The Dauphin Kings are sliding at what some people would classify at the worst time of the season.
With three straight losses, Dauphin now finds themselves in fifth place in the MGEU West Division while their opponent this afternoon, the Swan Valley Stampeders are in second place.
Despite their struggles dating back to a defeat in Steinbach last Saturday, Dauphin is just two points back of Waywayseecappo, who lost last night against OCN.
The Kings scored just three times in two games against Virden while they were unable to get the clutch save that was needed.
Wednesday’s game — which is pegged for 12:30 at the Centennial — will be Dauphin’s earliest game since they played the Ottawa Jr. Senators at 1:00 p.m. in Estevan at the Centennial Cup last year. A great crowd is expected Wednesday as all schools in the Swan River area have been invited to the game.
It’s the sixth and final meeting between the two clubs this season and if Dauphin hopes to make a return to the playoffs, Wednesday’s game could go down as a must-win. Things don’t get any easier for the club after the game as they play Niverville twice this season before heading on the road to play Waywayseecappo next Tuesday and then Dauphin faces the ultimate test next weekend as they play the Centennial-Cup hosting Portage Terriers in a home-and-home.
You can watch Wednesday’s game on HockeyTV and you can also listen to it with Darnell Duff.
Player to Watch – Dauphin – Logan Walker
The 19-year-old continues to be one of Dauphin’s most consistent players. Logan puts everything he has into every single shift he plays and that will need to be the case on Wednesday.
Walker has also shown that he has a great shot and shots will certainly need to be great if they wish to beat Kobe Grant, who always comes to play against Dauphin
STATS: 6 goals, 4 assists
Player to Watch – Swan Valley – Jakob Jones
He was an Original 16 Star of the Week last week and he’s on fire this season.
Jones is very dynamic and he is great at creating space for himself on the ice. He’s flashy and possesses a great shot which is why he’s top-five in league scoring this year.
STATS: 28 goals, 33 assists