The Wheat Kings wanted a better start than in their previous game, and they got one. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make their strong start count against the Calgary Hitmen.
Nicholas Johnson scored and Ethan Eskit made 37 saves but the Wheat Kings fell 3-1 to the Calgary Hitmen. Daniel Hauser made 30 saves at the other end for Calgary.
“I thought we did som really good things but unfortunately came out down one after one on a tough play there,” said Wheat Kings’ head coach and GM Marty Murray. “I thought our first period and first half of the game were pretty good.”
An early double-minor power play for the Wheat Kings unfortunately set them back by one. Eskit raced out of his crease to beat a forechecking Tanner Howe to the puck, but couldn’t lift the puck past him, and Howe was able to bury just the fourth shorthanded goal the Wheat Kings have allowed all season.
That goal against didn’t seem to phase the Wheat Kings. They amassed five shots on the remaining time on that power play, and outshot the Hitmen 13-10 through the first period. Still, the 1-0 deficit held through the opening 20.
The lack of goals would come back to haunt the Wheat Kings. Midway through the second, the Hitmen got a chance off the rush and made it count, with Sawyer Mynio directing the puck over to Ethan Moore for a quick snapshot and the 2-0 lead.
Off an offensive zone draw, the Hitmen built on their lead. Dax Williams did it all himself, carrying it in, driving the net, and finding his own rebound to make it 3-0.
The Wheat Kings made it interesting in the third. Marcus Nguyen threw the puck on net and Johnson was there to clean it up. And when the Hitmen got a double-minor for high-sticking, the game got more interesting still.
Moore put paid to any thoughts of a comeback, however. Blindly turning and firing the puck from his own left circle, he got a members’ bounce as the puck curled from left to right into the Wheat Kings’ empty net.
The loss drops the Wheat Kings to 1-3 on the road trip, but still leaves them one point back of the Prince Albert Raiders for first in the East Division. The Wheat Kings face the Saskatoon Blades at Westoba Place on Wednesday night at 7:00.
