The West Kings Wolverines retained its position at the top of the central division of the Valley High School Hockey League Dec. 8, defeating second-place Central Kings 5-3.
Zachary Forsythe took an early lead for Central Kings with an unassisted, short-handed goal 12 minutes into the first period. West Kings took advantage of some CK penalty trouble five minutes later and Spencer Breckon scored a power play goal with the help of Bryce Oliver. Kohl Bates, off the stick of Spencer Kennie, got it back for CK two minutes later with just over a minute left on the clock to give the Gators a 2-1 lead going into the second period.
It was all West Kings in the second, with the Wolverines quick to capitalize on CK penalties. Owen St. Nicolass, assisted by Ben Foley, scored a power play goal with just under three minutes left on the clock for West Kings to tie things up. A minute later, Oliver scored his second of the night – another power play marker – assisted by Ben Parisien, giving WK its first lead of the night.
Jake Whiston again tied the score for Central Kings mid-way through the third with an unassisted marker, but West Kings rallied back. St. Nicolaas picked up his second marker of the night with just under three-and-a-half minutes left on the clock, with assists going to Jordan Jackson and Dexter Newell. It was the eventual game-winner, with his teammate Jon Gaulton, assisted by Mason Sawler, picking up an insurance marker 20 seconds later.
Currently, West Kings tops the central division standings, with 17 points in 11 games played (eight wins, two losses), while Central Kings is in second with 10 points in nine games played (five wins, four losses). Digby, which is in third with six points, and Middleton, in last with two points, round out the division.
In the tightly contested east division, the Park View Panthers are in first with 19 points, followed by the Horton Griffins with 16 points, the Avon View Avalanche with 12 points and Northeast Kings with 10 points.
The west division is led by Barrington with 14 points, followed by Par-en-Bas with 10 points, Yarmouth with six points and Clare, which is still seeking its first win.
