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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Oil Kings Win in an Empty Castle

December 31, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Brandon, MB - In one of the most unique home games in Brandon Wheat Kings history, the Edmonton Oil Kings earned a 3-2 shootout victory on Thursday night.

In an empty Westoba Place, the Wheat Kings held 1-0 and 2-1 leads but the Oil Kings kept clawing their way back into the game. Marcus Kallionkieli and Mason Ward scored for Brandon while Logan Dowhaniuk and Shea Van Olm netted the singles for Edmonton.

With no crowd, the silence was obvoius at times with both coaches audibly calling out line changes and yelling at the officials, however Wheat Kings Head Coach Don MacGillivray says his team did an excellent job of staying up.

"Our guys did a great job creating energy and emotion," he told the Bounce 96.1 post-game show. "Both teams played hard, we found a way to get a point against a good team. We got 8 points out of ten against Winnipeg and Edmonton. Looking at the schedule...this was going to be a tough stretch of hockey for us and I'm happy we were able to get the point here tonight."

Ethan Kruger made his fourth consecutive start, and kicked aside 31 shots thru 65 minutes.

"We had some chances tonight, especially in overtime," added MacGillivray. "We had some great efforts from a lot of guys tonight. There were things I liked tonight, and a few things that we need to work on but I'm happy with the effort."

Brandon outshot Edmonton 23-13 in the final 25 minutes of the hockey game, including a 20-8 run in the third period.

Simon Kubicek would give Edmonton the extra point with the lone goal of the shootout. Brett Hyland, Ty Zimmer and Zakhar Polshakov were all stopped by Kolby Hay. The young Oil Kings netminder made 40 saves and three more in the shootout to earn second star honours.

It's been a strange week for the Wheat Kings and the WHL. Brandon's next two home games have been postponed, meaning the next scheduled game is January 12th in Medicine Hat. Despite the uncertainty that lay ahead, MacGillivray says his players have the right mindset.

"We have to take this situation day by day. We have to do our part and be diligent in terms of our health and safety. Its important that our guys to the right thing away from the week to keep everyone healthy and keep us playing."

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