For the first time since September, the Wheat Kings had to content themselves with a single point in an overtime loss.
Jaxon Jacobson and Caleb Hadland scored but the Wheat Kings fell 3-2 to the Red Deer Rebels in Red Deer. Filip Ruzicka turned aside 24 shots in the loss.
“I thought the second period was our worst,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We got outscored 2-0 but we also didn’t have a lot of jam in our game. We turned it on quite a bit in the third period and got a lot of chances but we hit four or five goal posts tonight, missed some open nets, and here we are.”
Most of the first period passed in low-event hockey, but the Wheat Kings found both their stride and the scoresheet late. With just over five minutes to go, Brett Wilson broke in and drew two defenders to him, leaving the puck behind for Hadland, who beat Matthew Kondro cleanly with a quick snapshot to open the scoring.
Less than a minute into the second, Red Deer tied the game. Matej Mikes spun off his check in the left corner and cut his way to the left circle, firing one over Ruzicka’s shoulder and in to the game.
A power play had the chance to give the Wheat Kings the momentum back, but instead the Rebels seized the lead. Mikes was at it again, this time breaking in 1-on-2 and firing one off the trapper of Ruzicka and in.
An early pair of third period power plays gave the Wheat Kings a chance to answer. They hit two posts, and were robbed by Kondro more than once, but couldn’t break through.
With four-on-four in effect late in the third, the Wheat Kings pulled Ruzicka and got rewarded. Grayson Burzynski fed Jacobson at the goal line, and the quick-thinking forward bounced a highly skilled shot off the ear of Kondro and in to tie the game.
The very first shift of overtime, however, the Rebels claimed the second point. Beckett Hamilton drove the slot and fired one home for the winner.
The Wheat Kings get exactly one night to dwell on the loss. They travel to Edmonton to face the Oil Kings tomorrow at 8:00 Central Time.
