Coming off a loss to the Prince Albert Raiders, the Brandon Wheat Kings stressed a stronger start against the Saskatoon Blades. They got that start, and then got a pretty good finish to boot.
Luke Shipley scored twice in the third period, the game winner and insurance markers, and Ethan Eskit made 27 saves as the Wheat Kings won 4-2. Nicholas Johnson and Matteo Michels also scored in the victory.
“Our first period was pretty strong other than maybe the last three minutes where we got too much of a run-and-gun game going,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “Overall, the first period was something we wanted to focus on and we did a pretty good job.”
It didn’t take the Wheat Kings long to achieve a better start. Michels forced a turnover inside the Blades’ zone, took a step toward the net from the top of the right circle, and sent a laser to the top corner, cleanly beating Evan Gardner to open the scoring.
After killing off a Blades’ power play, the Wheat Kings got a look of their own and made it count. Brady Turko caught up to a loose puck at the bottom of the left circle and fed it out front for Johnson, who was ready and waiting for it and wasted no time stuffing it home.
A scrambly second period saw the teams going end-to-end, and it was the Blades who made their best chance count. Ben Riche fed the puck over to Brandon Lisowsky, who leaned into a one-timer to cut the Wheat Kings’ lead in half.
A boarding penalty and a too-many-men call put the Wheat Kings down 5-on-3 for 1:09 midway through the third. A mix of timely saves, willing shot blocks, and just a bit of luck, saw them kill it off without incident.
Another power play, however, was too much for the Wheat Kings to kill off. This time, the Blades simplified things, teeing up Lisowsky for a one-timer just five seconds into the man advantage to tie the game.
Rather than sit back, however, the Wheat Kings pressed. Shipley picked off a pass at four-on-four and did it all himself from there, breaking the puck in, outwaiting a sprawling Blades’ defender, and lifting home a backhander as he walked off the goal line.
Late in the third, the Wheat Kings held the Blades to the outside when they pulled Gardner for the extra attacker. The Blades got some incredible saves from their skaters, but they couldn’t hold Shipley off forever as he fired home his second of the period.
“You worry because we had a late night and a quick turnaround today,” said Murray. “Saskatoon didn’t play last night. Overall, we showed good character in the third period. We didn’t want to kill that many penalties in the third, but we did a pretty good job of it.”
The Wheat Kings travel home for one final game before the break, facing the Moose Jaw Warriors on December 17. Puck drop is 7:00.
