Ugly wins and pretty wins look the same in the standings, and the Wheat Kings might call their overtime victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors a bit of an ugly win.
Roger McQueen had a three-point night, and Nolan Flamand scored the overtime winner as the Wheat Kings downed the Warriors 5-4. Carson Bjarnason stopped 30 shots, and Luke Shipley, Matteo Michels and Marcus Nguyen all scored in the victory.
“It was a strange game,” said head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We got up 2-0, I thought we actually had a really good first period and kind of controlled it. But we took a penalty, they scored on it, and the second period wasn’t very good, we gave up a lot of shots and ultimately lost the lead. It was a push right to the end.”
Less than a minute in, the Wheat Kings set the tone for a wild first period to come. McQueen drove the net and poked a shot-pass from Shipley over the line and in just 53 seconds into the game.
After going 0-for-6 the previous night, the Wheat Kings’ power play took just six seconds into their first try to strike in Moose Jaw. McQueen tipped a shot on goal, and Nguyen was right there for the rebound to stuff home his 34th.
That lead didn’t survive the period, however. First, on their first power play of the game, Lynden Lakovic took a sweet feed from the side of the net and made no mistake. Then, Casey Brown broke in and drove the middle, flipping a backhander that fooled Bjarnason and slipped into the net.
Still a wild first period wasn’t done, and the Wheat Kings’ power play struck again, even faster this time. Just four seconds into their second man advantage, Michels fired the puck through the slot hoping for a tip, which he got off a Moose Jaw boot and into the net.
The Warriors pressed hard in the second period, however, outshooting the Wheat Kings 16-7 and taking the lead. First, they worked a give-and-go off a neutral zone turnover, finished off from the right circle by Pavel McKenzie. Then, on a 4-on-1 rush, they sent the puck over to Riley Thorpe for the go-ahead goal from nearly the same spot.
Late in the third period, the Wheat Kings squared the score to force overtime. McQueen spun the puck out front to Shipley, who pinched up and wired the puck in for the 4-4 tie.
After Bjarnason made a fabulous stop at one end, the Wheat Kings repaid their goaltender at the other. Nguyen flipped the puck to an onrushing Flamand, and the veteran had time to pick his spot. He chose well, burying the overtime winner.
The win keeps the Wheat Kings on top of the East Division, and they’ll have a chance to hold that lead when they face the Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday, March 19. Puck drop will be 7:00 PM.
