Last season, the Brandon Wheat Kings didn’t qualify for the playoffs, although it was very close. The team went 2-7-1 down the stretch and finished with 70 points. The Red Deer Rebels also struggled down the stretch going 4-5-0-1. However, that was just good enough to edge the Wheat Kings for the final playoff spot, a gap that ended up being just two points.
After some changes in their front office, most notably bringing on Dave Lowry as the Head Coach and Darren Ritchie being promoted to General Manager, the Wheat Kings are heading back to the playoffs.
Backed by a dominating performance on the shot clock and on the score clock, the Wheat Kings will have the chance to win the WHL after taking a one-year hiatus.
Beginning a tough road-trip which also includes stops in Calgary and Lethbridge, Brandon kicked things off in Swift Current and put up a nine spot. They also recorded 46 shots in the huge 9-1 win against the struggling Broncos.
“A lot of guys chipped in on the scoresheet tonight and you love to see that,” said Assistant Coach Mark Derlago on the QCountry post-game show. “We came here for two-points, a lot of guys got involved tonight and we got them.”
Eight different Wheat Kings scored in the victory, which included two tallies from Luka Burzan. The scoring started early in the contest as Connor Gutenberg snipped his 14th goal of the season, just 4:21 into the game.
It wasn’t until much later in the period that Brandon extended their lead. With just 2:03 left in the opening frame, Dom Schmiemann scored his second goal of the season. The goal was also Dom’s first with the Wheat Kings in his 47th game. The other marker came with the Tri-City Americans to begin the season.
Much to the dismay of Swift Current, the scoring started very early in the second period, it took just 54 seconds in fact. Ridly Greig potted his 21st as Brandon took a touchdown lead and they were far from done. Ben McCartney made it 4-0 just three minutes later.
Justin Svenson gave Swift Current some life as he scored his third of the season to trim the deficit to 4-1. However, that was as close as the Broncos would get. Before the period was over, Chad Nychuk and Luka Burzan would give Brandon a 6-1 lead.
“You see the score climb up there and it’s not an easy game to play,” added Derlago. “You have to stay within the plan and stick to what’s working and I think we did that tonight.”
Brandon continued to force the issue in the third as they tallied another three goals. One each from Lynden McCallum, Luka Burzan, and Riley Ginnell. With his 35 goals now, Burzan is tied for the fifth-most in the league. Adam Beckman leads the way with 44.
The Wheat Kings win also pushed them into sole possession of second place in the East Division with 70 points, three fewer than Prince Albert.
Brandon’s road-trip continues with games in Calgary on Friday and Lethbridge on Saturday.
Wheat Tips:
- Jiri Patera made 19 saves while Isaiah DiLaura turned away 37 shots in the defeat.
- Brandon’s offence stood out; however, their defence was very stingy as well. They only allowed five shots against in the first and four shots against in the third. In the second, Swift Current added up 11.
- Both teams went 0-for-1 on the power play.
