The first preseason game for the Brandon Wheat Kings knocked some of the rust off, but there’s still more rust to knock off yet.
Easton Odut and Prabh Bhathal scored, and Joffrey Chan and Dylan McFadyen split the game in net as the Wheat Kings fell 5-2 in their preseason opener to the Regina Pats.
It was the veterans breaking the ice for the Wheat Kings early. Brady Turko made a strip in the neutral zone and gave the Wheat Kings an odd man rush. Odut was stopped on his first try, but followed up and cashed in the second opportunity.
The Pats got their answer on the power play. Julien Maze made a shot-pass from the left circle to Jace Egland in the slot, and Egland tipped it through the five-hole on McFadyen to tie the game.
In the second, Regina poured it on and they took the lead as a result. A shot from the point changed direction off a broken stick, and Caden Brown took advantage, potting the go-ahead goal from right on the doorstep.
Early in the third, Regina started rolling and piled up three goals in quick succession. First, Maze found a rebound in front of Chan and poked it home for the 3-1 lead. Then, Liam Pue sniped one on the power play after a fancy move to get loose from a check.
Off a cycle, Maze picked up his second goal of the period. The puck came out from behind the Wheat Kings net, and Ellis Mieyette fed it across the crease to Maze, who had time to snap in the 5-1 goal.
With only 15 seconds to go, the Wheat Kings got a pretty one to make the scoreboard look a little nicer. Chase Surkan broke over the blue line with some shifty footwork and slipped the puck to Bhathal in the clear. Bhathal cut to the backhand and lifted home his first of the preseason.
The loss was the first in the preseason by the Wheat Kings since 2022, and they get an instant opportunity for revenge when they host Regina tomorrow night. Puck drop is 6:00.
