For the first time since October 4 and 5, the Wheat Kings have lost back-to-back games, and once again the Saskatoon Blades were involved.
Joby Baumuller scored and Filip Ruzicka made 20 saves, but the Wheat Kings fell for the second straight game, this time 5-1 to the Blades in Saskatoon. The Wheat Kings outshot the Blades 36-25.
“I think our first period was pretty flat and the second period was probably worse,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We had a little emotion in the third period but it was too little too late.”
The first period proved to be a back-and-forth affair that ended up equal in shots on goal at 11, but it was the Blades who made good on the only goal of the period. Cooper Williams’ shot was stopped, but he found his rebound and fed it out front from below the goal line and Ben Bowtell was there to fire it in.
The second period turned sour on the Wheat Kings in a hurry. First, Tyron Sobry took a point shot from the left side that Hunter Laing reached out and batted in, stretching the lead to 2-0.
Rowan Calvert would score back-to-back power play goals to double the lead again. He was parked at the right side of the crease and took a backdoor pass on the first, then found the puck at the left circle off the rush and picked a corner for his second.
In the back half of the third period, the Wheat Kings power play provided a breakthrough. Jaxon Jacobson put the puck in Baumuller’s wheelhouse for a one-timer, which pinballed off a shot-blocking Blade and in.
Despite an early goalie pull, however, the Wheat Kings couldn’t break through Evan Gardner a second time. The Blades added an empty netter to salt away the win.
The Wheat Kings get a bit of time at home to reset, starting with a game against the Red Deer Rebels on January 7. Puck drop is 7:00.
