After starting to turn around their rough second periods in Saskatoon, the Wheat Kings put the notion of second period struggles firmly to bed in their win over the Victoria Royals.
Jaxon Jacobson scored twice and added two assists, and Gunnar Gleasman, Joby Baumuller, Caleb Hadland, and Luke Mistelbacher all scored as well in a 6-1 Wheat Kings’ win. Jayden Kraus stopped 28 of 29 shots he faced. The Wheat Kings scored four times in the second period.
“We were all over it,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We showed a lot of confidence handling the puck and making plays. The second period was the difference in the game tonight.”
Prabh Bhathal kept his point streak going early, dumping the puck in behind the Royals net for Mistelbacher to go after. The veteran forward picked off a pass and spun it behind his back out front to Jacobson for the early 1-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, Bhathal helped the Wheat Kings build on their lead. His shot was stopped, but Gleasman followed it to the net and swatted home the rebound for his third of the season.
On their second of what would be three power plays in the first period, the Royals would cut the lead in half. Caleb Matthews skated up to his own dump in at the right wing wall and fed it back out front to Heath Nelson, who had leapt up to the front of the net and cashed in.
Early in the second, Baumuller kickstarted the offensive roll. He broke up the right wing and, from the right circled, wired a perfectly placed shot over the shoulder of Ethan Eskit for his 30th of the season.
Jacobson played set-up man on the Wheat Kings’ next goal. He picked a Royal’s pocket at the bottom of Victoria’s right circle and spun the puck back out front to Hadland. The captain cut to his backhand and lifted one home for the 4-1 lead.
Hadland’s line with Jacobson and Mistelbacher was just getting started. First, Jacobson stripped the puck cleanly at centre ice and broke in alone, cutting to the backhand and opening up the five-hole to make it 5-1.
Next, Jacobson sent the puck across the seam to Hadland at the right circle. It was on and off Hadland’s tape in a heartbeat, sent right back out front to Mistelbacher, who quickly deposited his 22nd.
Strangely, the offensive eruption of the second period proved to be the end of the offense. The two teams combined for just 13 shots in the third period and, despite power plays each way, none of them went in. The Wheat Kings took a 6-1 win.
The Wheat Kings now take their show on the road for the longest road trip of the season. They start in Lethbridge on Wednesday at 8:00 Central Time.
