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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Perfect Power Play Powers Wheat Kings Past Warriors

September 16, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Though it wasn't nearly the blowout victory they earned the night before, the Brandon Wheat Kings still left Moose Jaw with a win on Saturday, September 16. This time, it was older players doing the heavy lifting offensively.

Dominik Petr scored twice and Ethan Eskit stopped 26 of 27 shots he faced in the Wheat Kings 4-1 win. Jackson Unger stopped 33 of 37 shots in the Moose Jaw net, while Eric Alarie provided their only goal. Curiously, all five goals in the game came on the power play and neither team had a successful penalty kill.

"It was hard to be better tonight than we were last night because of the way we played," said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. "But I think there are always lessons to be learned. How to play on the road, how to close out games, how to win games, and how important special teams are in the WHL."

Petr potted both of his power play tallies in the first period. First, he found the rebound of a Roger McQueen shot below the goal line and, with Unger hurrying back to position, he deliberately banked his backhander in from just outside the corner. Then, when McQueen split the seam with a pass, he snapped home a one-timer for the 2-0 lead.

On their only power play of the game, Alarie gave Moose Jaw a shot in the arm, breaking up the right wing and rifling home a shot to get them back within one.

Evan Groening provided the Wheat Kings' response before the period was out. Parked in front of the net, he got a tip on a shot by Andrei Maliavin and made it change direction completely, fooling Unger to restore the two-goal lead.

Though Moose Jaw pushed back hard in the late second, the Wheat Kings stifled them in the third, limiting them to just seven shots in the period. At the other end, on their fourth power play of the night, Rylen Roersma slipped home a backhand from the lip of the crease to make it 4-1 and put the game out of reach.

The win gives the Wheat Kings a perfect 4-0 record on the preseason. Their next action is when the games start to count in the standings when they host the Regina Pats for their home opener on Friday, September 22.

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