A forward corps that looked very similar to how it will on opening night and a defense corps comprised mainly of rookies combined to lead the Wheat Kings to a win on the opening night of preseason action. Jaxon Jacobson scored twice, while Caleb Hadland and Ben Binder Nord pitched in singles in the 4-2 win. Ethan Eskit stood tall with 39 saves.
“There were lots of ups and downs,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “The first, both teams felt their way into it but we had a really strong second. The third we were on our heels a little bit and they pushed, but we found a way to get the job done. It’s what I talked about after the game is learning from these experiences and learning how to close games out.”
After a scoreless first period (though not for want of trying with a combined 25 shots) the Wheat Kings broke the dam in the second. Jacobson drove the net on a delayed penalty, found the rebound of a great chance for Prabh Bhathal, and stuffed it home. Then, working a give-and-go with Brady Turko, Jacobson found himself alone and snapped in his second.
Newcomer Marcus Nguyen flashed some highlight reel skill on the third Wheat Kings’ goal. He fired a between-the-legs pass to Hadland, and the veteran forward made no mistake on the chance he was given, ripping in a low-glove shot.
“His game is hard skill,” said Murray. “He provided energy, and just his leadership on the bench, you could feel he knows how to do things the right way. I liked his game overall tonight.”
To their credit, the Blades didn’t give up and pushed back in the early third period. First, Tyler Parr tipped home a shot from the point at even strength. Then, on a net drive from the corner, Justin Ivanusec got his stick on a shot/pass from Ben Riche to get the Blades within one.
Just when the Wheat Kings needed a momentum boost, they got one from Binder Nord. Taking a feed off the rush from Bhathal, he stepped in two-on-one and squeaked one through Logan Cunningham to make it a 4-2 game.
The win gives the Wheat Kings a 1-0 record on the preseason and the first victory in the preseason over the Blades in the internet era. They’ll try to go two-for-two against Saskatoon in their territory on Sunday afternoon.
