As has been the case much of the year, the third period was the best of the game for the Brandon Wheat Kings. Unfortunately, by then they were too far behind the eight-ball against the Tri-City Americans.
Caleb Hadland scored and Carson Bjarnason was stellar with 42 saves, but the Wheat Kings lost 4-1. Tri-City got four different goal scorers in the win.
“We watched a lot of video and talked about it a lot this week, they’re big, they’re heavy, they’re skilled,” said head coach and GM Marty Murray. “They kind of bullied us all night long.”
The Americans opened the scoring when Jake Sloan caught a rolling pass at the top of the left circle. The Tri-City captain ripped a puck home to put them up 1-0, a lead that would hold all through the first period despite chances each way.
In a second period full of penalty kills for Brandon, including a 5-on-3, they gave one up at even strength. After Bjarnason made the first couple of saves, the Americans finally found a rebound he couldn’t stop and Carter MacAdams stuffed it in before anyone in Wheat Kings’ colours could find him.
Early in the third, the Wheat Kings got a shot in the arm. Brady Turko fed Caleb Hadland off the rush, and Hadland snapped one through the five-hole on Lukas Matecha to get Brandon on the board.
But the momentum was short lived. On a power play in the third, Cruz Pavao let a sneaky shot go from the left circle that took a funny hop off a skate and leaked its way through Bjarnason.
With over three minutes to go, the Wheat Kings pulled Bjarnason for the extra man. They had possession for almost a full minute, but the first time they turned it over, Max Curran fired it into the empty net from his own zone.
The Wheat Kings have no time to dwell on the loss. They’ll be back to work tomorrow night against the Swift Current Broncos, with puck drop at 7:00.
