Thompson Stones Warriors

  The Brandon Wheat Kings improved their pre-season record to 3-and-0 Friday night with a 4-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors.
 
  Braylon Shmyr and Tanner Kaspick had two goals and an assist each for Brandon but it was Wheat Kings’ goaltender Logan Thompson who stole the show, making 48 saves.
 
  "I thought Logan was the difference in the game and, for him, caps off a good three weeks or good month since he arrived for Rookie Camp, through Main Camp and into the pre-season," said Brandon GM/Coach Kelly McCrimmon on CKLQ’s post-game show, "He held up his end of the bargain, continued to make a good impression and certainly with as poor as we were defensively, we need a lot of big saves."
 
  Thompson was at his best in the first 40 minutes, making 20 saves in the first period and 18 in the second period in helping Brandon to a 2-0 lead after two periods.
 
  The teams exchanged goals throughout the third until Kaspick salted the Brandon victory away with an empty-net goal with 26 seconds left.
 
  Thompson has a 1.50 goals against average and a .957 save percentage in three pre-season appearances this season and seems a lot more prepared for the WHL than he did a year ago, when he made the team in the pre-season but was eventually sent to the Junior A ranks in early November.
 
  "I give a lot of credit to last year and being sent down to the AJHL and the Grand Prairie Storm," said Thompson after Friday’s contest, "They really helped me get my confidence back and helped me find me game a little bit more and helped me grow as a person and as a goaltender.  I’m just taking my confidence out here in games and it’s just making it a lot easier to make the saves."
 
  The 18-year old Thompson and 17-year old Josh Dechaine and vying for the backup spot behind incumbent starter Jordan Papirny but Thompson says there’s no animosity between the two of them.
 
  "I respect his skill…he’s a good goaltender and a good guy off the ice.  He is my teammate so I’m hoping for him to do as good as he does in games," said the 6-foot-3, 170 pound Thompson, "I just need to worry about myself and my play.  If I’m confident in myself and I play my game, good things will happen."
 
  The Wheat Kings will visit Moose Jaw on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., 880 CKLQ) to conclude their four-game pre-season schedule.