Against a tough defensive opponent, an ultra-capable young goaltender, and a gruelling road schedule, the Brandon Wheat Kings flexed their offensive muscles and turned in one of their best performances of the season.
Giorgos Pantelas and Brady Turko scored twice each, and Joby Baumuller, Jordan Gavin, and Prabh Bhathal all scored as well as the Wheat Kings beat the Tri-City Americans 7-1. Jayden Kraus turned in another strong performance with 25 saves on 26 shots.
“I thought our execution was really good right from the get go,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “I thought we did a good job early in the first few shifts of the game getting the puck low and having some zone time, making them defend. The guys gained some confidence and made a lot of really nice plays today.”
Offensively, it was the hottest start of the road trip so far for the Wheat Kings in the first period. Just over five minutes in, Turko took a hit to make a play at centre ice, sending Bhathal in on a 2-on-1. The rookie kept the shot for himself and buried it cleanly for the 1-0 lead.
The veterans put their contribution on the board less than two minutes later. Nicholas Johnson won a battle behind the net and wrapped it back out front, and with Gavin and Baumuller both in the scrum, the Wheat Kings battled the puck loose until Baumuller found it and slid it in.
Just three minutes after that, while on their first power play of the game, the Wheat Kings were at it again. Caleb Hadland moved the puck to Pantelas at the top of the umbrella, and the former first-round pick snapped one through traffic for his third of the season and the Wheat Kings’ third of the game.
The second period was not a minute old when the Wheat Kings extended their lead. Jaxon Jacobson picked off a pass behind the Americans net and sped it straight out front to Gavin. Gavin was stopped on his first backhand bid, but he stuck with the rebound and tucked it in.
The Wheat Kings were only getting started. Bhathal picked a pocket right in front of the Tri-City net and sent it to the backdoor for a wide open Turko, who made no mistake from in close.
That was the end of the night for Americans’ goaltender Xavier Wendt, but not the end of the scoring in the second for the Wheat Kings. After taking a drop pass from Johnson, Baumuller sent the puck to a pinching Pantelas at the right circle, and Pantelas let another well-placed shot go to pick up his second of the game.
Late in the second, the Wheat Kings put an exclamation point on the period. Bhathal won another battle in the offensive zone, sending it behind the net for Jimmy Egan, who brought it back out front and put it right on Turko’s tape as he drove the net and cashed in again.
Tri-City got on the board early in the third. David Krcal picked up a loose puck and found himself alone in the slot, cutting to the backhand and opening up the five-hole to make it 7-1.
That proved to be the lone blemish on the Wheat Kings’ record, however, and the last goal of the game. The Wheat Kings took the 7-1 win and moved to 4-2 on the road trip. They close it out tomorrow in Spokane at 6:05 local time.
