on the road this week and returns home against Prince Albert a week from Tuesday. They have dropped to 11-8-0-2 on the season, and are now 4th in the Central division–although they remain just one point back of both Calgary and Red Deer, with a game in hand on both teams.