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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Valiant Third Period for Wheat Kings Falls Short in Red Deer

January 28, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


It took 40 minutes, but the Brandon Wheat Kings rediscovered their offensive touch in Red Deer against the Rebels. Sadly, they found it just a little too late.

Nolan Flamand, Rylen Roersma, and Brett Hyland all scored, but the Wheat Kings fell 5-3 to the Rebels. Ethan Eskit made 36 saves for the Wheat Kings in the loss.

"I thought the guys battled hard," said head coach and GM Marty Murray. "We battled all the way and got rewarded for it in the third. It was just too little too late. But I was really happy with the effort for the guys."

Similar to the game against Calgary, the Wheat Kings gave up the first goal when a defenseman pinched up into the corner and fed the puck to a forward waiting out front. This time that forward was Evan Smith, who put Red Deer up 1-0.

Next, the Wheat Kings surrendered one on the penalty kill as they blocked numerous shots in a row but couldn't clear each time. Finally there came a shot they couldn't block as Jhett Larson snapped him the 2-0 tally from the left circle.

An even strength goal for the Rebels dug the hole even deeper for the Wheat Kings. After Eskit made the initial save on a two-on-one, Carson Birnie poked the puck loose and slipped it home. The Wheat Kings protested as Birnie appeared to spear Eskit on the play, but the goal stood.

The Wheat Kings fought back in the third, and fought back hard. First, it was Flamand tipping home a point shot by Andrei Maliavin on the power play to make it 3-1. Then, it was Roersma winning a puck battle and finishing a chance of his own making to get the Wheat Kings back within one.

Even after Kai Uchacz put the Rebels back up by two, the Wheat Kings refused to quit. With the net empty, Roger McQueen found Hyland at the side of the net to make it 4-3.

The next goal from Uchacz was too much to overcome as the Wheat Kings fell behind 5-3 with not enough time to mount a counterattack. They fall to 0-2 on the road trip and wrap it up tomorrow night in Edmonton.

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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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