WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheat Kings Drop Pre-Season Opener

Published on September 7, 2018 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Brandon, MB. - The Brandon Wheat Kings opened up their 4-game Western Hockey League pre-season schedule Friday night with a 3-2 overtime loss to the visiting Regina Pats.

19-year old Austin Pratt's second goal of the game at the 40 second mark of overtime gave Regina the come from behind win.

The goal came seconds after Linden McCorrister failed to connect on a breakaway following an excellent stretch pass from Braden Schneider.

McCorrister, in the first, and rookie defenceman Neithan Salame scored goals in a losing cause for the Wheat Kings, who jumped out to a 2-0 second period advantage.

Nikita Sedov rounded out the scoring for the Pats, who trailed 1-0 and 2-1 at the period breaks.

The Wheat Kings, who dressed ten rookies including two 15-year olds and three 16-year olds, may have been done in by special teams. While the Pats connected on one of two powerplay chances, Brandon looked like a team playing its first game of the year - going 0 for 6.

Rookie netminder Ethan Kruger turned aside 24 Regina shots while the Pats' tandem of Carter Woodside and Kyle Dumba made 28 saves, including seventeen in the third period.

Among the prospects making their WHL pre-season debut Friday were Jake Chiasson, Brett Hyland, Vinny Iorio and former AAA Midget Wheat King center Nolan Ritchie.

"It's unbelievably exciting to me," Ritchie told the Brandon Sun's Perry Bergson. "I grew up in this town watching the Wheat Kings my whole life and now getting to play for them is just surreal."

The Wheat Kings, who currently have six players away at National Hockey League camps, will close out the weekend home and home series with the Pats Saturday night in Regina.

Brandon will play Moose Jaw in a back to back series next weekend, before bringing the curtain up on their 2018-19 season against the visiting Warriors on Friday, September 21st.

Tickets to Brandon's final pre-season test as well as The Brandon Sun Home Opener are on sale at the Keystone Centre box office. Fans can also order online at keystonecentre.com or by calling (204) 726-3555.

Speaking of tickets, the WHL club has announced that close to 2,300 season ticket packages have been sold for the 2018-19 season.

In other news, the Wheat Kings announced the signing of 16-yearold local product Ty Thorpe to a Standard WHL Agreement Friday. Thorpe, who scored fifteen goals and 33 points with Winnipeg's Rink Hockey Academy Prep team last winter, was one of a number of pieces that the Wheat Kings acquired from Victoria last January in exchange for Brandon captain Tanner Kaspick.

While Thorpe wasn't in the lineup on Friday, he is expected to make his pre-season debut on Saturday.

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Western Hockey League Stories from September 7, 2018


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