There were good goals, great saves, a lot of hard work and even a fight as Dauphin Kings main camp continued at Credit Union Place.
Day two saw four teams hit the ice twice each, adding up to four games that begun this morning and wrapped up earlier this evening. After this morning's two games took place, there was a goaltenders session this afternoon.
I caught up with Mitch Topinka to get his thoughts on day two.
"We're very happy as a coaching staff and as a scouting staff," said Topinka. "There's some good competition that's happening here. There are also some younger kids making some veterans upset. We're happy with how things are going."
Things took a turn in the final game of the day. Avery Smith, who played on the team last year, dropped the gloves with American Carter Eha.
Dauphin is looking to build a team that can build off their successful season last year. Although they were eliminated in the first round, Dauphin earned 34 more points than the prior season. They also gave Swan Valley a good test in the first round.
With the practice and scrimmage portion of camp now over, Topinka has noticed something.
"Things seem faster. With the hard work that our scouting staff and the coaching staff has done with our list and getting these kids in here, it makes a difference," said Topinka. "We're going to be bigger and heavier than we were last year. I'm definitely more confident now than I was at this time last year."
Next up for the organization is the annual JoFo Cup. That takes place tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. It'll be a regular game, so three-20 minute periods. The preseason officially starts on Monday, when the Swan Valley Stampeders pay a visit to Credit Union Place at 7:30.
"With the JoFo Cup, it'll be a lot of veterans and older guys that are pushing to make this team," added Topinka. "We'll trim down a little bit, but we have to keep in mind that we have two rookie games on Monday and Tuesday against Swan Valley. We want to make sure we don't let any guys slide under the radar after tonight."
One thing that silenced the crowd was an injury to Cole DeKoninck. He skated off by himself during the second last game but did not return.
