After a difficult season that saw Edmonton finish in last place in the Western Hockey League, the Oil Kings started their 2018-19 campaign off right with a 4-2 win at home over the Red Deer Rebels on Friday night.
Forward Vince Loschiavo scored twice in the third period for Edmonton while forward Brett Kemp and defenceman Conner McDonald also found the back of the net.
Oil Kings goaltender Boston Bilious made 20 saves and also recorded an assist in the win.
Oleg Zaytsev and Alexander Alexeyev scored for the Rebels in their season opener. Red Deer goalie Ethan Anders stopped 39 of the 42 shots he faced.
READ MORE: Edmonton Oil Kings take forward Dylan Guenther first overall at WHL bantam draft
Trey Fix-Wolansky, who was just named as the Oil Kings’ 12th captain in modern franchise history, picked up three assists in Friday’s game. The forward, who is from Edmonton, has returned to the team after attending the Columbus Blue Jackets’ training camp.
The Blue Jackets drafted Fix-Wolansky 204th overall in this summer’s NHL Draft.
Following last year’s disappointing season, Kirt Hill was brought in to be the Oil Kings’ new general manager and Brad Lauer was hired as the team’s new head coach this summer.
READ MORE: Kirt Hill takes over as Edmonton Oil Kings GM; Brad Lauer new head coach
Watch below: Kirt Hill is the new general manager of the Edmonton Oil Kings hockey team. He joined Global’s Mike Sobel on Thursday to talk about how he got the job and preview the upcoming season ahead of the home opener.
The Oil Kings face the Rebels in a rematch in Red Deer on Saturday night. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
–With files from The Canadian Press