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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Late Goal Spoils Wheat Kings Comeback on Pucks N Paws Night

October 7, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


With a two-goal deficit and a penalty kill to start the third period, things appeared to be stacked against the Brandon Wheat Kings. Though they battled back to tie the score, they couldn't hold on to claim a vital point before their longest road trip of the season.

Dominik Petr scored twice and Carson Bjarnason stopped 30 of 34 shots he faced, but it wasn't enough as the Wheat Kings fell 4-3 to the Calgary Hitmen. Sean Tschigerl scored twice for Calgary, who got 22 saves from Ethan Buenaventura.

"I thought the first ten (minutes) were ok, we were outshooting them something like 6-2, we had some good looks and some good zone time," said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. "Then at the end of the first they were up 13-7 in shots. We've got to be able to stop momentum when team's get going a bit and have that next-line-up mentality."

During that stretch where Calgary seized the momentum, they also jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Tschigerl worked a give-and-go with Carson Wetsch and then scored on the resulting breakaway. Then, just 23 seconds later, Tschigerl was on the board again, this time driving the net as the Hitmen threw the puck into the crease to create chaos and banging away at the rebound.

That was a strategy the Wheat Kings used to great effect in the second. Jayden Wiens joined a goalmouth scramble and slid it back out front to Caleb Hadland, who brought them back within one. But the Hitmen restored their lead before the period was out with Ben Kindel tipping home a point shot to make it 3-1.

The Wheat Kings had to kill a penalty at the start of the third following a skirmish in the Hitmen zone at the end of the second. Not only did they kill it, but they got the momentum back when Petr batted home the rebound of a Dominik Petr shot that hit the post.

Petr was back in on the act again not quite three minutes after his first goal. He drove the net following a shot by Roger McQueen, which Rylen Roersma directed back to the goal and which Petr was able to find to make it a 3-3 tie.

Calgary got a lead they would never lose, however, when Carter MacAdams banged away in close after his attempt at a cross-crease was blocked. From their, the Hitmen clamped down and held on for the win.

The next Wheat Kings game is the first in a long road trip when they travel to Lethbridge to face the Hurricanes on Wednesday, October 11.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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