With the deck stacked against them, the Wheat Kings showed no quit against the Eastern Conference-leading Prince Albert Raiders. Injury and a high-octane opponent proved too much to overcome, however.
Prabh Bhathal and Cam Allard scored and Filip Ruzicka was strong with 42 saves, but the Wheat Kings fell to the Raiders 5-2.
“I think we have to be honest with ourselves and know we were stacked up in a pretty tough day with the travel and a light lineup,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “I think our guys tried, but it was a perfect storm with losing a bunch of guys to injury and with the travel.”
Off the rush, the Raiders opened the scoring. Benett Kelly joined the attack and waited for a pass at the mouth of the crease, cashing in the opening goal.
Connor Howe would extend the Raiders’ lead with a shot over the trapper of Ruzicka from the top of the right circle. But from there on in the first period, Ruzicka’s trapper was stellar, with highlight reel saves on Linden Burrett, Matyas Man, and Braeden Cootes.
Early in the second, the Wheat Kings came out with some jump in their stuff and cut the lead in half. Nigel Boehm took a shot from the left point that bounced off Bhathal as he set the screen in front and in.
But Cootes would almost singlehandedly will the Raiders to an extended lead. First, he picked up the puck at the bottom of the right circle and fired an NHL-calibre shot to the top corner. Then, he took a hit to make a play to send Alisher Sarkenov in alone, and Sarkenov converted on the breakaway.
On the power play in the third, the Wheat Kings bit into the lead again. Jimmy Egan fed Allard in the middle, and he was given plenty of space and took it, walking into a shot from the slot and beating Michal Orsulak cleanly.
But the Raiders would get their answer. Handed a 5-on-3 with a soft slashing call, they converted as Aiden Oiring found a rebound at the mouth of the crease and flipped it home.
The Wheat Kings head back home briefly before going on the road again, this time for a day trip to Moose Jaw to face the Warriors on Tuesday. Puck drop is 7:00.
