Wheat Kings Overcome Tough Start To Steamroll Oil Kings
A bad start could’ve sunk the Brandon Wheat Kings against the Edmonton Oil Kings. Instead, the tough start almost seemed to motivate them the rest of the way.
Nolan Flamand and Dominik Petr scored twice each, and Jayden Wiens, Matteo Michels, and Joby Baumuller each provided singles in a 7-2 win. Carson Bjarnason stopped 32 of 34 shots for the second game in a row.
“It was a couple of good shifts by the Wiens line, a couple of big goals by Flamand,” said head coach and GM Marty Murray. “It was 15 or 20 seconds after they made it 2-0, and it was a shift or two after that we tied it. It wasn’t an ideal start, but we did some good things, executed some nice plays, and were able to put the puck in the net.”
It certainly wasn’t the start the Wheat Kings wanted. The top trio for the Oil Kings struck twice, once by Ty Nash and once by Gavin Hodnett, after good cycle work and quick puck movement left a player wide open in front each time.
It didn’t take long for Brandon to fight back, however. Off a point shot by Luke Shipley, Flamand was stopped on the first try by a sprawling Kolby Hay, but he stayed with it and slipped it home for his 15th.
Flamand’s next goal came off a turnover as he picked off an errant pass as he rocketed over the blue line. Walking into the slot, Flamand showed off his sniper’s touch as he snapped home the tying goal.
That momentum carried into the second period for the Wheat Kings, where Michels gave them their first lead of the night. Another point shot by Shipley generated a rebound, and Michels had time to settle it before snapping it into the open cage.
Another goal soon followed for the Wheat Kings after Rylen Roersma drove out of the corner and took the puck right to the net. He was stopped, but Petr followed up and chopped home the rebound to make it 4-2.
After withstanding an early third period pushback, the Wheat Kings’ offense suddenly exploded. First, Baumuller fired home a one-timer off a beautiful setup by Roersma. Then, Wiens got the last touch on a three-way passing play to make it 6-2.
Another gorgeous setup by Roersma put Petr on the board again. This time he spun it to the front of the net as Petr drove in and slipped it home.
The Wheat Kings remain at home for another game, hosting the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night. Puck drop is 7:00.
