Successful homecoming for Golder

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That is a tough way for any junior player to end his career with a team that will undoubtedly miss post season play.

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Golder, who was also recognized with a classy video tribute in the first media timeout in the opening period, entered Rogers Place Friday afternoon by beelining to the Oil Kings dressing room, where he picked up his championship ring.

On the ice, the personable, yet wanting to stay out of the media spotlight forward, scored his 24^th goal of the season and was named the games first star in a 4-0 win.

It was the seventh time the Oil Kings have been shutout this season, having scored a league low 1.98 goals per game.

Golder could have had more than one goal but was shutdown by Oil Kings goaltender Logan Cunningham on a breakaway, while making several solid stops to keep the score from getting way out of control.

Golder, who has goals in back-to-back games, snapped home a one-timer from between the hash-marks on an early second period power play after a tremendous one touch pass from linemate Andrew Cristall.

The goal made the score 2-0.

While the overage forward left the arena with a championship ring, a win, a goal and first star status, his fellow elder statesman earned his 6^th career shutout.

Tayln Boyko, who played his first career game at Rogers Centre, after being a backup when he was a member of the Tri-City Americans, continued his stellar play.

Boyko, who is from Drumheller, made 27 saves for his third shutout of the season.

The other two goose eggs came against Lethbridge in a 35 save performance before making an eye-popping 51 stops against the Prince Albert Raiders.

The personable goalie’s easiest shutout came a season ago with 21 stops in a 1-0 overtime victory in Prince George against the Cougars.

With Golder and Boyko earning first and third stars respectively, face-off specialist Dylan Wightman sniped twice in the teams 21^st win of the season.

Named the second star, it was Wightman’s first two-goal game, excluding a two-goal effort in the bubble season, which counts in a player’s career statistics, but often doesn’t have the same cache when most teams iced exceedingly young lineups in an effort to evaluate prospects.

The win, extended the teams winning streak to a season high four games, having out-scored the opposition 15-4 over that stretch.

With three games in hand, the Rockets also moved 9 points up on the idle Victoria Royals for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and moved within four of Vancouver in the fight for seventh.

It was a nice way to open an Alberta road trip, which gets considerable harder when the team visits the Red Deer Rebels Saturday night (5:40 pm pre-game show on 104.7 – The Lizard), who own the best record in the Central Division.