If the goal of an intersquad game is to be as close as possible, the team-makers for the Brandon Wheat Kings did a terrific job for the 2025 Black and Gold Game.
Team Black got out to the initial lead with goals by Carter Klippenstein, Carson Park, and Dylan Ronald, but Team White stormed back with goals by Prabh Bhathal and Jaxon Jacobson to take make it interesting late before Black ultimately won 3-2.
“It was a really competitive game,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “It’s been a long week for all of these kids, especially the guys that played in the prospects game yesterday, so I thought they competed hard all week and I thought the vets set the tone early on in camp. The young guys got up to the pace of play right away.
After a scoreless first period, Team Black’s top line of Klippenstein, Joby Baumuller, and Jordan Gavin broke through. Klippenstein rocketed up the ice from his own zone, faked a backhand pass, and then drove the net instead, finishing off a pretty goal with a quick cutback to the forehand.
“We were working hard and winning battles down low,” Klippenstein said. “We made some good passes and some good shots, we could’ve had a lot more too. It was a really good game, and it was fun playing with those guys.”
“All three of them had strong camps,” said Murray. “They played like veterans and led the way for their team today.”
Later in the second, some of the younger players made their mark. Carson Park and Tyler Magdalinski went in 2-on-1, and Magdalinski slid it over to Park for the finish and the 2-0 lead.
Black would stretch their lead further on the first shift of the third period, and again the top line made it happen. Klippenstein won a battle down low and sent the puck back to the point for Ronald, who stepped into a perfectly placed shot to the top corner.
Team White had no quit in them, however. First, Bhathal broke in up the right side and rifled home a quick wrist shot for their first goal. Then, Jacobson and Luke Mistelbacher worked a perfect 2-on-1 of their own, with Jacobson finishing it off.
Although White had a late power play with the net empty, they couldn’t find the tying goal. Team Black took the win, and everyone among the players will have a well-earned day off before the games get even more intense.
“It’s going to come quickly,” Murray said. “We’re going to take tomorrow off, so we’ll only have practice Wednesday and Thursday, and then it’s right into a game Friday. It’ll be a quick turnaround. We’re looking forward to getting the group shrunk down a little bit and working on some of the finer points of our game.”
The first exhibition game for the Wheat Kings is Friday, September 5, in Regina.
