Oil Kings battle over weekend for crucial points

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

The Central Alberta Hockey League (CAHL) is heading full throttle towards the end of the regular season, and Taber Oil Kings teams are still looking to improve their position in the standings.

U11 Tier 3
The U11 Tier 3 squad was off from their CAHL regular season schedule this past weekend. They return this weekend with a pair of games.

On Saturday, they head out on the road to take on Foremost at 12:45 p.m. On Sunday, they play Raymond in Lethbridge at 1 p.m. U11 Tier 5 The U11 Tier 5 team was also off from CAHL regular season games.

On Saturday, they are back to their CAHL schedule when they face off against Brooks Red at 1 p.m. as the road team. On Sunday, they are back in Brooks to take on Brooks Blue at 11:15 a.m.

U13
It was a busy two-game weekend for the U13 Oil Kings as they kicked things off on Friday against Magrath.

In a low-scoring affair, it was Taber who was able to carve out a 3-2 victory. Luke Engwer scored two goals, Cooper Ross had a goal and an assist, and Cage Holcek, Arlo Van Geest, and Madden Wright all had an assist. Kohen Ilczynski was in net for the Oil Kings, and he backstopped the team with 31 saves on 33 shots.

Wrapping up the weekend with a game against Coaldale, this one was all Cobras as they cruised to a 6-1 win. Tyrion Ewing had the lone goal while Ross drew the assist. Rhett Wright was in between the pipes and made 18 saves on 24 shots.  The U13s return to the ice on Saturday when they head to Lethbridge to take on Foothills for a 12:30 p.m. puck drop.

U15
It was a one-game weekend for the U15 Oil Kings as they were in Lethbridge on Sunday.

Taking on Lethbridge Red, the Oil Kings were unable to recover from a 4-1 deficit as they fell 5-3. Logan Rabusic scored twice, Mitchell Kimoto had a goal and an assist, Benjamin Williamson, Wyatt Valgardson, Samuel Hathaway, and Bentley Howg all had an assist. Aidyn Arnel-Derksen made 40 saves on 45 shots in the Taber net.

Two games are on tap this weekend for the Oil Kings as they head to Lethbridge on Saturday to face Foothills Blue at 7:15 p.m. On Sunday, the team faces off against Kainai as the road team with puck drop at 3 p.m.

U18
There was one lone game on the U18 Oil Kings’ schedule this past weekend. On Saturday, they were on the road to take on Lethbridge Red.

Neither team was able to find a game-winning goal as it ended tied 3-3. Lincoln Wiebe scored and added two assists, and Tate Nakashima and Skylar Jensen each had a goal. Ty Dorin was the starting netminder and made 33 saves on 36 shots.

Next weekend’s action kicks off on Friday when the Oil Kings head out to Warner to face off against Bow Island at 7:15 p.m. The following evening is a road game against Claresholm with puck drop at 4:30 p.m.