Midget Polar Kings Team News 2004 - 2005
by Brenda Walker

"AND THAT’S A WRAP"  Submitted by Brenda Walker

That’s what happened to the Wainwright Midget Polar Kings Saturday when the Northeast Panthers defeated them in the first round of playoffs for the Rural Alberta Midget Hockey League.

Wainwright’s record of the last seven regular season games showed some promise for the Kings as they won five out of the seven but coming up against first place team, the Northeast Panthers, was going to be no easy feat. Game one held in Bonnyville a week ago proved just that when the Kings fell to the Panthers by an 8-1 score. Fortunately for the Kings the score didn’t matter when it’s the best out of a three game series but what they needed was a win on Saturday. The first period looked good for the Kings as it looked like the two teams were fairly even and by the end of the first the score was only 1-0 for the Panthers. The Kings then got themselves into some penalty trouble and by the end of the second the Panthers had scored three power play goals and one even strength to make it 5-0. The Kings were still one man short at the drop of the puck in the third when the Panthers struck again and then finished the scoring with one more even strength to end the game 7-0. Although the season is over for the Kings they will continue to have ice available to them so they can maintain their skating and skills as several will be attending the Junior A Spring Camps.
The Polar Kings will host their annual wind-up March 23 at the Peace Memorial Multiplex.

February 20, 2005 Kings Need A Win

The Wainwright Midget Polar Kings went into this past weekend in desperate need of at least one win. With only two league games left in the season, both against the Grande Prairie Storm and sitting in last spot the Kings needed to beat the Storm only once to gain the much need two points.
Saturday’s game started off on the right foot as the Kings took the lead in the first period with a goal from Chase Tomlinson, assisted by Aaron Salik. Just seconds into the second period Grande Prairie put one between the pipes to even the score. King’s Marc Schmidt, assisted by Chase Tomlinson gave the Kings the lead once again but then two power play goals and one even strength put Grande Prairie up with a 4-2 lead by the end of the second period. At the eleven minute mark of the third period King’s Brady Mayne, assisted by Jason Walker, scored and it looked like the Kings could possibly manage a tie with one more goal but with only 1:02 left in the third period Grande Prairie picked up goal number five and then an empty net goal to beat the Kings 6-3 in the first of the two game series. .
With "one last kick at the cat" Sunday morning the Kings hit the ice knowing it was a do or die situation and King’s captain Aaron Salik started off with his kick at the cat only four minutes into the first period. The King’s first goal off the face-off of Jason Walker to Brady Mayne and Aaron Salik put the King’s on the board. Only a minute and twenty four seconds later Chase Tomlinson, assisted by Brady Mayne and Jason Walker netted goal number two and before the end of the first period Colin Zimmer scored to give the Kings a 3-0 lead. Malcolm Tomlinson and Chase Tomlinson each picked up an assist on Zimmer’s goal.
Every King player knew that Grande Prairie was not going to give up and before they knew it the Storm picked up two goals within two and a half minutes apart and the game went from 3-0 to 3-2. Then with only 1:06 left in the second period Chase Tomlinson, assisted by Scott Day and Jason Walker, got his second goal of the game and gave the Kings a 4-2 lead. There was only one more goal in the game and it belonged to Aaron Salik, his second of the game, with assists to Scott Day and Malcolm Tomlinson.
Final score 5-2.
The Kings won the one game they needed to make it into playoffs. It is not known at the time of writing when the first game of the playoffs will be played.

February 13, 2005 Closer to Playoffs
When the Wainwright Midget Polar Kings headed north this past weekend to
Ft. McMurray for a two game series, they knew that without atleast one win it wasn’t looking good for a spot in playoffs.
The first of the two games Saturday night saw the Ft. McMurray Barons ahead by two goals by the end of the first period but Colin Zimmer, back from a shoulder injury, put the Kings on the scoreboard. Ft. McMurray answered back to widen the score by two but a lot of hard work and determination off. Chase Tomlinson netted the next two goals and by the end of the second period it was a tie game.
The Kings would have taken the lead but after the puck was scooped out of the net by one of the Ft. McMurray players the referee disallowed the goal. Then with only 3:31 left in the third period Ft. McMurray scored to take the lead and win the game by a final score of 4-3. Assists on the goals were Jason Walker and Brady Mayne with two apiece and Colin Zimmer and Chase Tomlinson, each with a single.
Game two proved just as exciting as the first game except this time it was a tied game at two apiece after the first period. Again Ft. McMurray took the lead with only 7:26 remaining in the second and stayed in the lead until the 6:04 mark of the third period when King’s Aaron Salik’s last shot found the hole, tied the game and forced the game into overtime.
With only 23 seconds left in the first overtime period Chase Tomlinson moved into the front of the net and on the rebound found the hole to give the Kings a 4-3 win. Game two points went to Chase Tomlinson and Aaron Salik two goals each, Jason Walker two assists and single assists to Kyle Ness, Scott Day, Ross Herzog, Malcolm Tomlinson and Aaron Salik.
The Kings will finish off their regular season league in Wainwright next weekend playing the Grande Prairie Storm first Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. then again Sunday morning at 9:45 a.m.

February 6, 2005 Polar Kings Currently One Point Short
As of last Tuesday the Wainwright Midget Polar Kings found themselves sitting five points behind the Lloydminster Blazers for a shot in the playoffs. With only six remaining games in the season clinching that spot looked a little grim but then Wednesday night the Polar Kings started playing the game they were more than capable of playing and defeated the Blazers 3-1. Brady Mayne picked up two out of the three goals with Jason Walker getting the single goal plus an assist. Chase Tomlinson and Aaron Salik finished the night with an assist apiece. The Kings gained two points and the gap lessened for that playoff spot to three points.
Saturday night the Kings faced off against first place team, the Spruce Grove Timberwolves. Spruce Grove opened up the scoring first with a power play goal but before the end of the first period, Jason Walker, unassisted, evened the score. Less than four minutes into the second Brady Mayne, assisted by Chase Tomlinson, gave the Kings the lead then only 26 seconds later Chase Tomlinson, assisted by Jason Walker and Aaron Salik widened the gap by two. The Kings let down their guard for just a couple of minutes with only 6:46 remaining in the second and Spruce Grove took advantage and within a minute and forty seconds scored three goals to take a 5-3 lead.
The Polar Kings rallied back and dominated the third period. Chase Tomlinson, assisted by Jason Walker and Malcolm Tomlinson gave the Kings goal number four followed by Brady Mayne for five, Scott Day for six and Aaron Salik for seven. Assists went to Chase Tomlinson (2), Dave Redhead, Quinn McBride, Kyle Ness and netminder Brennon Motley. The final score 7-5 for the Polar Kings and again the gap became less. Now the Kings are only short one point for that place in playoffs.
The Polar Kings travel to Ft. McMurray for two games this coming weekend then play their last two league games at home against Grande Prairie Saturday, Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m and Sunday at 9:45 a.m.
         
          

TWO STRIKES AGAINST POLAR KINGS
After coming home last weekend with three wins the Wainwright Midget AAA Polar Kings fell short in both home games, first Saturday night against the NE Panthers 5-2 and then again Sunday afternoon against the Lloydminster Blazers 5-3.
"We played well for the first two periods Saturday night against the Panthers. It was only a 1-1 hockey game", says Coach Randy Huxley. "The same today. We played really well for the first period and the first ten minutes of the second."
Aaron Salik, , Colin Zimmer and Brady Mayne all gained a point apiece with a goal this weekend while Scott Day picked up two, one each game.
The Kings now have a weekend off as they had planned on attending the Prince Albert Tournament. They unfortunately were not one of the teams chosen to participate this year. The Kings will travel to Spruce Grove to play the Timberwolves Friday, Nov. 19^th and return home to play the Calgary Mountaineers Sunday, Nov. 21^st at 9:45 a.m.

October 29-30-31/04 Six Point Weekend for Polar Kings
For the second time this year the Wainwright Midget AAA Polar Kings hit the road to travel to the north country. After an eleven hour bus trip and facing an hour time change the Kings hit the ice Friday night ready to play the NE BC Yukon Flyers for the third time this season.
Aaron Salik, after missing nine games due to a shoulder injury, netted the first goal for Wainwright with a shot from the bottom of the circle. Not playing with the red line proved to be beneficial when Chase Tomlinson spotted Scott Day giving Scott the advantage of beating the Flyers goaltender to give the Kings a 2-0 lead at the end of the first.
Brady Mayne, off the draw gave the Kings one more to add to the lead but with only three seconds left in the second period the Flyers managed to picked up their first goal of the game. Half way into the third the Flyers scored number two but then King’s Marc Schmidt picked up a reassurance goal with only 2:37 remaining in the third giving them a 4-2 lead. Then with only 52 seconds left on the clock the Kings got a high sticking penalty. The Flyers pulled their goalie giving them a 6 on 4 advantage resulting in yet another goal narrowing the margin by one but time ran out for the Flyers. Wainwright skated off the ice with a 4-3 win and the first two out of the six point weekend.
The Peace River Royals hosted the next two Polar King games and as yet the Royals had yet to win a game this year. Unfortunately that wasn’t going to change with either one of the games as the Kings went on to defeat the Royals 9-2 Saturday night and 7-1 Sunday afternoon. Ross Herzog picked up his first goal of the season only 35 seconds into the first game Saturday, followed by a shorthanded goal by Marc Schmidt and before the first period was over Malcolm Tomlinson tipped in his first goal. Aaron Salik, Brett McInnis and Brady Mayne all took a turn in the second with Colin Zimmer and Dave Redhead in the third.
Sunday’s game Brady Mayne, Scott Day, Colin Zimmer, Ross Herzog, Chase Tomlinson, Coleman Brodbin and Aaron Salik all picked up a point apiece to contribute to the 7-1 win. Three wins and six points now have the Polar Kings holding a record of 7 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie. Coach Randy Huxley was pleased with the boys. "We played really well. We didn’t get sucked into any unnecessary." commented Huxley. "We’re even dwindling down on the number of guys getting their first goal."
The Kings next home games are this weekend against the Northeast Panthers Saturday, Nov. 6^th at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 7^th at 4:00 p.m. against the Lloydminster Blazers. This will be the first match for these teams this season.

11/01
Midget Polar Kings earn six points on three-game road swing
by Rod Oracheski
Review Staff

The Midget Polar Kings spent the weekend on the road, playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday in a three-game road swing.
Wainwright was perfect on the road, returning home with six points in three wins. The team had a breakthrough weekend, according to coach Randy Huxley.
“Things are starting to come together out there,” Said Huxley. “We’re seeing some signs of these kids turning the corner on the systems that we’ve been trying to preach at them for the last month.”
Huxley said he felt the team might have been motivated by a disappointing return on their efforts in Wainwright the week before.
“Last weekend we played here and I thought the kids worked hard for two games and we won one and lost one,” he remarked. “I thought, and I think they tought, that we deserved a little bit better fate. Up there we worked hard and got some timely goals.”
After downing the NE BC &Yukon team 4-3 Friday night, the Polar Kings played back-to-back games against Peace River. The pair of games heralded a number of firsts for the team, according to Huxley.
“We had Peace River down and kept stepping on the gas,” he said. “We beat them 9-2 and 7-1, so maybe we’re developing that killer instinct.
At the end of the day, we’re generating lots of chances. This weekend we finally managed to finish on them.
“It was a good weekend for us because there were a lot of first for a lot of our kids. A lot of our young guys got a goal or two. They hadn’t scored yet, eight or nine games into the season, and they finally got a goal, so that’s good for them. Dave Redhead scored one, and he hadn’t scored in about 70 games. I told him he should have six or seven by the end of theyear.”
The team distributed the scoring, said Huxley.
“We scored 20 goals and we probably had 14 goalscorers,” he said. “It was spread around to the team. It’s not like it was one line going out there and racked up 15 points a night.”
The team takes on Lloyd and Bonnyville in Wainwright this weekend.
Huxley expects two solid games.
“Lloyd always plays well against us,” he said. “No matter what our records are, we alwyas have intense games. NorthEast has a strong team
- right now I think they’re in first place. They’ve got some kids that can put the puck in the net, so we’ll have to work hard and play smart.
We’ll need to be disciplined and do the little things right. It should be a big weekend for us.
 

October 24, 2004.......Kings Win One Lose One At Home
The Wainwright Midget Polar Kings Director Mervin McKay was on sight at the PMM Friday night to present the 2003-2004 Rural Alberta Midget Hockey League Championship banner. Brett McInnis accepted the banner on behalf of last year’s team. The banner will hang beside the last midget champions of 2001-2002.
Immediately following the presentation the Wainwright Polar Kings and the NE BC Yukon Flyers took to the ice for the second time this season. After loosing the last game 5-4 in overtime in Dawson Creek the Kings were determined not to face another loss.
King’s Jason Walker scored the first goal after beating the Flyer’s defencemen, dekeing out the goalie and putting the puck in an open net. Chase Tomlinson picked up the second goal when the Flyer’s goalie came out of the net to play the puck but one of his own players knocked him down giving Tomlinson a wide open shot from the side boards. Colin Zimmer netted the third goal after moving in the slot and picking up the pass from Walker from behind the net. Zimmer then finished off the scoring for the night with just a little over a minute left in the second period to give the Kings a 4-0 win.
Netminder Tyler Pugh shut down a total of 45 shots after three periods of play to give him his first shut out of the season.
Sunday morning’s hard fought battle against the Calgary Edge Mountaineers was 51 seconds shy of two periods of play before Wainwright’s Scott Day, on the backhand, scored the first and only Polar King goal of the game. It took another 15 minutes into the third, a massive scramble in front of the King’s net and lots of poking and jabbing for Calgary to match the score. Calgary picked up the go ahead goal with only 2:58 left on the clock to win 2-1.
The Polar Kings are away to Ft. St. John and Peace River this coming weekend but will be back at home Saturday, Nov. 6^th at 6:30 to play the NE Panthers and Sunday, Nov. 7^th at 4:00 p.m. to play the Lloydminster Blazers.

October 17, 2004 Four Point Home Opener for the Wainwright Midget AAA Polar Kings
Despite the wintery weekend the Wainwright Midget AAA Polar Kings played host to the Peace River Royals in back to back games Saturday and Sunday. Their first home games of the season.
Not to disappoint the crowd gathered to watch the Polar Kings, vet player Brady Mayne opened the scoring with a power play goal late in the first period. Trevor Chopek, only 15 seconds into the second period walked in the slot to give the Kings a two goal lead but Peace River answered back with one off their own when a deflection off Polar Kings tender, Tyler Pugh’s stick gave Peace River their first goal of the game. Less than a minute later, Ryan Dallyn, in a race to the puck against Peace River’s goalie, picked up his first goal as an affiliated player. Jason Walker was there to pick up Scott Day’s rebound to make the score 4-1. Peace River netted their second and final goal of the game on the short side of Pugh but again the Polar Kings, this time Marc Schmidt, came back to finish the scoring to give the Kings a 5-2 lead. With no scoring in the third period the game ended with the Polar Kings winning game one.
Sunday’s game Peace River takes the lead but it’s short lived when Trevor Chopek nets his second goal of the weekend to tie. That’s the only lead the Peace River Royals manages out of the weekend. Two quick goals early in the second, one by Jason Walker the other by Brady Mayne give the Kings a cushion and to add to that Chase Tomlinson picks out the top corner. Score Kings 4-1. But Peace River doesn’t give up and they score their second goal only to have King’s Colin Zimmer, 27 seconds later score. Peace River gets one more before the second period ends but the Kings still lead 5-3. It was a they score, we score third period. Quinn McBride adds to his points with two goals while Peace River adds three but it’s not enough. The Polar Kings win game two by score of 7-6 and pick up a total of four points.
The Polar Kings next home game is Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:45 against the NE B.C. Yukon Flyers.

Submitted by Brenda Walker

October 11, 2004
With the first five out of a forty game schedule out of the way the Wainwright Midget Polar Kings returned home this weekend with a 1-3-1 record. Their first road trip a week ago against the Airdrie Lightning gave the King’s a 4-4 tie Saturday night after having a 3-0 lead and a 2-1 win Sunday. Unfortunately the Kings weren’t as successful this long weekend when they ran into a few penalty problems resulting in losing both games against the Grande Prairie Storm 8-2 Friday night and 4-2 Saturday. They then lost in a hard fought battle to the Northeast BC Yukon Flyers in Dawson Creek Sunday in overtime 5-4.
Wainwright’s Colin Zimmer leads in points with 1 goal and 6 assists, followed by Jason Walker 4 goals and 2 assists, Scott Day 3 goals, 2 assists, Brady Mayne 2 goals, 1 assist, Brett McInnis 3 assists, Aaron Salik 1 goal, 1 assist, Chase Tomlinson 2 goals, Quinn McBride 1 goal, 1 assist, Kyle Ness 2 assists and Ross Herzog and Marc Schmidt 1 assist each.
The Polar Kings are scheduled to play their first home games this Saturday, Oct. 16^th at 5:15 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 17^th at 11:00 a.m. against the Peace River Royals.
Submitted by Brenda Walker

March 24, 2004
"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS"
That was the chant of the Wainwright Midget AAA Polar Kings hockey team Monday night when they defeated the Spruce Grove Timberwolves in the fifth and final game of the Rural Alberta Midget Hockey League.
It was a tough battle for both teams and after Wainwright lost game four at home Sunday afternoon it all came down to the wire. Both teams set foot on the ice with sheer determination and it was due to that determination that sent Wainwright’s Dallas Erickson to the penalty box for holding only 2 minutes into the game giving the Timberwolves the first powerplay opportunity and that's’ all Spruce Grove needed to take the lead. That same determination and grit shone through again but this time with King’s Jarvis Smigleski’s tying goal from Ryan Volk and Dallas Erickson with only 2 minutes and 43 seconds left in the first. But the King’s weren’t finished yet as Jason Walker netted the second goal from Sheay McInroy only a minute and a half later to give the King’s a one goal lead after one period of play.
Spruce Grove rebounded back at the 14:30 mark to tie the game and by the end of the second period the game remained a tie but the Kings had out shot Spruce Grove 22 to 16. With Spruce Grove picking up a holding penalty at the end of the second Wainwright had an opportunity to take the lead early in the third but it wasn’t to be. The score was still tied at the end of the third period even though the Kings had by then out shot Spruce Grove 32 to 24. Game five was into overtime and what an overtime period it was.
The Polar Kings had 23 shots on net in the first five minutes of overtime when captain Dallas Erickson picked up the rebound from Jarvis Smigelski and Dave Redhead to slam in the game winner. When asked later about the goal, Dallas commented that it was everybody, all the players, parents and fans in the stands who assisted on that goal.
Coach Randy Huxley’s final words were, "The boys did it all. All I did was open the gate. They were the ones who played hurt, battered and bruised. They’re the ones who played with heart."

March 21, 2004
Polar Kings Series Tied at Two
With the first two games in Spruce Grove last weekend and the series tied at one game apiece the Polar Kings had home ice advantage going into game three and four.
Game three, Wednesday night proved to provide the excitement meant for a playoff series. Wainwright’s Jarvis Smigelski netted the first goal of the game at the 16:58 mark of the first period followed by Mark Nelson at 9:37 to give the Kings two goals but Spruce Grove came back with one of their own allowing the Kings to lead by one. In the second Brady Mayne slipped one in the back door to give the Kings a two goal lead but again Spruce Grove answered with one of their own to give the Kings a one goal difference at the end of the second.
Spruce Grove’s tying goal came at 9:47 of the third but the tie only lasted for a little over a minute when Mark Nelson put the game winner in giving the Polar Kings a two to one lead in the series.
There were high expectations and emotions going into game four Sunday afternoon as the Kings set foot on the ice in front of about 500 fans. For the first six minutes of the game it was plain to see this game could go either way as both sides battled back and forth. It was unfortunate for the Kings when Spruce Grove scored the first two goals to Wainwright’s one giving the Timberwolves a one goal lead after one period. Going into the second period shorthanded by two meant the Kings had to kill off a five on three knowing they couldn’t allow Spruce Grove any more of a lead. Then the tables turned and the Kings took advantage of their five on three. At 10:05 Jarvis Smigelski snagged the tying goal to end the second period at a two goal tie.
It was a run of bad luck when the Kings took a penalty of too many men and with only 33 seconds left in the penalty Spruce Grove capitalized to take the lead. Wainwright pulled their goalie in an attempt to tie the game but Spruce Grove got the empty net goal to give the Timberwolves a four – two win over the Polar Kings and forced the series into game five back in Spruce Grove Monday night.

There was a lot of apprehension Friday night as the Polar Kings waited by the phone to hear the outcome of who they would play Saturday in the Rural Alberta Midget Hockey League Championship series. Looking into Friday night’s game between the Spruce Grove Timberwolves and the Ft. McMurray Barons, a series tied at one game apiece, the Polar Kings held the better record against Spruce Grove in regular season play with 3 wins, 1 tie and 2 losses, each with a two goal difference, and zero wins against Ft. McMurray.
The call came through for the boys shortly after ten Friday night. Spruce Grove defeated Ft. McMurray 3-2, which meant the first two games of a five game series would be held in Spruce Grove Saturday and Sunday. Even though the Kings went into Saturday’s game with high expectation Spruce Grove had the lead by 2 after the first period and kept the lead through the entire game defeating the Kings in game one by a score of 6-3. Scoring for Wainwright was Brady Mayne with 2 goals, Chad Nelson with the single and assists to Mark Nelson with 2, and one apiece for Brett McInnis, Mark Nelson, Chad Nelson and Ryan Volk.
The Kings knew Sunday’s game would be crucial but again they fell short and trailed by one after the first, score Spruce Grove 2 Polar Kings 1 (by Mark Nelson) and by two after the second. A break for the Kings came at just 19:27 of the third when Spruce Grove picked up a tripping penalty allowing Chad Nelson to move the score a little closer giving Spruce Grove only a one goal advantage. Then with six minutes left Sheay McInroy picked up the rebound and tied the game at three all forcing an overtime period.
Jarvis Smigelski beat the Spruce Grove tender to give the Kings an overtime win of four to three tying the series at one apiece. Assists for the game go to Chad Nelson, Aaron Salik, Ryan Volk, Chase Tomlinson, Cody Bray and Dallas Erickson.
The next two games will be held in Wainwright Wednesday March 17th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 21st at 1:00 p.m. If necessary game five will be back in Spruce Grove possibly Monday night.

March 7, 2004
Polar Kings Advance to League Finals

It was a clean sweep for the Wainwright Midget Polar Kings as they defeated the Northeast Panthers in two straight games this past weekend to advance to league finals.

The Polar Kings defeated the Panthers in the first game held in Wainwright Thursday, March 3 by a score of 5-3. Jason Walker and Jarvis Smigelski opened up the scoring in the first period giving the Kings a short lived two goal advantage as the Panther’s scored with only 45 seconds left in the period. Although the second period was scoreless it certainly wasn’t without penalties as both the Polar Kings and Panthers each ended up with four players receiving 10 minute misconducts.

At 18:10 in the third Ryan Volk stretched the lead by another goal but the Panthers came right back with two of their own to tie the game at 3 all. Jarvis Smigelski put the game winner in with just a little over three minutes left then with only one minute remaining Jarvis put it between the pipes to get his hat trick of the night. Assists for the night go to Chase Tomlinson with 3 and singles to Dave Redhead, Jason Walker, Dallas Erickson, Brad Kohlman and Ryan Volk.

Game two Saturday night in Bonnyville provided an equal amount of excitement but this game the Northeast Panther’s found the first mark on the scoreboard half way through the first period and then again only a minute and a half into the second. The Polar Kings remained scoreless up until Mark Nelson gave the Kings their first goal at the 10 minute mark of the second. Less than two minutes later Chad Nelson found the hole to tie then with 3:20 remaining Chad Nelson’s put it in for the go ahead. Brad Kohlman finished off the scoring in the second period with a powerplay goal to give the Kings a 4-2 lead.

There’s much to be said about hard work when the Panthers fought back with two goals of their own to tie. At that point and time it could have been either teams win but with only three minutes left in the game Trevor Chopek nets the go ahead goal to make it 5-4 Polar Kings. Jarvis Smigelski puts it in the empty net with 18 seconds remaining to give the Polar Kings a 6-4 win over the Northeast Panthers. Assists for the night go to Ryan Volk with three, Mark Nelson and Chad Nelson with doubles, and singles to Brady Mayne, Sheay McInroy and Dallas Erickson.

The Polar Kings advance to the league finals to play against the winner of the Spruce Grove Timberwolves and the Ft. McMurray Barons. The winner between the Timberwolves and the Barons will have venue which means they will have the choice of where to play the first two games of a five game series.

Chad Nelson named all-star as Rural Alberta Midget
Hockey League coaches 'see stars'
Jonathon Koroluk
Review Staff
Midget Polar King named All-Star

Prior to last Saturday's Polar King victory over the Lloydminster Blazers, Polar King forward Chad Nelson was named one of six Rural Alberta Midget Hockey League all-stars.  League Governor Doug Petruk was on hand to present Nelson with the award, which is given based on the consensus of all the leagues coaches.  "This year shows the all around strength of this league as there is one player from each of the six teams this year," said Petruk.  Nelson was humble about his second all-star award, his first being the North East Alberta Tier One all-star award.  "It feels pretty good," said Nelson after his team's win.  With 16 goals and a whopping 48 assists to tie him in second place in the regular season scoring race, Nelson was only one point short of being tied for
first place.  Whether this award will turn the heads of potential WHL or other minor league scouts, Nelson is reserved on the matter.
"I hope so, it would be nice," he said. "But if it happens, it happens."


Kings extinguish Blazers  -  March 4, 2004
Polar Kings move on to division final with 5-1 blowout of Lloydminster
Jonathon Koroluk
Review Staff

It's every team's playoff nightmare. The Wainwright Midget Polar Kings after dominating the Eastern Division of the Rural Alberta Midget Hockey League, had not only earned themselves home ice advantage for the playoffs, but the right to choose who they would face in the first round.  Logically, they chose the defending champion Lloydminster Blazers, who had struggled all year with
only eight wins in comparison to the Polar Kings' 22. Wainwright won the first game of the best of three-game series last Saturday as they defeated Lloydminster on home ice, 5-3. Though the score was relatively close, the Polar Kings thought it may have
been no more than a glitch.  This is where the nightmare happened.  The team that was not supposed to win a game out of
the three game series, did.  Lloydminster doubled up on the Polar Kings in game two with a score of 4-2.  Suddenly, it was a new series.  In the third and final game that would determine who would face the North East Panthers in the East Division final.
At first, it looked like the Blazers were going to continue where they left off in game two.  Both sides played an evenly matched period, until the Blazers scored with only 10.8 seconds left in the first period.  Whatever motivational words Polar Kings head coach
Randy Huxley had for his team during the intermission, it paid off as the Polar Kings came out into the second period out passing, out skating and all around out playing the Blazers.  When the buzzer blew at the end of the third period, the Blazers skated off the ice for the last time this year, as  Wainwright advanced winning 5-1. "We have to take our hats off to Lloydminster," said
Huxley after the game. "Lloydminster is a fast, hard working and well coached team."  Huxley also noted on how invaluable home ice advantage was against the defending champs. "We played hard all year so we could have this," he said. "We came out tonight a little tense, but after the first period, we concentrated on taking away the things that were making Lloydminster so successful and
it paid off."  The Polar Kings now face the North East Panthers for the East Division title. Games one of the best of three series is at Wainwright at the Peace Memorial Multiplex this Thursday. Game time has yet to be confirmed.

February 8, 2004
The Wainwright Midget Polar Kings managed to squeak by with a 5-4 win over the Spruce Grove Timberwolves in their last league game against each other Saturday night in Wainwright.  Chase Tomlinson opened the scoring at 13:35 of the first period when he picked up his own rebound.  Jarvis Smigelski not only followed suit with a rebound from Dallas Erickson’s shot, but also picked up the next two goals giving him a hat trick in the first period.  With a 4-0 lead after the first period of play it looked promising that Wainwright would take the game. 
Spruce Grove battled back to score twice to Wainwright’s one by Brady Mayne in the second and twice more in the third but it wasn’t enough for Spruce Grove. That was the last match-up between these two teams for league games this year.  Out of the six games between the two teams Wainwright pulled ahead with 3 wins, 2 losses and one tie.
Assists for the game go to Chad Nelson with 2 and one apiece to Brady Mayne, Dallas Erickson, Trevor Chopek and Chase Tomlinson.
The league will wrap up next weekend when the Peace River Royals roll into town Friday, Feb. 13^th for a 7:45 game and the Ft. St. John Flyers Sunday, Feb. 15^th at 11:30 a.m.

January 26, 2004
Friday night's game against the Camrose Nordics was anything but a hockey game for the Wainwright Midget AAA Polar Kings.  Even though King's Mark Nelson found a hole between the pipes only a minute and a half into the first period Camrose soon take the lead and kept that lead throughout the entire game.  Camrose defeat the Polar Kings by the score of 10-4.  This was the worst lose this year for the Polar Kings.
The Polar Kings have six remaining league games three of which will be played this weekend, one in Grande Prairie Friday night and two in Peace River Saturday and Sunday.
Congratulations once again to the players from the Polar Kings on being selected to play in the Rual Alberta Midget All-Star game which was held in Spruce Grove on Saturday, January 24th, 2004.  Although the West defeated the East seven to five Wainwright's Mark Nelson and Ryan Volk each contributed to the score with a goal a piece.  Special congratulations to Mark Nelson on being selected as the star of the game for the East Division.  Mark received a $50.00 dollar gift certificate from Sports Mart and a plaque.

January 18, 2004
With only seven league games left in the season the Polar Kings hold a record of 28 games played, 18 wins, 10 losses and only 1 tie and that tie was the result of a 6 all hockey game Friday night against the Spruce Grove Timberwolves. Spruce Grove forced the Kings into overtime after scoring two power play goals in the last minute and eighteen seconds of the third period. Playing shorthanded for well over half of the overtime period the Kings kept Spruce Grove scoreless.
Saturday night the Kings took on the Peace River Royals for the first time this year, defeating the Royals by a score of 8-2. These two teams will meet for three out of the remaining seven games, two of which will be in Peace River the weekend of Jan. 30^th.
Points from the weekend go to: Brady Mayne 4 goals, 2 assists, Sheay McInroy 1 goal, 2 assists, AP Ryan Pfisterer 1 goal, Brett Chapman 1 goal, 2 assists, Jarvis Smigelski 1 goal, 1 assist, Chad Nelson 2 goals, 1 assist, AP Ty Miller 1 goal, Jason Walker 2 goals, Ryan Volk 1 goal, 1 assist, Brett McInnis 3 assists, Mark Nelson, 4 assists, Dave Redhead 1 assist, Brad Kohlman 3 assists and Aaron Salik and Trevor Chopek each with an assist.
Congratulations to the following Wainwright AAA Midget Polar Kings for being selected to play in the Rural Alberta Midget Hockey League Allstar game: Ryan Volk, Chad Nelson, Mark Nelson, Dallas Erickson, Jason Walker, Chase Tomlinson, Jarvis Smigelski, Dave Redhead and Lance Gulbraa. Unfortunately Lance will not be able to play due to an injury. The Allstar game will take place in Spruce Grove Saturday, January 24, 2004 in the West Agrena at 3:00 p.m.

January 11, 2004
For only the third time this year the Polar Kings lost both games in the same weekend. Although the Kings still maintain first place in the East Division they allowed Ft. McMurray to advance to first place overall with Grande Prairie bumped to second place and the Kings in third.
Saturday night the Polar Kings allowed only one goal against in each the first and third period but somehow fell short in the second allowing the other four goals. Mark Nelson was credited with the only goal of the game for the Kings after picking up the pass from Chad Nelson.
Sunday morning, bright and early the Kings hit the ice once again against the Barons to battle back in an attempt to gain 2 of the possible 4 points. Although it looked grim in the first 12 minutes of play with the Barons netting 3 goals the Kings battled back to match those three only to have the Barons pull ahead by one. Again in the second the Barons took the lead with two goals only to have the Kings answer back with one of their own. Early in the third the Kings picked up two more to tie the game but Ft. McMurray sniped the go ahead goal with 13 minutes remaining in the third. By the end of the game the Kings had outshot the Barons 36-28 but failed to tie losing the game by a final score Ft. McMurray 7 Polar Kings 6.
Goals for Sunday’s game – Brady Mayne, 2, Jarvis Smigelski, 2, Brett Chapman 1, Chad Nelson, 1 with assists to Cody Bray, 1, Dallas Erickson, 1, Trevor Chopek , 1, Jason Walker, 2, Mark Nelson, 2, Brett McInnis, 1, Chad Nelson, 2, and Ryan Volk 1.
The Kings are on the road Friday, Jan. 16^th where they face off against Spruce Grove and Saturday in Wainwright at 6:30 p.m. against Peace River.

December 21, 2003
2 Games, 4 Points and 1 Well Deserved Christmas Break
The Wainwright Midget AAA Polar Kings played their last two league games this past weekend and are now going to be able to enjoy a two-week Christmas break.
Friday night the Kings once again met the challenging Spruce Grove Timberwolves knowing that the last two games played against them were both 4-2 losses and after one period of play Spruce Grove was in the lead with a one to nothing hockey game. Somewhere in that first intermission someone must have lit the fire because the Kings came back to score six goals to Spruce Grove’s one in the second period and another four to Spruce Grove’s two in the third for a final score Polar Kings 10 Spruce Grove 4. Wainwright’s points were picked up by Mark Nelson, 2 goals, 4 assists, Brady Mayne 2 goals, 1 assist, Brett Chapman 1 goal unassisted, Sheay McInroy, 1 goal and 1 assist, Chad Nelson, two goals, 5 assists, Trevor Chopek 1 goal, Cody Bray 1 goal, Brad Kohlman 1 assist, and Aaron Salik 2 assists.
Saturday night the Northeast Panthers had their hopes of a win quickly diminished when the Kings took the lead in the first period and never looked back after that. The final score Kings 5 Northeast 2. Points for game number two go to Jarvis Smigelski, Aaron Salik, Mark Nelson, AP Scott Day, Brett Chapman all with one goal each and one assist each to Ryan Volk, Sheay McInroy, Lance Gulbraa, Chad Nelson, Trevor Bromby, Jason Walker and Trevor Chopek.
The Polar Kings continue to hold first place in the East Division, a position they have held since the beginning of the season now with a total of 30 points. They are sitting in third place overall with Grande Prairie in first with 36 points followed by Ft. McMurray with 35. The Kings will resume their league play Saturday, January 3, 2004 against Spruce Grove at the West Arena in Spruce Grove then a home game against Lloydminster Sunday, January 4^th at 9:45 a.m.
Prior to the Polar Kings’ game Saturday night the executive of the Polar Kings held their annual Christmas potluck supper for both the Bantam and Midget players and parents which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. From all the players and parents of the Wainwright Midget AAA Polar Kings Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year.

December 8, 2003..........Win One, Lose One
That’s what the record was for the Wainwright Midget Polar Kings this past weekend. Having to face the Lloydminster Blazers for the second time in a row and admitting defeat from last Sunday, the Midgets hit the ice Friday night with a renewed determination and dominated the game for a full three periods of hockey.
The final outcome of the game was the Kings extinguishing the Blazers by a score of 8-0. Racking up the points on Friday’s game were Mark Nelson, 2 goals, Ryan Volk 1 goal, Brady Mayne, 2 goals and 1 assist, Dallas Erickson 2 goals, Jarvis Smigelski 1 goal and 2 assists, Trevor Chopek 2 assists, Chad Nelson 2 assists and Aaron Salik 1 assist. Saturday the Kings went head to head against the Camrose Nordics and it was an end to end scoring hockey game. With Camrose scoring only seconds into the game it took the Kings almost to the half way point of the first period to answer back with a goal of their own. The scoring continued with Camrose with one, then Wainwright with two and it was a 3-2 game after the first.The second period was almost a replica of the first with Camrose scoring first, then Wainwright, and then Camrose with two and Wainwright with one and it was a tie game at the end of the second. Wainwright pulled ahead at 12:09 in the third and Camrose came right back to tie and with only 4:20 remaining in the third Camrose scored their 7^th and the winning goal. Scoring for the Kings was Mark Nelson, two goals, Jason Walker 1 goal, Dallas Erickson with the hat trick, Chad Nelson and Aaron Salik each with 2 assists and single assists to Trevor Chopek, Chase Tomlinson, Trevor Bromby, Ryan Volk, Cody Bray, Jarvis Smigelski and Brad Kohlman. The Polar Kings next two games will be on the road facing Spruce Grove on Saturday and Camrose on Sunday. Their next home games will be Friday, December 19^th against Spruce Grove at 7:45 p.m. and Saturday, December 20^th against the Northeast Panthers at 6:30 p.m.

November 30, 2003
Zero Points for Polar Kings
After having a two week lay-off the Wainwright Polar Kings faced off against the Spruce Grove Timberwolves Saturday night, their first home game since Oct. 31^st.
With a score of 3-1 for Spruce Grove after the first period the Kings battled back in the second but both goalies denied every shot that came their way. Halfway through the third period the King’s scored their second goal and in an attempt to tie the game with just a little over a minute and a half remaining pulled netminder Lance Gulbraa. With only 35 seconds left in the game Spruce Grove scored on the empty net to give them a 4-2 win. Scoring for Wainwright: Brady Mayne (1 goal and 1 assist), Mark Nelson one goal, Ryan Volk one assist and Sheay McInroy one assist.
In Sunday’s game against Lloydminster the Polar Kings once again fell short losing to Lloyd in a duplicate score of the night before 4-2. Scoring for Wainwright unassisted was Ryan Volk and Trevor Chopek with assists to Chase Tomlinson and Chad Nelson.
The Polar Kings next home game will be Friday, Dec. 5^th against Lloydminster at 7:45 p.m.

November 17, 2003

Wainwright’s Midget Polar Kings traveled to the north country this past weekend for a three game road trip. Friday night the Kings faced off against the Grande Prairie Storm, who had slipped to second place in the West Division allowing the Ft. McMurray Barons the number one spot.
If any of the fans were expecting bus legs out of the boys they were in for a huge surprise for once the gates were opened the Kings hit the ice hard and fast dominating Grande Prairie from the first face-off on. Even when the Kings killed off their first five on three after Trevor Bromby stepped in to make the challenge when teammate Chad Nelson took a mean hit in the corner Grande Prairie could not make a mark on the scoreboard.
King’s Mark Nelson puts up the first goal of the game with only 4:29 left in the first period after picking up the pass from teammates Aaron Salik and Chad Nelson. Brady Mayne follows suite just into the second period with a backhanded rebound from Ryan Volk's shot. Sheay McInroy, his first game back after a knee injury on Oct. 25^th, throws number three goal past Grande Prairie’s netminder to make it three nothing after two periods of play. Assists to McInroy’s goals go to Brady Mayne and Ryan Volk.
Jason Walker backhands number four goal assisted by Jarvis Smigelski and just a minute and some later Trevor Bromby takes a slapshot from the blue line and scores for number five. Brady Mayne finishes the scoring for the night with help from Ryan Volk and Chase Tomlinson. The final score 6-0 for Wainwright giving the Polar Kings their first two points out of a possible six for the weekend and Lance Gulbraa gets his first shutout of the season after making 31 saves.
Unfortunately the Kings weren’t able to pull off their second win in game number two Saturday night in Ft. St. John losing 6-4. Mark Nelson, for the second time of the weekend, puts the first goal on the scoreboard with the assist going to brother Chad. Dallas Erickson marks up number two with the wrap-a-around. Ryan Volk picks up the assist giving the Kings a two nothing lead after the first.
Ft. St. John answers back with four goals in the first 13 minutes of play in the second to take the lead. Chase Tomlinson caught the corner to give Wainwright their third goal. Aaron Salik and Jarvis Smigelski pick up the assist. Half way through the third, Ryan Volk picks up the rebound from Casey Bray’s shot to tie but Ft. St. John answers back with the go-ahead goal with only 2:43 left in the game. Wainwright pulls their goalie to give them the extra attacker but Ft. St. John scores on the empty net. Final score Ft. St. John 6 Wainwright 4.
Wainwright’s third game proved to be much successful for the Polar Kings. Ft. St. John scored first with a deflection in front of the net five minutes into the game and then with only 43 seconds left in the first period Sheay McInroy wins the draw. Brett Chapman turns around and the fires the puck into the net to end the first period a one all tie.
Twenty-two seconds into the second period and King’s Mark Nelson gets his third goal of the weekend and gives the team the lead. Jarvis Smigelski picks up the assist give him his third assist of the weekend also. Brady Mayne flips a backhand from Volk and Tomlinson for the King’s third goal then Dave Redhead feeds Ryan Volk who finds some empty space under the pads of Ft. St. John’s netminder for goal number four. Brady Mayne then gets his first hat trick of the year with a minute and three seconds left in the game. Chad Nelson and Jason Walker pick up the assists. Wainwright wins game number three 6-2 to earn four points out of six for the weekend. The Polar Kings still hold first place in the East Division with eleven wins and four losses.
The Polar Kings now have a weekend off with their next game being in Wainwright against Spruce Grove on Saturday, November 29^th at 6:30 p.m.

November 4, 2003
The Wainwright Midget Polar Kings faced some pretty stiff competition this past week in the Prince Albert Minto Ice Mania. The Kings faced off against the Swift Current Legionnaires for game number one. Although the Kings held fast after the first period with a score of 3-2 for Swift Current, Swift Current came back to score a pair of goals in the second and a pair in the third to make a final score of 7-3. Scoring for the Polar Kings was Brady Mayne, Mark Nelson and Ryan Pfisterer with assists to Dallas Erickson and Chase Tomlinson. Player of the game - Dallas Erickson.
The Moose Jaw Warriors defeated the Polar Kings in game number two 7-2. Scoring for the Kings was Jason Walker and Brady Mayne with assists to Dallas Erickson, Ryan Pfisterer, Ryan Volk and Jason Walker. Player of game number two - Jason Walker.
Game number three saw the Polar Kings challenge the Edmonton SSAC. Even though the Kings were down 3-1 after the first period of play it was easy to see that they were not going to quit. With shear determination the Kings answered back and tied the game 5-5 after the second period and scored the go ahead goal early in the third. With only a minute and five seconds left in the game Edmonton score the tying goal on a power play. The final score 6-6. Scoring for the Polar Kings Jarvis Smigelski, Jason Walker (2), Chase Tomlinson (2) and Ryan Pfisterer. Assists belonged to Dallas Erickson, Ryan Pfisterer, Trevor Chopek, Jason Walker, Trevor Bromby and Chad Nelson. Player of the game – Jason Walker.
For the final game the Polar Kings played the Spruce Grove Timberwolves. The Kings out shot the Timberwolves 44-26 but were unable to beat Spruce Groves netminder. Final score 4-0. Player of the game – Dallas Erickson.

November 2, 2003
It was another four point weekend for the Wainwright Midget Polar Kings as the Polar Kings defeated the Northeast Panthers in a home and home series.
When the puck dropped Friday night in Wainwright it took less than four minutes for Polar King Jason Walker to score the first goal of the game. Even when the Panthers came back to tie, the tie was short lived as Ryan Volk, assisted by Chopek and M. Nelson moved the Kings into the lead. They held that lead until only 1:08 remained on the clock for the first period when the Panthers scored for the tie at the end of one period. With two quick goals half way through the second Northeast pulled ahead for a 4-2 hockey game.
Brothers Chad and Mark Nelson picked up a goal apiece to put the Kings back in the tying position. Assists on the goals go to Smigelski and M. Nelson and Tomlinson and Erickson. Jason Walker gets his second goal of the game when he picked up the pass from Chad Nelson and beat the Northeast tender. Early in the third the Panthers score but Polar King Ryan Volk gets the game-winning goal from Pfisterer and Chopek to defeat Northeast 6-5.
Sunday the Polar Kings made the return trip to Cold Lake to play game number 2 of the series. Both teams came out with a tremendous amount of intensity and it proved to be an end to end hockey game. Northeast scores first when the puck slides under the pads of netminder Justin Bowtell. With a minute and a half left in the first the Kings tie with game with a pass from Brett Chapman to Jason Walker to Dallas Erickson and in it goes for a 1-1 game.
Brady Mayne gets a chance with a wrap around and second later Trevor Chopek, who’s left all alone in front shots wide of the net. Mayne then takes advantage of the power play and the Kings take the lead. Walker and Chapman pick up the assists. Jarvis Smigelski tips in the go ahead goal from Tomlinson and C. Nelson at 4:23 then with 33 seconds left in the second Smigelski tucks another in for his second on the game. M. Nelson and Aaron Salik each get an assist.
In the third Dallas Erickson gets fed from Walker from behind the net for the Kings to take a two-goal lead. Northeast gets one more goal but that’s it. The Kings win game number two, earn a four-point weekend and remain first place in the East Division with a record of 9-3-0.
The Polar Kings leave Tuesday, Nov. 4^th to participate in the Prince Albert Mintos’ Ice Mania Hockey Tournament. Their next league game will be against West Division first place team Grande Prairie in Grande Prairie Nov. 14^th.

TWO OUT OF THREE

The Wainwright Midget Polar Kings played host to three home games this past weekend. Friday night Ft. St. John found the first mark on the board with just four minutes into the game. Polar King’s Brad Kohlman came back to tie it up with a slapshot from the top of the circle. Half way through the second Ft. St. John almost pulled ahead when they rang one of the post. With 4:36 left in the second period Brett Chapman beats Ft. St. John’s netminder with a shot flat on the ice. Sheay McInroy and Chase Tomlinson get the assist. Then just into the third Ryan Volk puts one past the gloveside to make it a 3-1 game. Ft. St. John battled back and picked up two goals to tie and forced the game into overtime. The Polar Kings lost in overtime 4-3.

Saturday, game number two, the first place East Division Wainwright Polar Kings faced off against the first place West Division Grande Prairie Storm. A minute and a half into the game Chad Nelson picked up a loose puck and put it into the net. Then with a minute left in the first Jarvis Smigelski moved in for the rebound and backhanded it in for a 2-0 lead. Assists on the first period goals went to Mark Nelson (2), Jarvis Smigelski and Chad Nelson. The Polar Kings picked up two more goals, one from Mark Nelson and the other from Trevor Chopek to defeat Grande Prairie 4-2. Assists went to Ryan Volk, Jarvis Smigelski and Chad Nelson.

Sunday morning, game number three of the weekend and game number two against Grande Prairie proved to be the battle of the best. Scoring in the first period was Jarvis Smigelski when he picked up the rebound on a Nelson to Nelson tic tac toe pass. Grande Prairie pulled ahead 2-1 early in the second with a stick deflection in front of goaltender Lance Gulbraa. At 13:32 Grande Prairie makes it a 3-1 hockey game in their favor. Ryan Volk took full advantage of the empty net situation when Brady Mayne and Brett Chapman pull the goalie off to the side of the net and pass it right in front but the Kings still trailed by one. Less than three minutes later Trevor Chopek picked up the pass from Dave Redhead and the shot sneaks under the glove of Grande Prairie’s goalie to tie the game. Brett Chapman had a couple of chances but got robbed on the breakaway late in the second and again in the third when he rang it off the post.

Jarvis Smigelski, with the help of Brad Kohlman and Mark Nelson picked up the go ahead goal at the 9:15 minute mark of the third period. Chad Nelson gave the Kings a reassurance goal when he picked up a rebound of Mark Nelson’s shot. Grande Prairie scored again late in the third and with a minute left pulled the goal in an attempt to tie but with no success.

The Wainwright Polar Kings remain in first place in the East Division and the Grande Prairie Storm first in the West. These two teams next battle each other in Grande Prairie Nov. 14^th. The Polar Kings next home game is at 7:45 p.m. Friday, October 31^st.

The Wainwright Midget AAA Polar Kings emerged as champions for the first time in five years from the Evaluation Tournament held in Wainwright Sept. 17-19^th, 2003. With a record of 2-0-1 going into the Sunday’s playoff game against the Camrose Nordics the Polar Kings defeated Camrose for the second time during the tournament by a score of 7-5. The four teams that participated in the tournament were the Northeast Panthers (Bonnyville), Lloydminster, Camrose and Wainwright.

Two preseason exhibition games saw the Polar Kings defeat the Battleford Stars Midget AAA in an end to end game 9-8. Wainwright’s return game to Battleford ended in an overtime tie of 2-2.

Friday, Sept. 26^th Wainwright played their home opener against the Camrose Nordics. Five minutes into the first period Chad Nelson assisted by Jarvis Smigelski and Ryan Volk found an empty spot in Camrose’s net to take the lead. Camrose came back to tie with six and a half minutes remaining in the first period. Wainwright’s Brady Mayne assisted by Ryan Volk picks the high blocker side for the go ahead goal early in the second period. Camrose scores a power play goal at 12:46 to once again tie the game. Polar King Jason Walker picks up a rebound from Aaron Salik to take a short lead only to have Camrose return the goal 22 seconds later. A quick backhand goal from Ryan Volk, assisted by Chad Nelson and Trevor Chopek gives Wainwright a 4-3 lead after two periods. Camrose answers back early in the third to tie the game 4-4. Polar King Chad Nelson assisted by Chase Thomlinson give the Kings the fifth go ahead goal less than two minutes later. With only 1:45 remaining in the third Camrose calls a timeout and pulls their goalie in an attempt to tie only to have Ryan Volk assisted by Chad Nelson find the empty net to give the Polar Kings their first league win by a score of 6-4.

Saturday the Polar Kings travelled to Lloydminster for game number two as Lloydminster played host to their first league game. Scoring just into the first period Polar King Jason Walker picks up the pass from Chase Tomlinson and snaps a quick one past Lloydminster’s goalie. Less than four minutes later Jarvis Smigelski assisted by Brady Mayne picks up goal number two. Lloydminster’sWaldorf sneaks one past Polar King goalie Justin Bowtell but the Kings still lead 2-1. There was no scoring in the second period but the Kings dominated for most of the period. Lloydminster comes back to tie at the 11:44 mark of the third. One minute and twenty seconds later Polar Kings Brady Mayne takes a shot from the side and the puck drops in behind the goalie for a 3-2 lead. With 1:58 remaining in the third defenseman Brett McInnis picks up a holding penalty allowing Lloydminster another chance to tie. The Kings played a tight defense when Lloydminster makes a good effort to come back and tie as the shot bounces off Bowtell, deflects high and lands in front of the net while neither team can get a stick on it. Defenseman Brad Kohlman kicks it into the corner and Jason Walker slaps it down the ice. The Kings win game number two.