The Brandon Wheat Kings had the better of play for much of the game against the Red Deer Rebels as they sought their first win of the road trip. A controversial goal, and a late tally against, prevented them from getting even a point.
Nicholas Johnson and Caleb Hadland scored, but it wasn’t enough as the Wheat Kings fell 4-2 with an empty netter. Ethan Eskit made 25 saves in the loss.
“We came out quite well and had a good first and got the second one, but then got on our heels,” said head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We just hung on rather than being assertive. We lost another forward, we were down to ten, but at the same time it should be fun to come over the boards every third shift.”
Late in the first period, the Wheat Kings got the first power play of the game and needed just nine seconds to make it count. Aftert Marcus Nguyen had his shot partially blocked, Johnson picked up the rebound in front and made no mistake, firing a low shot right to the back of the net.
Early in the second, the Wheat Kings showed they had carried the momentum forward despite the interruption of the intermission. Nolan Flamand won a battle behind the Red Deer net and fed it out front to Hadland, who was stopped on his first try but stuck with it and stuffed in the rebound.
Red Deer couldn’t convert on their first power play, but on their second they got a bit of a bounce. After the Wheat Kings blocked a shot off the rush, the puck hopped into the air and hit Talon Brigley in the midsection. Brigley bunted the puck in to get Red Deer on in the board.
The Rebels were awarded the tying goal despite not one replay angle showing the puck crossing the line. Beckett Hamilton tried a wraparound that Eskit appeared to stop, but a long video review awarded the Rebels another tally. The referee said the goal judge had another angle that wasn’t shown in the rink.”
“We’ll be requesting that video from the league,” Murray said bluntly.
But it wasn’t that goal that cost the Wheat Kings a point. With under a minute to go, the Rebels broke in 3-on-2, and while Eskit made the first stop, Jaxon Fuder was left alone to cash the rebound. Shortly after, an empty netter by Hunter Mayo salted the game away.
The reset has to come quickly for the Wheat Kings. They face the Oil Kings in Edmonton tomorrow at 4:00 local time, 5:00 Central.
