The Edmonton Oil Kings came away with a massive win over the Red Deer Rebels to open up their 2023-24 campaign and did it away from home with a 4-2 victory over one of the strongest teams in the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season. Aside from solid goaltending, the play throughout the entire lineup was amazing, and the team only had a couple of mistakes leading to goals. Overall, this new Oil Kings team looks much stronger and much more motivated than last season. With another game the following day, it will be tough to travel back home and play just like that again, but they’ll benefit from their home crowd. Hopefully, they’ll start the season with a two-game winning streak.
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Kian Bell made his WHL debut, having only spent time in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), while Adam Jecho and Blake Fiddler played their first games at the Major Junior level. Jecho had an assist, Bell had the game-winning goal, and Fiddler played well. Kolby Hay was phenomenal between the pipes, stopping 36 of 38 shots against. Forward Aidan Litke was the night’s first star, scoring two goals and adding an assist in the win. This was also his first game as an Oil King since between traded from the Portland Winterhawks.
Game Recap
The Oil Kings struck first, but not before the Rebels came out swinging. They had more shots and dominated the play for the first five minutes of the game. That was until Marshall Finnie opened the scoring and put up the first goal of the season for the Oil Kings, giving the team an early 1-0 lead. On the man advantage, though, Kai Uchacz tied the game with just over five minutes left in the first period, and the teams entered the second period all tied up.
The second period was entertaining, but there was only one goal. Litke started off his night putting the Oil Kings up 2-1 just four and a half minutes into the period, and the score stayed that way heading into the third. While the Rebels didn’t back down easily, they weren’t able to get the game tied back up at any point. Bell scored to make it 3-1 on the powerplay late in the period, but the Rebels made it 3-2 with just two minutes and 19 seconds remaining in the third. The Oil Kings shut it down, and Litke banged home his second goal on an empty net and third point of the night to take the game 4-2.
Team’s Focus Heading Into Next Matchup
The Rebels are dangerous offensively, and they were able to pepper Hay with shots and keep him on his toes all night long. Fortunately for the Oil Kings, he stood on his head and the team was able to close out the victory. Heading into their second game, the Oil Kings will have to make sure they stay sound in the defensive zone. They played well, but the Rebels are going to have a chip on their shoulder as they look to even the season series. Any slip-up in their own end and the Rebels will be putting pucks in the back of the net repeatedly without any issues.
The Oil Kings also have to focus on finishing their chances. They had a ton of golden opportunities they couldn’t get behind Rebels goaltender Kyle Kelsey. Heading into their second meeting, more shots should be another main focus for them. They were able to fire off 33 shots, but at least half of them came from non-scoring areas. If they can find ways to get to the middle of the ice and fire the puck, they won’t have any issue winning again and starting the season 2-0.
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