Wild post two wins over weekend then stumble against Bradford
By Bill Rea

John Sturino was applying pressure on the Bradford net in the first period of Sunday's contest.

Three games in three nights on the road is a tall order for any team, especially when the third match is against the firstplace club.

That's what the King Wild faced over the weekend, and they emerged from the action with two wins, although it was a costly set of victories, as injuries butted in.

Head Coach Paul Hampton reported Ryan Aikins sustained a serious eye injury Saturday in Deseronto, which is likely to keep him out of the lineup at least six weeks. As well, Mark Fortin is going to be sidelined with injuries too.

The side travelled north to Gravenhurst Friday night to play the South Muskoka Shield, and they pounded their opponents 9-0. Dan Douglas and Jordan Gidaro were both two-goal men for King in this outing.

The following night, it was captain Mike Bodley who handled all the scoring for the team, the final goal coming in overtime, for the 3-2 win against the Deseronto Thunder.

But Sunday was a different story, as the Wild had to face the Bradford Rattlers. The score was 8-2 when the ice crystals settled.

Gidaro and Marc Zanette did the scoring for the Wild, with Douglas and Zanette earning assists.

"It was three games in three nights," Hampton commented after Sunday's outing. He added Saturday's match was a hard-fought battle, and the long trip home didn't help much. He said it would have been at least 3 a.m. before his men would have been able to get any sleep.

"We knew we were in tough," he said, commenting the players would have been a little too tired sometimes to put in second efforts in plays with the Rattlers. "We're a tired team."

But the good news is the two wins put the Wild into second place in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League standings with 25 points, five back of the Rattlers and two up on the Richmond Hill Rams.

This week will see the Wild in a home-and-home series with the Toronto Canada Moose, who are currently in sixth place with 12 points.

The King guys will be travelling to Thornhill to take on the Moose Saturday. The game will start at 7:35 p.m. Then both sides will bring the show to King City for a Sunday encounter, with the game slated to start at 5:45 p.m.