A rocky start on the road for the Wheat Kings quickly turned into a triumphant rally in the first period against the Moose Jaw Warriors. Though they surrendered the first goal, they immediately and emphatically roared back.
Marcus Nguyen, Matteo Michels, and Jordan Gavin scored in a span of 2:17 in the first period, and Nguyen added another in the second as the Wheat Kings won 6-3. Nicholas Johnson and Joby Baumuller also scored in the win, while Carson Bjarnason made 30 saves.
“I thought it was a great response after they made it 1-0,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We got three pretty quick ones, but especially there was one where we had two goals in the same shift. That was the difference tonight.”
The Warriors opened the scoring on a net drive by Lynden Lakovic. As he bulled his way to the net, his shot was blocked but it rolled free for Owen Berge, who was ready and waiting to lift it in.
Following an unsuccessful power play, the Wheat Kings answered. Nolan Flamand moved along the umbrella and sent a shot through traffic, with Nguyen getting a stick on it to redirect it home and tie the score.
Good forechecking earned the Wheat Kings another goal when Baumuller knocked down a pass and fed it around to the right wing corner for Gavin. Gavin put it on a tee for Michels at the bottom of the right circle, and just like that the Wheat Kings had the lead.
That line was just getting started. From the right point, Giorgos Pantelas sent the puck across the seam to Michels, who threw it on net where Baumuller and Gavin were waiting for it. Gavin got the last touch from point blank range to extend the lead to 3-1.
On the very first shift of the second period, the Wheat Kings kept the offense coming. Nguyen took a handoff from Flamand at the right circle, and spun and fired the puck on net on his backhand. The puck slipped through the five-hole of Matthew Hutchison, ending his night and giving the Wheat Kings a 4-1 lead.
Still the top line was not done. Johnson parked himself in front of the Moose Jaw net on the Wheat Kings’ power play, and got rewarded for it with a redirection goal as Quinn Mantei fired the puck on net from the left point.
The Warriors mounted a late pushback in the third. First, Pavel McKenzie knocked home a rebound at the right lip of the Wheat Kings’ crease. Then, on a late power play, Lakovic snapped a hard shot from the right circle to get the home side back within two.
This prompted the Warriors to pull the goaltender, but Baumuller made them pay right away, knocking down a pass and sending it straight to the gaping cage to make it 6-3.
The win allows the Wheat Kings to keep pace with the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades, who also won tonight. The Wheat Kings will host the Warriors for a rematch tomorrow night at Westoba Place at 7:00.
