Playing their hearts out with only ten forwards, the Wheat Kings finally appeared to run out of gas against a similarly banged-up Medicine Hat Tigers squad.
Harrison Meneghin made 26 saves for the Tigers, who shut the Wheat Kings out 5-0. Ethan Eskit came in to relieve Carson Bjarnason after the second period, at which time the Wheat Kings trailed 5-0.
“They had more jump all over the ice,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “They won their battles. One thing we talked about between periods was speed off the rush. They’re skating and making plays when they enter the zone, we’re four feet apart and we slow the play down and they’re on top of you. It’s hard to get anything done.”
The first period favoured the Tigers in terms of shots on goal, and they made one of their twelve count. Oasiz Wiesblatt took a pass off the rush and drove the net, forcing home his 30th of the season to make it 1-0.
Unfortunately, the second period took a sharp turn for the worse. First, Mathew Ward spun and fired from the high slot to make it 2-0. Then, Ryder Ritchie pulled off a perfect drag shot from the top of the right circle to stretch the lead to 3-0.
The deficit got worse from there. Bjarnason made the first save on a shot off the rush, but the Tigers found the rebound first and Liam Ruck flipped it home for the fourth Tiger tally of the night.
Through the third, the Wheat Kings struggled to mount offense despite some chances on the man advantage. When they didn’t convert, the Tigers made them pay, with Marcus Pacheco snapping a point shot through traffic to make it 5-0.
The loss means the Wheat Kings will have to wait another day to clinch their playoff spot. Their next chance will come on Tuesday night in Red Deer as they face the Rebels.
