Brothers in action

TULSA, Okla — To quote an old line from Saturday Night Live’s skit “Celebrity Jeopardy”, “I’ve got a conundrum for you, a Riddle if you will…” What do you get when you mix a speedy, goal scoring forward with a gritty forward who uses his size to make plays? Answer: Tulsa’s Riddle brothers, Jake and Troy. Tulsa was introduced to Jake Riddle during the 2008-09 season, when he scored 22 goals, adding 17 assists for 39 points in 52 games. He was also third on the team with 162 penalty minutes. Following the season, Jake decided to stay in Tulsa.

“I like the city,” he said. “I found a summer job here that I like and I wanted to stay somewhat close to home. This is one of the closer cities for my family to come see me play the last couple of years,” the Minneapolis, Minnesota native added. Jake eventually re-signed with the Oilers, and older brother Troy would soon join the team.
“He (Jake) talked pretty highly of the organization, coaching staff , the team and everybody,” said Troy, who played college hockey at the University of Minnesota. “They were doing really well at the beginning of the year and obviously it seemed like a good fit,” he continued. Troy joined the Oilers on November, 10, 2009 and impressed fans with a three point performance in a 6-5 win at Mississippi. Jake and Troy were eventually matched up on the same line, and have been finding continued success after the addition of newcomer Travis Banga. Troy has accumulated 13 points in the last 15 games, by way of seven goals and six assists. On the season he has 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points. Jake is not far off his brother’s pace with 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points. In the last 15 games he has posted six goals and four assists for 10 points. “Both of them bring a lot of great attributes to our hockey team,” head coach Bruce Ramsay said. “They’re different kinds of players. Troy is a player that has a lot of speed and uses that to his advantage, where Jake is more of a player that is bigger and uses his size down low,” he added. “They’re good defensively and they pick up systems well. They’ve got some offensive capabilities and they’re both great penalty killers. I’ve been very satisfied since specifically of late with their play and what they’ve done out there with Travis Banga.” Not bad for a pair that last played together in high school, but does it give them an added advantage over the competition?
“I think it helps out,” Jake said. “It’s easier to communicate with each other; we try to get Troy to use his speed and me to use my size and try to get the best chemistry we can off of that.”
Troy Riddle questions if it is the brotherly chemistry, instead giving credit to the makeup of the line.
“I don’t think it really has anything with us as brothers being on the same line,” Troy said. “I think our styles, having a big guy and a skill guy like Travis Banga. I think it’s just the styles of  play that are coming together.” Banga also likes the chemistry that the line has.
“I think we all compliment each other really well, and its been showing the last four or five games,” Banga said. “We’re starting to find our stride and know where each other are. We bring a lot of energy and we’re starting to put a couple of pucks in the net.”
The brothers certainly seem to be glad to have a player of Banga’s caliber on the ice with them.
“I know Troy is a little more comfortable playing wing with Travis at center,” Jake said. “We’ve both really enjoyed ourselves the last several games playing with him.”  Add Coach Ramsay to the list of people who are pleased with the line.
“When they (Jake and Troy) were playing together before, they were well, but obviously Travis is a good player,” he said. “Ever since I put that line together they’ve done a great job of keeping the puck in the offensive zone and creating opportunities. That is a line that I want to keep together and I can use it in all situations against other teams,” Ramsay said. The team is currently in a heated battle for playoff positioning, with just four points now separating third place from sixth place in the Northern Conference. With just a handful of games left to be played before the second season starts, what is the siblings’ goal?
“To get at least to some kind of final,” Jake said. “The conference final or the league final; obviously to go until the end. I think we have a team here that can play with any team in the league any night. As long as we peak at the right time, I don’t see why we can’t hang a banner at the end of the year.” With the way the Riddle line has been playing lately, and the recent re-signing of fan favorite David-Alexandre Beauregard, the Oilers are banking on their offense to do just that and carry them deep into the playoffs.
Contact the author at john.hall@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at les.stockton@prohockeynews.com