WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Third Period Sinks Wheat Kings in Regina

November 12, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


The Brandon Wheat Kings played 40 good minutes against the Regina Pats on Sunday, November 12. Unfortunately, it was the final 20 that they will remember most as they let two potentially critical points slip away.

Tanner Howe scored twice and Ewan Huet stopped 26 of 28 shots thrown his way and the Wheat Kings lost 4-2 to the Pats. Rylen Roersma and Roger McQueen provided the goals for the Wheat Kings, while Ethan Eskit made 24 saves.

"We had a lot of chances, in the second especially, to separate ourselves and probably get up two, three, four goals," said head coach and GM Marty Murray. "But we didn't bear down and finish, and you let a team hang around they kind of took over in the third."

The start for the Wheat Kings should've bought them a better result. In the first period they forced numerous turnovers, and off one of these McQueen sent Roersma in alone, and Roersma fired a bullet of a shot past Huet for the early lead.

In the second period, Roersma returned the favor, forcing a turnover at centre and sending McQueen the other direction. McQueen dropped his shoulder and drove the net hard, cutting to the forehand and beating Huet to the far post.

The wheels began to fall off not long after, however, as the Pats power play went to work. Howe fired home his first from the top of the left circle to get them back in it.

Then, in the third, with Howe charging the back post on a rush, Borya Valis flung the puck to the net and ended up bouncing it off a backchecking Wheat King to square the score.

A similarly unfortunate bounce cost the Wheat Kings later in the third as, late in a power play, a spin-and-fire shot from Tye Spencer hit the heel of a skate and bounced to the front of the net, leaving Howe with the whole cage to shoot at.

With the net empty, the Wheat Kings got a break as the Pats got a delay of game penalty. But their luck turned sour again as Parker Berge blindly fired it to the empty net and hit the bullseye.

The Wheat Kings will have a few days to regroup and prepare to face a pair of Alberta opponents. The first of those opponents is the Edmonton Oil Kings, who will be in Brandon on Friday, November 17. Puck drop is 7:00.

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Western Hockey League Stories from November 12, 2023


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