Offensive depth has been a hallmark of the Brandon Wheat Kings right from the opening act of the 2026-27 season, and it was on full display in their Remembrance Day game.
Easten Turko scored his first WHL goal that turned out to be the game-winner, and Joby Baumuller scored twice as the Wheat Kings beat the Winterhawks 6-2. Chase Surkan, Brady Turko, and Kris Muissu also scored, while Filip Ruzicka stopped 28 shots in the win.
“It was a pretty good effort from start to finish,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We had some penalty kills there where they got some momentum but overall it was a really solid effort and I thought we had everybody going.”
On the first power play of the game, the Winterhawks opened the scoring. After they fed the puck back to the right point for Stevie Grumley, he leaned into a quick shot that bounced off of Reed Brown and in to give Portland the lead.
The Wheat Kings struck back at even strength, however. Off the rush, Colin Grubb chipped the puck to himself, caught up to it on the left wing, and fed it to Surkan as he charged the net and redirected it in on his backhand to tie the game.
Early in the second, Surkan switched to set-up mode. He picked a pocket in the offensive zone, then sent a behind-the-back pass to Baumuller, who ripped his tenth of the season home.
A near-capacity crowd at ACU Place had a hometown hero to cheer for on the next goal. Cole Hunter won a faceoff, and Ryan Boyce left the puck for Turko at the left circle as he jumped up. Turko dragged and snapped the puck over the shoulder of Ondrej Stebetak for his first WHL goal and the 3-1 Wheat Kings lead.
Baumuller extended the Wheat Kings lead early in the third. Taking a chip pass from Cole Slobodian, Baumuller broke free from a checker and created a partial breakaway, rifling a shot to almost the exact same spot he’d put it on his first goal.
Fresh off another successful penalty kill, the Wheat Kings built on the lead. Ilari Kapanen dove and chopped the puck to centre, and the elder Turko took advantage, beating Stebatak to the puck as he tried to come out to play it and cutting to his forehand before cashing in.
Portland would cut into the Wheat Kings’ lead with a bullet of a shot off the rush by Luke Wilfley but that was as close as they would come. With the Winterhawks’ net empty, Turko unselfishly handed the puck to Muissu, who found the empty net to make it five straight games with a goal.
With the win, the Wheat Kings move to 13-6-0-1 and earn a share of first place in the WHL. They host the Wenatchee Wild in their next game on Friday night, with puck drop at 7:00.
