On days off at the MasterCard Memorial Cup in Shawinigan, the Edmonton Oil Kings became regular tourists. They went bowling and did some sightseeing in and around Quebec City.
After going 1-2 in the round-robin and thus facing a tiebreaker Thursday night versus the host Cataractes, the Oil Kings hope to take the tourist route to Sunday’s Major Junior hockey national final.
Taking the long way home meant a must-win Thursday turned into another win-or-go-home situation in today’s semifinal.
“We have a big challenge ahead of us, but we faced adversity being down in the (seven-game WHL) series with Portland and we’ll just take it one game at a time,” said Vernon’s Curtis Lazar, a rookie centre with Edmonton.
“Everybody’s got bumps and bruises and we’re still recovering from that gruelling series against Portland, but it’s going to take something really serious to knock any of our guys out of the lineup.”
Lazar, who turned 17 in February, had a strong game Tuesday night as the Oil Kings bowed 4-1 to the trap-loving London Knights. He and wingers Henrik Samuelsson and Stephane Legault were Edmonton’s most effective line and were rewarded with big minutes.
“Curtis has been playing great,” Oil King assistant coach Steve Hamilton told The Morning Star. “His line has really risen to the occasion and been our best line. It’s a nice blend. They complement each other and his instincts make him such a pleasure to play with. He’s a big body who’s not afraid to make a hit and he’s got good hands.”
Hamilton said the Oil Kings were treating the tiebreaker as a Game 7. Edmonton clipped the Cataractes 4-3 in their tourney opener.
London, whose win over the Oil Kings vaulted them into the final, outshot Edmonton 28-21 and kept their top shooters to the perimeter.
“They play that trap well and they did a good job shutting us down,” said Lazar. “We were a bit stubborn in not adjusting sooner. We were down on ourselves afterwards. It’s quite frustrating and we’ve got a few passengers so having today off was good for us to get away from the rink and do some soul searching and get ready for the next game.
“Everybody’s got to give an extra gear. I know I have to start scoring. I’m getting chances.”
Lazar says he is striving to play a solid two-way game and using his solid frame to disrupt opposing teams as they try to move the puck out of their zone. He picked off several passes deep in the London end Tuesday.
Legault and Samuelsson each had one assist and were plus 1 along with Lazar, who went 9-for-13 on faceoffs.
The Oil Kings, staying 45 minutes away from the rink, had a luncheon with parents Wednesday and then headed to their hotel rooms to watch the Saint John Sea Dogs-Shawinigan game on TV. The defending champion Sea Dogs won 4-1.
“My dad’s (Dave) here and it’s always nice to have that family support,” said Lazar. “I’m getting texts from my mom (Karen) which always put a smile on my face.”
Lazar, who is high on the NHL’s early-round radar for the 2013 entry draft, is no threat on the bowling alleys.
“I was close to the 70-point range,” he laughed. “Even Dylan Wruck, who has his shoulder in a sling, beat me using his wrong hand. I’ll stick to hockey.”
