In Wednesday’s late game at the Subway WHL Hub, the Brandon Wheat Kings (11-2-1-0) continued their hot streak in a 4-1 win over the Swift Current Broncos (3-10-1-0). The win was the Wheat Kings’ eighth straight win of the season. It was one of the quickest games in the Hub so far lasting just two hours and four minutes.
With the win, the Wheat Kings now have 23 points, three points up on the second place Saskatoon Blades (20 points, with one game in hand).
Here are how things went.
First period
The Wheat Kings got on the board first. 16-year-old Nate Danielson scored his third goal of the season. The young forward carried the puck into the offensive zone and fired a harmless-looking shot at Isaac Pouter. The shot bounced off Poulter’s pads and somehow squeaked through to give the Wheat Kings a 1-0 lead 14:55 into the game. The powerplay marker was assisted by Vincent Iorio and Braden Schneider. All three of Danielson’s goals of 2020-21 have come via the powerplay.
There was no more scoring in the first and Brandon held a 14-6 shot advantage through 20 minutes.
Second period
It took until the midway point of the second period before anyone scored. That just so happened to be Brandon.
Jake Chiasson netted his seventh of the season on a pretty tic-tac-toe goal. Danielson started the play in the offensive zone passing the puck to Chad Nychuk who found Chiasson at the side of the net for the goal. Brandon had a two-goal lead 9:40 into the second period.
Just over a minute later the Broncos responded. Aiden Bulych scored his fifth of the season completing an almost perfect 3-on-2 odd-man rush. Devin Aubin and Michael Farren helped complete the scoring play that got cut the deficit to 2-1 at 10:47 of the middle 20 minutes.
The Wheat Kings added to their lead with less than four minutes left in the second period. Ridly Greig and Tyson Zimmer got sent in on a long 2-on-1. Greig fed a pass to Zimmer who waited for the Bronco goalie to commit and scored his second of the season. Poulter tried desperately to stop the puck but his two-pad stack was not enough to keep the puck out. Brandon now had a two-goal lead at 3-1 at 16:39 of the second period.
The Broncos outshot the Wheat Kings 11-8 in the second, but other than their goal had very few quality scoring chances.
Third period
The third period is where the Wheat Kings controlled much of the play and Poulter kept the Broncos in the game. He made 14 saves and many of them were top-quality opportunities.
The Wheat Kings sealed the contest with an empty-net goal with 1:17 left. Nychuk scored his second of the season. Brett Hyland and Greig added the assists on the Wheat Kings 4-1 goal.
Brandon outshot Swift Current 15-4 in the third stanza and 37-21 overall in the win.
Just notes: Brandon went 1-for-4 on the powerplay while the Broncos went 0-for-2. Danielson (1G, 1A), Poulter (33 saves), and Chiasson (1G) picked up the three-star honors. Nychuk (1G, 1A) and Greig (2A) joined Danielson with a pair of points in the game. Wheat King goaltender Connar Ungar made 20 saves for his third win of the season.
