In pursuit of their first goal of 2024, the Brandon Wheat Kings through a relentless bombardment of shots at Vancouver Giants goaltender Brett Mirwald. Not one of them, however, found the twine.
The Wheat Kings piled up 48 shots on goal, and hit numerous posts and cross bars, but couldn’t find the scoresheet as Mirwald shut them out 4-0. London Hoilett, Justin Ivanusec, Tyler Thorpe, and Ty Halaburda scored for Vancouver in the win.
“The first period, I thought we were really sleepy, we didn’t really start the game on time,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “Ultimately, that was the difference in the game. We got down 2-0 and had to fight and claw our way back in. We had a lot of chances, their goalie played really well and we hit some goalposts and crossbars. For me, the difference in the game tonight was our first period. We were flat.”
Hoilett got his goal in the first period on the power play, batting one out of mid-air after a shot block in front of Ethan Eskit. Then, moments after Eskit made an incredible save on a breakaway by Cameron Schmidt, Ivanusec deposited the second Giants’ goal of the period.
The second period was so dramatically tilted in the Wheat Kings favor that they amassed an entire game worth of shots. The final shots of the second period were 29-3 in favor of the Wheat Kings. But the Giants got the only goal of the period as Thorpe finished off a pretty passing play.
“It’s a matter of bearing down on our chances,” Murray said. “Their goalie played well, really well. We worked really hard in the second period, but it’s one of those things. The hockey gods or whatever, we didn’t start the game on time and we paid for it all night.”
Though the Wheat Kings pressed in the third (and hit two crossbars doing it) it was only the Giants who scored. This time it was Halaburda, and it was into an empty net to seal the deal.
Next up for the Wheat Kings is their final game against an out-of-conference opponent this year as they host the Victoria Royals on Tuesday, January 9. Puck drop is 7:00.
(Article courtesy of the Brandon Wheat Kings)
