For the second time on the road trip, the Wheat Kings came into the second of a back-to-back needing a bounce back. And for the second time, they got one.
Joby Baumuller and Luke Mistelbacher scored twice each and Gunnar Gleasman and Brady Turko also scored as the Wheat Kings downed Wenatchee 6-3. Jayden Kraus stopped 30 shots in the win.
“A couple of times when we gave up goals we got a response right away,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We scored right after and that really helped us. Overall, our special teams were really good tonight too, we were 2-for-6 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Anytime your special teams perform, you have a good chance.”
Though the Wheat Kings held an early 5-1 shot advantage, it was the Wild who struck first. After a turnover just inside the Wheat Kings’ blueline, two Wild came back the other way, and Aiden Grossklaus was able to slide one under Kraus and in.
After killing their first penalty of the game, the Wheat Kings responded. Baumuller took a pass from Max Lavoie in front and tried to send it back door to Jordan Gavin but instead bounced it off a backchecking Wild defender and in for his 34th.
Less than three minutes later, the Wheat Kings took their first lead of the night. Off the rush, Levi Ellingsen flipped the puck to the right wing for Gleasman, who settled the puck at the right circle and rifled in the go-ahead-goal, getting Ellingsen his first WHL point in the process.
The Wild came out with jump in their step in the second period and tied the game. Forcing a turnover on the forecheck, they fed the puck out front to Grossklaus for his second of the game.
It took just 15 seconds for the Wheat Kings to respond. Caleb Hadland picked off a pass behind the Wenatchee net and left it on a tee for Mistelbacher, who ripped it straight upstairs.
From there, it was an up and down period for the Wheat Kings power play. They surrendered a shorthanded goal to Grady Wedman, but redeemed themselves on the next power play when Mistelbacher took a feed from Grayson Burzynski and sent a bullet to the top corner from the right circle, getting him to the 30-goal-mark and giving the Wheat Kings the lead back.
The second unit got in on the act in the third period. Nicholas Johnson sent a pass from the left side to the right for a wide open Turko, who sniped his 12th of the season for the 5-3 lead.
With just over two minutes left, the Wild pulled the goaltender for the extra man, but it didn’t take long for the Wheat Kings to make them pay. Baumuller picked off a pass and sent it all the way from the Wheat Kings’ zone and into the empty net to round out the scoring.
With the win, the Wheat Kings move to 3-2 on the road trip ahead of their trip to Kennewick. They face the Tri-City Americans on Friday night at 7:00 local time.
