Photo credit – Pederson Photographic
===
It took the Dauphin Kings more than 59 minutes to score their first goal but their one goal in regulation was all they needed to earn a point and then Anthony Bax played the hero to give Dauphin their second point.
Trailing 1-0 with just 25 seconds left in the third period, Bax let go of a shot from the right point and it went up and over the shoulder of the Titans’ netminder as the Kings tied the game up. The following 25 seconds yielded no offence which gave both teams a single point.
Then just less than a minute into overtime, Bax went coast-to-coast and completed a pretty wraparound to give the Kings a 2-1 win and a full two points on opening night.
“It feels amazing to score a pair of goals to help the team win,” said Bax. “I don’t even know what to think, I’m just glad we were able to get the job done tonight.”
In a game that was dominated by goaltending on both sides, the Kings stuck with it despite not getting any bounces. Peyton Trzaska was outstanding in net for Neepawa as he held the fort for the first 59:35 of the game; however, it was only enough to earn a point.
Making his first start of the season, Keaton Woolsey was equally as good as Peyton. The returning goalie from last year’s championship team turned away 23 shots.
“We just kept pushing and going to the net,” said Bax. “Eventually it worked out for us. We all stayed on the same page the entire game and it worked out for us.”
In their first game of the season, Dauphin dressed plenty of local talent. Aidan Brook, Carter Zalischuk, Rylan Gibbs, and Garrett Hrechka all saw action.
Dauphin will now go for a weekend sweep on Saturday as the two teams meet at the Yellowhead Centre as the Titans host their home opener. It’s a game you can hear on 730CKDM with Darnell Duff and you can also watch it on HockeyTV.