A tighter defensive effort and statistically better game wasn’t enough for the Wheat Kings in game two against the Lethbridge Hurricanes as they fell 4-3 in regulation.
Matteo Michels, Marcus Nguyen, and Nicholas Johnson scored, and Carson Bjarnason made 22 saves as the Wheat Kings fell down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
“It was a tough one, I thought it was a pretty good effort overall,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We kept them under 30 shots. We gave up two relatively quick ones in the second period again, that ended up being the difference. We fought back and had some good looks to tie it up and try to get it to overtime but it didn’t bounce our way.”
In a stark departure from the high-scoring and high-event first period of game one, the Wheat Kings and Hurricanes didn’t break through on the scoreboard in the first period of game two. The Hurricanes were awarded the only power play of the first period, but the Wheat Kings had the only shot on goal of that power play and killed it off.
The Wheat Kings started the second period on the penalty kill as well, and this time the Hurricanes made it count. Brayden Yager kept the shot for himself from the left circle, and showed off an NHL-caliber release for the opening goal.
But the Wheat Kings fought back. As four-on-four expired, Jaxon Jacobson won a battle at the side of the Hurricanes net and sent the puck out front to Michels, who made no mistake for his first of the playoffs.
The Wheat Kings then took their first lead of the series on the power play. Catching the Hurricanes on a change, Quinn Mantei slung the puck up ice to Nguyen who took the space up the right side and rifled home the go-ahead goal.
Then it was the Hurricanes lead to take the lead as they had eight consecutive shots on goal and scored on twice, with Yager snapping one in on a two-on-one, and Miguel Marques tapping home a feed at the right side of the net off the cycle.
Midway through the third, the Hurricanes made the deficit wider. Carsen Adair caught up to his own dump-in, suddenly found himself alone, and leaked a shot through Bjarnason to make it 4-2.
Yet again, the Wheat Kings refused to go away. Johnson followed up the rebound of his initial blocked shot and chopped it over the arm of Jackson Unger to make it 4-3. But that, despite a late goaltender pull, was as close as the Wheat Kings would get.
The Wheat Kings return to Manitoba for games three and four, in Virden on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Puck drop is 7:00 Central Time on both nights.
