Looking to avenge a 5-0 loss before the Christmas break to Salmon Arm Kings brought a much healthier look to the lineup along with a couple of new recruits.
Playing their first games for the Kings were newly signed forward Brendyn Smith and defenseman Cole Arcuri and both were very solid in their debuts.
Kings got off to a slow start with a Game Delay penalty because they were a tad late to get to the ice. Fortunately the Backs weren't in game mode yet and Kings managed to kill off the penalty.
Not many chances for either side in the first period but Lucas Grayson added some excitement with an aggressive hit followed by a goal.
On a dump-in he took the defenseman to the boards and the loose puck was worked towards the net by McCarrick and McCaw where it dropped down in the crease by the feet of Grayson.
He got his stick on it and the Kings had a big goal to take the lead 1-0 at 18:44.
Still tight checking in the second until Alex Jewell broke loose down the right side and from the face-off circle snapped a shot that Imoo thought he had.
The puck had, however, slipped through him and was poked into the net by Jewell who had followed up the play at 7:02.
Kings got that one back when Jarid Lukosevicius played the puck up the ice where Kurt Keats won a race to it and on the breakaway fired the puck 5 hole on Clark at 11:23.
Jonah Imoo was solid for the Kings in the remainder of the second and third periods with great saves on Bryden Marsh and Michael Roberts, but Salmon Arm goalie Clark also had a couple of brilliant glove saves.
Kings got the insurance on a nice give and go with Nogard and Dorantes.
Dorantes made the pass to Nogard who drove hard to the net, cut to his left and fired a forehand shot in to put the Kings up 3-1 at 11:23.
From there the Kings dug in and Salmon Arm's hooking penalty late in the game pretty much killed any chance of a comeback.
A solid effort out of all the Kings, new and old, from the goaltender out but the crowd was most appreciative of the effort by Grayson who was named the game's second star.
The game followed the January 10 trading deadline and Grayson commented on the atmosphere during the day and after the game.
"Personally I don't think about that kind of stuff," he said over music blaring from a happy dressing room, "but I think we've got a good group of guys, we all bond together real well and it's a great atmosphere."
"We don't need to change anything."
When asked about the Kings' tendancy to make very few if any moves he said, "I didn't know much about what Kent was about but that's good to keep the core group together."
Today is history and now the Kings turn to the future with the 22 guys in the room.
Grayson said, "we've got a lot of island games on the road so we've just got to pull together."
We've got three in three for two week and it's a grind but we want to finish in first."
As far as grinding nobody knows that better than Luke Nogard who hit the scoreboard with a goal and a couple of roughing penalties late in the game.
Salmon Arm got a little frisky around the King's net and Nogard was there to let them know that wasn't 'cool'.
"We can't let them get away with that," he smiled, "especially in our barn."
Always a good thing to remember as a team prepares for the playoffs.
Armitage Mens Wear Three Stars:
1. Kurt Keats
2. Lucas Grayson
3. Adam Clark
