Game Report: Edmonton 5 Vancouver 0

1ST PERIOD EDM C. Corbett (3) (D. Wruck, H. Samuelsson) 1:44 (PP)
2ND PERIOD EDM S. Legault (8) (T. Foster, C. Corbett) 14:31
3RD PERIOD EDM D. Wruck (12) (H. Samuelsson, M. St. Croix) 4:26
EDM B. Pollock (2) (B. Carroll) 8:23
EDM A. Sautner (1) (S. Legault, T. Foster) 18:24 Vancouver

Jared Rathjen 28/33

Edmonton
Tristan Jarry 24/24

Vancouver
1. Jackson Houck LW - Houck was likely the best Giants' forward on this night. A real pest but plays with a tenacious work ethic that is infectious throughout the lineup. Real yeoman's work on the penalty kill as the Giants were in penalty trouble a lot of the night, including being down 5 on 3 on a couple of occasions. Houck does have some offense to his game but that wan'r apparent from any Giant on this night. If Houck continues with his game, he should find a home as a 3rd line role player type in the pros.
2. Jared Rathjen G - Surprisingly impressed with how Rathjen played tonight. Stayed square to the puck and battled through traffic a lot on this night. Penalties kept him busy, but he was a big part of killing them off one by one. Kept his team in the game through 2 periods. Eventually the dam broke and the net was getting filled behind him in the third once it was inevitable that the Giants offense was a no show on this night.

Edmonton
1. Stephane Legault LW - This was the type of game that needed the spade work that Legault provides night in, night out. It was a hotly contested game for a lot of it and thats when Legault does his best work. Legault tallied the 2nd goal of the game that crushed the will of the Giants. Legault also had a rarity in this game where he took a point blank shot that hit the middle of the crossbar and then the base of the post on the same shot. A first for these eyes. Even though Legault doesn't come with a lot of fanfare, he is a very important piece to the Oil Kings winning ways.
2. Cody Corbett D - A goal and an assist and a +4 night. Corbett is a big reason why the Oil Kings keep winning even though they have more than half there defense out of the lineup.With Griffin Reinhart and David Musil at the World Junior Championship, Dysin Mayo at the U-17s and Martin Gernat on the shelf but close to returning, Corbett has been a steady rock for the Oil Kings. He is starting to contribute offensively now, to go along with his solid defensive game, he is proving to be a very important, unheralded piece of the Oil Kings juggernaut. Kudos to Tristan Jarry in the twine for pitching a shutout.

Game Report: Edmonton 6 Brandon 2

1ST PERIOD EDM M. Moroz (7) (S. Legault, C. Corbett) 10:30
EDM H. Samuelsson (20) (B. Carroll) 11:44
BDN T. McGauley (9) (A. Nikkel, R. Nejezchleb) 16:42
2ND PERIOD EDM K. Lowe (7) , 2:56
EDM H. Samuelsson (21) (C. Lazar, A. Sautner) 8:48
3RD PERIOD EDM K. Lowe (8) (H. Samuelsson, S. Legault) 4:57 (PP)
EDM H. Samuelsson (22) (D. Wruck, T. Foster) 10:49 (PP)
BDN R. Nejezchleb (8) (C. Robinson, T. Cooper) 16:22 Brandon Corbin Boes 30/36 Edmonton Laurent Brossoit 21/23 Brandon 1. Richard Nejezchleb RW - Nejezchleb is a big bodied winger that was one of a very few that had any offense in his stick on this night. His skating is a bit sluggish at times but his puck control is solid, especially along the boards. Tallied a goal and an assist on this night. The Wheat Kings are very thin at forward even with the return of Michael Ferlund, so any offense coming from any of their forward would be of great help. 2. Ryan Pulock D - The best chance at zone entry for the Wheat Kings was Pulock rushing from the defense position. Pulock was quiet on this night, but was by far their most reliable player. Pulock's all around game and just having a penchant for making the right play at the right time will make him very sought after for the 2013 NHL draft. The Wheat Kings seemed very disjointed for most of the night and Pulock got caught up in that but his overall talent is something that should go unnoticed. Edmonton 1. Henrik Samuelsson RW - Samuelsson was having one of those nights where everything he shot was going into the net, but he was full value for every goal. Often found himself in the right place at the right time and made the most of his opportunities. Tallied three times and added an assist. His big frame gave the Wheat Kings problems all night, a matchup he took full advantage of. Scored off the rush and scored around the net, showed nice versatility tonight. 2. Keegan Lowe D - With fellow defenders Griffin Reinhart, David Musil and Martin Gernat out of the lineup, Lowe stepped up his offensive game by tallying twice. Scored the big goal in the 2nd period that put the Oil Kings up 3-1 and they never looked back. Lowe played well in all zones. Was shooting the puck offensively and played a reliable game defensively. Battled for the puck all night. He is needed right now as the Oil Kings are playing a lot of defensemen that don't have a lot of experience. Lowe's expeience came to the forefront tonight.

Game Report: Red Deer 5 Edmonton 3

1ST PERIOD R.D W. Johnson (8) (B. Underwood, K. Doetzel) 1:18
R.D T. Elson (11) (D. Fafard) 3:30
R.D M. Dumba (8) (B. Gaudet, D. Volek) 5:37 (PP)
EDM M. St. Croix (20) (T. Foster) 12:17
EDM T. Ewanyk (5) (H. Samuelsson, M. Moroz) 18:36
2ND PERIOD R.D B. Maxwell (3) (R. Dieno, D. Fafard) 3:27
EDM T. Foster (17) (C. Corbett, M. St. Croix) 16:18
3RD PERIOD R.D M. Dumba (9) (B. Gaudet) 16:32 (PP) Red Deer Bolton Pouliot 53/56 Edmonton Tristan Jarry 34/39 Laurent Brossoit 1/1 Red Deer 1. Turner Elson LW - Have to admire the courage with the way Elson plays the game. The Rebels captain tallied once. had a fight with Keegan Lowe that I would call a draw and finished +2 on the night. Elson also showed courage by taking a couple of shots to the legs standing in front of the net. Elson is the poster child for how the Rebels play. Courageous, fearless, push the pace style game. 2. Mathew Dumba D - Statement game for the Rebels and a statement game for Dumba. After being one of the last cuts off of the Team Canada World Junior Team, Dumba didn't let that get to his head and played a strong game tonight. Defensive position still questionable at times but his ability to make impact plays at critical times in a game either through a big shot or a big hit. Scored twice including the clincher in the third period. Dumba remains an impact player on a team that believes they can win. Edmonton 1. T.J. Foster C - Foster with yet another strong game, but thats expected from one of the veterans on the Oil Kings. Foster is so reliable at both ends of the ice. Tallied a goal and an assist tonight. Foster is the sharpshooter for the Oil Kings. Good things usually happen when he is taking shots towards the net. Foster cannot be unnoticed by the pro leagues much longer. 2. Cody Corbett D - Corbett was one of the few mainstays on the Oil Kings backend on a night where there were a lot of new faces due to injury and the World Junior Championship. Corbett tallied an assist but played solid defense and was complementing the offense nicely. The Oil Kings leaned on Corbett a lot tonight but ultimately their slow start did them in. Corbett continues to be rock solid defensively while his offensive game is coming around.

Game Report: Edmonton 5 Victoria 2

1ST PERIOD VIC T. Stahl (4) , 5:45 2ND PERIOD
EDM C. Corbett (2) (H. Samuelsson) 2:02
VIC S. Hodges (8) (J. Crooks) 2:56
EDM M. St. Croix (15) (D. Wruck, T. Foster) 5:24 (PP)
EDM T. Foster (14) (S. Legault) 7:50
EDM K. Lowe (6) (E. Kulda, D. Mayo) 15:36
EDM B. Baddock (4) (K. Wilson, L. Bertolucci) 16:00 3RD PERIOD No Scoring Victoria Patrik Polivka 18/23 Coleman Vollrath 6/6 Edmonton Tristan Jarry 24/26 Victoria 1. Steven Hodges C - Hodges was the most productive forward on the Royals tonight. Scored once on a sifter that beat Jarry five hole and had another glorious chance where he had Jarry beat on a slick right to left move but hit the post on a yawning net. The thing holding the Royals back is they have good players but just quite not enough attention to defensive detail. Wth the Royals playing on back to back nights, once the Oil Kings broke through offensively, the game was essentially over. Hodges is a part of the forward mix that can stand to better in their own zone. 2. Tyler Stahl D - Really impressed with Stahl's game today. Scored with a bomb from the point, laid out numerous hits including one on Luke Bertolucci that was illegal (headshot) that raised the ire of the Oil Kings and blocked a shot with his head that stopped a surefire goal. The shot did not keep him out of the game. He was right back out there the next shift. His toughness and his dependability was on full display tonight. Victoria captain played like a captain tonight, unfortunately he did not get much help along the way. Edmonton 1. T.J. Foster C - Foster was his usual, reliable self. Chipped in offensively with a goal and an assist. His line with Stephane Legault and Curtis Lazar was the most effiecient on the night. Foster shows his versatility by switching back to center from the wing where he has played most of the year. Pro scouts have to be impressed with how Foster handles himself on the ice. A do-it-all type forward that can play in any of the 12 forward slots and be productive. 2. Cody Corbett D - With Griffin Reinhart and David Musil out of the lineup for the Oil Kings, it meant more minutes were going to be piled up on Corbett's lap. He responded with his best game of the season, at least of the games I've seen. Did a great job of puck distributing, including setting up Dylan Wruck for breakaways on two different occasions with nice stretch passes. Scored by walking in from the point and putting a well placed wrist shot over the glove of Polivka. Corbett was solid in his own zone as well.

Game Report: Red Deer 3 Victoria 2 (SO)

1ST PERIOD R.D R. Dieno (6) (B. Maxwell, T. Elson) 1:12
VIC L. Nelson (8) (J. Hicketts, B. Walker) 13:45 (PP)
2ND PERIOD R.D M. Bellerive (8) (B. Underwood) 7:37
3RD PERIOD VIC J. Walker (1) (B. Walker, B. Cote) 15:28 Shootout Victoria Logan Nelson Goal Brandon Magee No Goal Steven Hodges Goal Red Deer Rhyse Dieno Goal Matt Bellerive Goal Connor Bleackley Goal Victoria Patrik Polivka 30/32 Red Deer Bolton Pouliot 32/34 Victoria 1. Logan Nelson C - Nelson was Victoria's best forward on this night as he tallied once and then again in the shootout with a slick move. Nelson plays a heady game and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Knows when to engage and when to back off. Competed hard all night. Plays an opportunistic game but makes the most of his chances. 2. Keegan Kanzig D - Kanzig a large figure on the Victoria. Mostly goes unnoticed until he starts leaning on opposing players. Takes up a lot of space in the defensive zone. Mobility is above average considering his size. The next stage in his development is reps and becoming reliable game after game in his own zone and finding comfort with that. Understanding the flow of the game in when to engage and when to back off is something he is still learning on the job. Red Deer 1. Rhyse Dieno RW - Considering Dieno was playing the SJHL not too long ago, his immediate offensive impact on the Rebels is nothing short of amazing. He has immediately come into this club and has the offensive flow of the team on his stick. His combination of skating, vision and to be able to navigate in traffic makes him very dynamic. Dieno is a great story and player making the most of his opportunity. 2. Mathew Dumba D - Dumba had a strong game tonight, considering he is one day removed from being cut from Team Canada U-20 Club. This is the most reliable I have seen him play a game in quite some time. Moreof this is needed from him. He really stumbled leading up to the camp but it showed his character tonight to have a strong game and put that in the rear view mirror. His defensive reads were getting a bit sloppy and his reactions were slow. Tonight, he was more crisp in that area.

Game Report: Saskatoon 4 Swift Current 3

1ST PERIOD S.C R. Scarlett (4) (D. Bosc) 2:51
SAS M. Stransky (19) (B. Walker, D. Thrower) 8:53
SAS J. Nicholls (25) (S. McColgan) 18:52
2ND PERIOD S.C A. Lowry (18) (R. Moser, C. Gordon) 14:43
3RD PERIOD SAS J. Nicholls (26) (D. Siemens, S. McColgan) 2:45
S.C C. Gordon (9) (A. Lowry) 4:46
SAS S. McColgan (9) (N. Burns, J. Nicholls) 11:21 Swift Current Steven Myland 23/27 Saskatoon Alex Moodie 30/33 Swift Current 1. Adam Lowry LW - Lowry had a solid game, both as a finisher and playmaker. Scored in the 2nd period to tie the game with a nifty backside tuck. Setup Coda Gordon with a nice stretch pass that sprung him on a breakaway. All in all, Lowry was his usual power forward self, makes really solid decision with the puck. 2. Reese Scarlett D - Scarlett played a solid game at both ends of the ice. Opened the scoring early in the first period and made numerous defensive plays. Scarlett is a bit undersized to as a pure defensive defender so any contribution he can make on offense would be much needed as the Broncos do not have a lot of offensive firepower from the defense. Still has trouble reading plays but makes up for it with a lot of hustle. Saskatoon 1. Josh Nicholls RW - Nicholls was the best player on the ice tonight. Sniped one goal, tipped in another, had another fantastic assist on the winner. he was a force offensively. Tallied his league leading 26th goal. A pro team looking for a straight up scorer might be wise to give Nicholls a look. Tall, lanky player that plays a greasy game and can make offensive plays with the puck. 2. Duncan Siemens D - Siemens played a solid all purpose game for the Blades tonight for the most part. Gets caught wondering out of position from time to time as shown by the goal scored by Lowry when he got caught behind the net instead of being in front of it. Siemens looks to be trying to get involved in the offense more as he isn't hesitant to shoot the puck from the point, one of them which ended in a tip in goal for Nicholls. The biggest issue with Siemens seems to be focus.