A playoff-style game with massive playoff implications went against the Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday, March 19. Despite leading in shots, and hitting four posts, they had very little luck offensively.
Luke Shipley scored, and Carson Bjarnason made 24 saves, but the Wheat Kings fell 3-1 to Saskatoon. Evan Gardner was stellar again for the Blades, making 33 saves.
“It definitely had a playoff feel,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We did a lot of good things except score. We had a lot of good chances. Their goalie played well, and we certainly hit the crest on his jersey a few times, and we hit four or five goal posts.”
An almost respectful first period saw the two teams tight defensively and guarded with their sticks. Each team went 0-for-1 on the power play, and neither side cracked the ice on the scoreboard despite a 12-9 Wheat Kings’ shot advantage.
The Blades broke the ice in the second, however. David Lewandowski worked his way up the right wing boards from the corner, and cut inside before firing it on net. The puck slipped through a screen and past Bjarnason to open the scoring.
The Wheat Kings pressed in the third, but it was the Blades who struck first. Rowan Calvert broke in up the left wing and flung the puck on net, catching Bjarnason unawares and making it 2-0.
Late in the third, still pressing, the Wheat Kings answered back. Jaxon Jacobson won a battle below the goal line and fed the puck out front to Jordan Gavin. Gavin had no lane to shoot, but he found a man who did: Shipley, who sniped home his 18th.
But the Blades would get the last laugh. Lewandowski picked up a loose puck on the left wing of his own zone and sent it down the ice into the empty Wheat Kings’ net.
The loss doesn’t eliminate the possibility of the Wheat Kings winning the division, but it means they can’t afford anymore losses as they have a home-and-home with the Regina Pats, starting on Friday night at 7:00 at Westoba Place.
