A weary Wheat Kings squad playing their fifth game in seven nights found a reserve of energy in the third period against the Prince Albert Raiders and erased a two-goal deficit in a crucial win.
Jordan Gavin, Nolan Flamand, Dominik Petr, Carter Klippenstein, and Quinn Mantei scored as the Wheat Kings took a 5-2 win. Carson Bjarnason turned aside 27 shots in the win.
“I’m really proud of the guys, they battled all week,” said head coach and GM Marty Murray. “Five games in seven days is not easy and to wrap it up with a win is massive.”
The two teams played a mature first period with relatively few breakdowns at either end. On the few breakdowns that happened, Matteo Michels hit a crossbar for the Wheat Kings, while Brayden Dube found the iron for the Raiders. Neither shot did anything more than throw a scare into their opposition.
In the second period, the Raiders opened the scoring, striking quickly off a broken play. Dayce Derkatch found a rebound behind the Wheat Kings’ net and wrapped it back out front, just beating Bjarnason to the post.
The Raiders would extend their lead on a double-drop-pass with Riley Boychuk leaving it for Ty Meunier, who in turn left it for Lukas Dragicevic. The veteran defenseman snapped one home to make it 2-0.
It didn’t take the Wheat Kings long to respond. Mantei sent Michels and Gavin in on a two-on-one, and Michels bounced it off Gavin’s skate and in as he drove the net for the first of the game for the Wheat Kings.
On their fourth power play of the game, the Wheat Kings got a bounce and tied the game. Flamand threw the puck out front looking for Marcus Nguyen, but instead got a bounce off a Raiders’ skate and in.
There was nothing whacky about the next Wheat Kings’ goal, however. Petr took a handoff outside the Raiders’ blue line and broke in two-on-one, keeping the shot for himself and sniping home the go-ahead goal.
The Raiders pressed to tie the score, but a quick turnover forced by Brady Turko put the Wheat Kings in the drivers’ seat. Turko stole the puck and fed it out front to Klippenstein, who put it in the same low-blocker spot Petr had scored earlier.
With the Raiders’ net empty, the Wheat Kings once again showed some killer instinct. Gavin made a smart handoff to Mantei, and Mantei sent the puck into the yawning cage from distance.
The win puts the Wheat Kings in first place in the East Division and gives them five straight victories. Next up: the Calgary Hitmen on Friday night on home ice at 7:00.
