King of the Crease

Adrenaline goalie Peter King has been waiting for this opportunity for a while.

 

For the first time in his career King begins the season as the starting goalie for the Hards Transport Adelaide Adrenaline after getting the call the first two games of the year in Melbourne. 

"For the first time I am the guy being chased and not doing the chasing," he says.

"I always have put in a lot of effort every year. It seems like each year I am competing with an interstate goalie or competing with an import goalie which has always made things difficult," says King. "It's nice to get a chance."

He's not wrong. 

 

King has served primarily as the secondary option for the Adrenaline in the previous four seasons.
 

In 2012, King backed up import goalie Aaron Barton. The next season he played behind Kiwi netminder Rick Parry. Mike Will, a British import, was the #1 guy in 2014.

Then, last season, 18-year-old Western Australian goalie Charlie Smart carried most of the load for Adelaide. In the off-season Smart made a move to the Sydney Ice Dogs, setting up a King vs. Smart showdown on the weekend. 

King also played as a youngster on the 2007 and 2008 teams but didn't get any significant playing time. King has played no more than 12 games in a season.

 

"It's a different feeling from [other years] in the respect that I'm [the guy]," says King. "My approach doesn't change at all though. I still give it everything I have."

Last weekend in Melbourne, King started both games for the first time since 2014 when he started the first four games of the year waiting for import Mike Will to arrive. King had three wins and one loss with two shutouts and a 2.00 goals against average during that stretch.

He only started four games the rest of the season.

But Adrenaline players like Darren Corstens say they are ready to play for Pete this season after the departure of Charlie Smart.

"He has a great opportunity to step up this year," says Corstens. "The boys are confident having him in net and he definitely showed what he is capable of on the weekend."

King had a 40+ save performance in the team's opening game of the season. In fact, it was the first time the Adrenaline had skated as a team on a large ice surface all season. 

LISTEN TO THE FULL PETE KING INTERVIEW HERE: https://clyp.it/jcs5u10e

This season King is working in tandem with Russell Brewer - a very talented goalie in his own right.

Brewer has experience in the AIHL with the Canberra Knights in 2011 and brings a great attitude to the team. No matter what goalie is in net the Adrenaline have a chance to win. 

King says he and Brewer get along great and has a lot of confidence the Adrenaline duo can get the job done.

"Rusty is a great guy and a real team player - the kind of guy you want in the room. No matter which goalie I work together with we will help each other out to see what needs improving," he says.

This weekend, however, is a big opportunity for King. He plays against Charlie Smart - the man he shared the crease with last season.

 

"It's always good to go against former teammates and develop a friendly rivalry with them," he says. "I feel like the guys know how we plays [after playing with us] but he has an advantage because he knows how I work too."

 

However this season ends up, it will certainly be fun to see how Pete King steps up for the team. 

Tickets are on sale for this weekend's home opening clash and the King vs. Smart showdown at www.trybooking.com/LCOZ. Get tickets in advance as it could sell out.