Spud Kings’ Red and Gold intrasquad game doesn’t disappoint
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IDAHO FALLS – Between the first and second period of Monday’s Spud Kings Red and Gold game, the speakers blasted “Stayin’ Alive” as part of the musical entertainment.
A few of the fans who made their way to Mountain America Center for the team’s intrasquad game sang and danced. The Bee Gees’ classic tune has that kind of influence on anyone who was around in the ‘70s.
“Stayin’ Alive” had a bit of a different connotation for 36 hockey players.
While the night may have been entertaining for area fans who got their first taste of hockey this season, Monday’s intrasquad game was all business as coaches continued to make cuts to whittle down the roster to the final 26 spots, meaning every play, every line, was under scrutiny to see who was going to continue their hockey careers with the Spud Kings.
“We obviously have decisions to make tonight,” general manager Erik Hudson said outside the locker room after the game. “We’ll make a round of cuts tomorrow.”
The Spud Kings play a pair of exhibition games against Rock Springs on Friday and Saturday and will set the final roster afterward. The regular season begins Sept. 20 at Ogden.
For now, the focus is on getting the right pieces in place so the Spud Kings can be competitive in their first season in the National Collegiate Development Conference.
“We have 10 guys to make a decision on, but really, everybody is still competing every day for a spot,” Hudson said. “I think it’s important that we watch the players to see if they’re filling the roles that we brought them here for. We got guys that are here to score, we got guys that are here to be physical, and guys that are here to stop the puck.”
Every player at camp, which started Sept. 4, was selected by the Spud Kings’ staff so competition was expected to be fierce.
Thirty-six players saw action in Monday’s intrasquad matchup that ended with the Red team defeating the Gold 1-0 in a shootout. Regulation and overtime ended at 4-4.
The game was scoreless in the first period but picked up in the second as the Gold team took a 4-3 lead. There was some pushing and shoving as the pace picked up a bit and things got chippy. The Red team finally tied it up in the third to eventually force overtime.
“They’re all here for a reason,” Hudson said. “Our camp is longer than most because we want to take our time and make the right decisions. Does that guarantee that we’re going to make the right decisions? Not always, but we want these players to have every ability to showcase themselves and that’s what we’re going to do.”
It was the first time the Red and Gold intrasquad game was open to the public. Mountain America Center was about two-thirds full by the first period.