By Ryan Laverty /
The sight of the Calgary Buffaloes strewn across the Saddledome ice, giddy as a bunch of kids in a candy shop wasn’t far from the minds of the J. Ennis Kings when they laced up for the Alberta Midget Hockey League championship on March 20.
The crew from Sherwood Park had showed signs early in the Mac’s Tournament they could be contenders for the tournament title, but discipline problems and a divergence from their typical game plan cost them a playoff berth.
“Of course we were disappointed in our result at the Mac’s, but it was a great experience in a lot of ways for us,” Kings head coach Bryan Keller said after his team’s Game 2 win over those same Buffaloes. “It showed us that we need to stick to our game plan. Keep our feet moving and just keep things simple. That’s what we did tonight.”
After rolling through their first two playoff rounds without a loss, the Kings were pulled back to earth in Game 1 of the AMHL final when the Buffs handed them a 5-0 loss. Keller attributed that loss to some uncharacteristic mistakes by his typically impenetrable defensive crew. The Kings finished the regular season first in the Dodge Division and second overall in the AMHL, thanks largely to their league-best 77 ?goals against.
“I’m not going to take anything away from them, but we didn’t think that 5-0 game was a 5-0 game,” said Keller. “We had some things we knew we could shore up and that if we did that, we’d be all right.
“I can say it wasn’t too hard to get the guys ready for Game Two.”
The Kings rallied to tie the series at one with a 5-3 win at the Acadia Recreation Centre in Calgary March 23, setting up what amounted to a best-of-three series with home-ice advantage for Sherwood Park.
Still, the road to the Telus Cup remains an obstructed one and with injuries to 17-year-olds Colby Croft (knee) and Josh Ennis (shoulder), it’s one Keller knows could come to an end quickly should the Kings not continue to apply what they learned in December.
“We’re beat up and we’re tired, I think like everyone this time of year,” Keller said. “We’re not taking anything for granted, especially against the defending champions.”
Game 3 took place March 25 in Sherwood Park, Game 4 was back in Calgary on March 27. If necessary, Game 5 will go March 29 in Sherwood Park.
Check www.amhl.ab.ca for current scores and game times.
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