Wanting a better start and a better effort overall from their last game to the game against the Regina Pats, the Wheat Kings got both in what proved to be their fourth victory of the season over their division rival.
Cameron Allard, Jordan Gavin, Jimmy Egan and Luke Mistelbacher all scored, and Filip Ruzicka came up with 35 saves on 36 shots as the Wheat Kings won 4-1.
“This was two teams that are playing pretty good hockey and Regina is playing some of their best hockey of the year fighting for a playoff spot,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “It was kind of a back and forth game. That power play goal to make it 2-0 was big and we got a bit of a bounce after they made it 2-1 there. We’ll take it.”
As the first period went on, the Wheat Kings piled up shots and with only 42 seconds left in the first period, the Wheat Kings broke through. Gavin put on a stickhandling clinic as he broke around the Pats’ net, and fed it to Allard at the left circle. The rookie defenseman snapped his seventh of the season over the trapper of Taylor Tabashniuk and in.
Regina poured on shots themselves in the second, and the Wheat Kings answered with some great chances of their own, none better than a clean breakaway for Gavin. But neither goaltender gave an inch and the 1-0 Wheat Kings’ lead carried into the second intermission.
On an early third period power play, the Wheat Kings extended their lead. Grayson Burzynski sent the puck to Chase Surkan at the bottom of the right circle, and the rookie fed it back door to Gavin, who tapped in his 15th of the season.
The Pats would cut the lead in half right off a faceoff. The Wheat Kings appeared to win the draw, but it bounced to Ruslan Karimov, who let a quick shot go to get Regina on the board.
Brandon responded just 1:18 later. After taking a handoff from Allard, Egan burst up the left wing with speed, carried it to the left corner, and sent it out front looking for Brett Wilson but instead got a bounce off a Pats’ skate and in to restore the two-goal lead.
The goal seemed to bolster the Wheat Kings and they came right back looking for more. Prabh Bhathal forced a turnover with his forecheck and fed the puck to Mistelbacher, who sent it back to him, got the soccer-style return feed, and buried it.
The game got more than a little nasty at the end, with multiple fights including one between Ruzicka and Tabashniuk as time ticked down. The nastiness had no impact on the final result, however, with the Wheat Kings taking the 4-1 win.
Next up for the Wheat Kings, the final game of the homestand as they host the Medicine Hat Tigers on March 4.
