Goaltender Arik Weersink stands tall, steers aside 37 shots for the win
Edmonton, March 18, 2023 – The Red Deer Polytechnic Kings are just one win away from a championship title as they defeated the NAIT Ooks in Game 2 with an outstanding performance from their goaltender.
It was a tight-checking first period with the team's not finding the back of the net or solving the great goaltending that was evident in the first 20 minutes. But the Ooks controlled the majority of the first period as they outshot the Kings 13-6.
They would continue this momentum into the second period and be awarded a powerplay which they capitalized on with a goal from forward Eric Lacombe (Bachelor of Business Administration). This happened to be the first time the Ooks scored first in the three games they played against the Kings so far in the playoffs.
Three minutes later, forward Hayden Clayton (Open Studies) received a pass in the slot and fired the puck over the glove of Ooks goaltender Ryley Osland (Business Administration).
Goaltender Arik Weersink (Bachelor of Business Administration) came up big on a glorious chance from the Ooks to keep it a one-one tied.
The goal that ended up being the game-winner came on the powerplay as forward Nolan Doell scored a beautiful goal with forward Jacob Kendall (Bachelor of Education) and forward Erik Miller (Business Administration) grabbing the assist on the goal.
The Kings would take the 2-1 lead into the third but still were being outshot by the Ooks 24-19.
It was all Ooks in the third period as they were pressing to tie the game up and hopefully in the end tying the series up as they continued to pound the shots on Weersink with 14 in the third. But the Red Deer goaltender stood tall, specifically when NAIT had their goaltender pulled in the dying minutes of the gave, and steered aside the remaining shots as he picked up his fourth win of the playoffs with a 37-save performance.
Forward Jacob Wozney (Bachelor of Education) took home the player of the game honour for the Kings with an assist and a great scoring chance on a breakaway but he put it high and wide.
The Kings will have a chance to win the championship at home with Game 3 coming back to Red Deer next week Friday, March 24 with the puck dropping just after 7 pm.