The Dauphin Kings are starting to roll with four wins in their last six Manitoba Junior Hockey League contests.
The Kings won both games of a home-and-home with the Selkirk Steelers, this past weekend, scoring a 3-2 win, Friday in Selkirk, before riding a five-goal first period to a 7-3 victory, Saturday in Dauphin.
Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said the Kings got off to a good start in Friday’s game, despite giving up the game’s first goal.
“But at the same time, we pushed back. Found ways to get it done,” he said. “We played well defensively, especially in the second period. We had a really good push back period and got a couple goals and had a 3-1 lead early in the third.”
The Kings sat back a bit in the latter stages of the third period and Selkirk took advantage to make it a one-goal game late and made a push for the equalizer, but the Kings hung on for the two points.
“Sometimes you have to win greasy and ugly and the third period wasn’t our best, but we found a way to get it done,” Hedley said.
The Kings had their biggest offensive output of the season on Saturday, thanks to a five-goal first period. Dauphin had a rapid response on a couple of occasions, scoring twice in 15 and 20 second spans.
That offensive outburst was due, Hedley said, to the Kings getting pucks to the net.
“I thought our first and third tonight were our best, just on puck movement and speed, jumping out of the neutral zone, making some good passes and making some good plays,” he added. “We’re starting to figure out the D-to-D, playing fast and getting pucks up ice. And our low support guy is staying low where he should be instead of roaming the zone all the time. If there’s a turnover, we’re in trouble.”
The win improves Dauphin’s record to 6-5-1-0 for 13 points, good for fourth place in the tight West Division, where only eight points separates first place OCN from last place Neepawa. The Kings trail Waywayseecappo and Virden by just one point and are just six back of the Blizzard.
Special teams are struggling in the early going. The power play is 11th in the league, clicking at 12.5 per cent, while the penalty kill is tied for 10th at 75 per cent.
That is one aspect of the game the Kings have not spent a lot of time practicing, something that will change. Hedley pointed out the penalty kill was successful until the Winnipeg Blues scored four times on a five-minute major, Sept. 30.
“That four goals on one power play kills you,” he said. “It was better tonight. We’re starting to figure it out a bit. But our power play, there’s not a lot of separation between a lot of guys, so we’re trying to figure things out. We’re going to put some more time into it this week.”
Deepkaran Hans had an immediate impact in his first two games with the Kings, registering a goal and an assist on Friday and scoring twice on Saturday. Hedley liked the forward when he played for the Swan Valley Stampeders last season.
“He was always one of their best players. He’s hard on pucks. He’s got great speed, good size. Plays physical, plays with an edge. We had to make sure a couple things lined up, but he’s definitely been a great addition,” he said.
After a tough start to the season, goaltender Keaton Woolsey was sent home. Hedley tried find a place for Woolsey to play in Canada, but could find no takers, so the second-year netminder went home to Eagan, Minn.
His spot on the roster has been filled by another American goalie, Marko Belak, who was one of the top three goaltenders in the state of Minnesota, last season and started this year in the North American Hockey League.
“We’re really happy to have him and Dan (Keeping, Kings goaltender coach) is looking forward to working with him. But we think we’ve got a real good goaltender here,” Hedley said.
The Kings face the Virden Oil Capitals in a home-and-home this weekend.
The two teams meet in Virden, Friday, with the rematch in Dauphin on Saturday. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m.
