The Dauphin Kings' last home game was on October 2.
They went 1-for-4 on the power play. They went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. They had 60 shots. Tate Barnaby posted his first MJHL shutout. He made 21 saves. It was a dominant 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Blues.
Two nights later, the Kings were back in action. They opened a six-game road trip. The first stop was Stride Place in Portage. Barnaby made 19 saves. Dauphin won 4-0. Nine goals in two games, the Kings hit their stride.
Dauphin then fell short in a 4-3 overtime loss against Winkler.
Last Friday, they played the role of comeback kids. Dauphin trailed the Neepawa Titans four times. Bennett Muller scored with 37 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Hometown star Quinten Fisk scored the only goal in a shootout. It was a 5-4 win.
"Yeah, it goes back to our resiliency at the end of the day," said Bryan Kromm, head coach and general manager. "It was good to see our guys battle through adversity and win that game."
Then on Saturday, it was a brilliant performance. The Kings took down the powerful Steinbach Pistons. Barnaby was brilliant. Former Piston Brody Green scored the game-winner. Three for Dauphin and two for Steinbach. Four straight on the road and seven points to show for it.
"Those are the games that are easy to get up for. You know you're playing a tough opponent in their rink," added Kromm. "It was a really nice job from our guys. Just staying composed. Not getting too high or too low. It was great for Green to get the game-winner late."
The Kings rode into Virden on Wednesday and lost 7-3. Bennett Muller led the way with two goals. Brody Green also continued his point streak. It was the team's fifth game on their road trip. They've earned seven of a possible 10 points so far.
At 5-4-2, Dauphin sits third in the highly competitive MGEU West Division. The Kings have 36 goals and 38 against. A definite strong point is the team's special teams. Dauphin is 11-for-43 on the man advantage. That's 25.6%. That's the fourth-best in the league.
On the penalty kill, the Kings are seventh. They're 81.1% a man down. They scored two power-play goals on Wednesday in Virden. They went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. It's a team trending in the right direction.
At 5-4-2, Kromm says the team continues to take things day-by-day.
"I'm not trying to put too much pressure on our group right now," he said. "I do expect us to be a playoff contender and to go deep. We're happy with where we're at. At the same time, there is another level we can get to as a group."
Kromm credits his group for its willingness to get in the lanes. Dauphin has blocked a pile of shots this year, and Bryan expects that to continue. The team has bought into the system and takes pride in blocking pucks.
On Friday, they hit the road again. This will wrap up their road trip. For the second time in less than two weeks, they're at the Centennial Arena in Winkler. Earlier this month, Dauphin earned a point in an overtime loss to the Flyers.
Winkler enters the game fifth in the East. They're 3-4-1.
Kromm says they're better than their record indicates.
"They're a hard and heavy team. Especially on the forecheck. Our breakouts have to be really good, and we have to get back on pucks quick," said Kromm. "They're heavy in front of the net. It'll be a physical challenge. That's something our guys need to rise to the occasion."
You can hear Bryan's full chat with Darnell Duff during the Dauphin Kings Power Play Show. It runs on Friday afternoon at 4:05.
After Friday, Dauphin returns home. They host the Virden Oil Capitals at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Then the team heads back on the road. On Tuesday, they're in Swan River to play the Stampeders. You can hear that game with Darnell Duff.
He'll have the Parkland Source for Sports pregame show at 6:50.
