A mild post-Christmas lull beset the Brandon Wheat Kings when they faced the Moose Jaw Warriors in Moose Jaw, but they still found a way to win thanks to one player who showed up in mid-season form.
Jayden Kraus stopped 31 shots, including a penalty shot, and the Wheat Kings took a 3-2 win over Moose Jaw in their first post-Christmas game. Nicholas Johnson scored twice, while Jaxon Jacobson supplied the game-winner.
“The two scariest games of the year are the one right before Christmas and the one right after,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “Both of those games were a little ugly, but we found a way to get four points, which is huge.”
The two teams traded even strength goals early with Moose Jaw striking first. Aiden Ziprick’s shot was blocked, but the rebound bounced into the slot for Steven Steranka for a quick shot to open the scoring.
But the Wheat Kings would respond just under two and a half minutes later. Brady Turko spotted Johnson alone in front and sent him a perfect pass, which Johnson cradled and lifted right upstairs to tie the score.
Johnson struck again late in the first. Cam Allard made a partner pass to Nigel Boehm, and Boehm let a shot go from the left point that Johnson got a tip on to give the Wheat Kings their first lead of the night.
The two teams traded power play chances in the second, and it was the Wheat Kings who finally broke through. Chase Surkan sent the puck to Jacobson on the goal line, and from the right side of the net he fired one off the back of Chase Wutzke and in.
With the Wheat Kings killing a five-minute-major, Moose Jaw cut the lead to 3-2. Connor Schmidt outwaited a shot-blocker, cut to his right, and snapped one off the left post and in.
That, as it turned out, would be the last goal of the game. Both goaltenders turned in some stellar saves the rest of the way, notably Kraus with a breakaway save on Kash Andresen and a last-second stop on Pavel McKenzie to preserve the lead and ultimately the win.
“He was excellent,” Murray said of his goaltender. “We gave up too many chances and he was excellent right to the buzzer. There was only a few seconds left there when he made that point-blank save.”
The win moves the Wheat Kings to 4-2 on the season series with Moose Jaw, and 20-12-1 on the season. The Wheat Kings can salt away the season series with a win tomorrow afternoon in Brandon at 4:00.
