Ridly Greig recorded a four-point game, two other players had two points and the Brandon Wheat Kings picked up their second preseason win on Friday night as they beat Moose Jaw, 5-2 at Mosaic Place.
The win moved Brandon to 1-1 on the road in the preseason after they lost to Winnipeg in Portage La Prairie last weekend.
“I thought it was a pretty good effort tonight,” said Mark Derlago, assistant coach. “We came out hard and everyone was ready to play tonight.”
In front of nearly 2500 fans, the Warriors’ fans sure didn’t have much to cheer about early on. Braden Schneider opened up the scoring with his first of the preseason 13:51 into the first. Cole Reinhardt would get the primary assist, while Greig started his phenomenal night with the secondary assist.
At the 8:07 mark of the second period, it was Ridly Greig’s turn. He scored his first of the preseason with Jake Chiasson earning the assist to give Brandon a 2-0 lead.
Brandon didn’t stop there. With 8:55 left in the second, the combination of Jake Chiasson and Ridly Greig struck again. This time, Chiasson netted a puck past Jackson Berry, who made 20 saves on 25 shots. Greig earned his second assist while Logen Hammett also picked up an assist on the goal to make it 3-0.
“You saw that line going from the start and they really took over the game” added Derlago. “It really was fun to watch.”
With just 4:07 left in the second, Moose Jaw finally gave their fans something to cheer about as they got back in the game. Tate Popple scored his second of the preseason with Matthew Benson and Kade Runke earning the assists.
Less than two minutes later with 2:18 left, the Ridly Greig show continued. He scored his second of the game as Cole Reinhardt got the assist. The goal capped off Greig’s two-goal, two-assist performance.
After 40, it was 4-1 Brandon.
“Ridly showed off his skill and really his whole line did tonight,” said Derlago. “Reinhardt also showed what he can do with his speed. He really pushes the defenders back. Things looked pretty impressive tonight.”
Tate Popple would make his presence felt again, this time just 1:41 into the third. That’s when he and Daniil Stepanov set up Cade Hayes, who scored his second of the preseason to bring the game within two goals at 4-2.
With 12:22 elapsed in the third period, Lynden McCallum sealed things. He let go of a shot that beat Berry to give Brandon a 5-2 lead. It was McCallum’s first of the preseason and Nolan Ritchie had the primary and only assist.
The McCallum goal was the final in the game as Brandon went on to win 5-2. Although he didn’t get on the scoreboard, Bode Hagan was perfect in a category. He went two-for-two on the faceoff dot.
“I liked his energy, he’s all over the ice and he plays hard no matter what,” said Derlago. “He does whatever he needs to and it’s good to see.”
Ethan Kruger ended up making 23 saves on 25 shots.
Brandon and Moose Jaw don’t get much rest before they meet one another again. The two clubs will hook up on Saturday night from Westoba Place in the Wheat City. The game will officially wrap up their respective preseasons. Brandon has a chance to go 3-1 while Moose Jaw is now 1-5 on the preseason.
Icing:
- Brandon converted on just 25-of-57 faceoffs throughout the game.
- Tate Popple was one of three Warriors’ that went +1. To go with his two-point game, he also went 11-for-19 on faceoffs.
- Ethan Kruger played a complete 60 minutes to continue his impressive preseason. He’s allowed just three goals on 52 shots.
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(Photo credit – Brandon Wheat Kings) Jiri Patera will be back in the Wheat City in time for next weekend’s home opener. The Brandon Wheat Kings have announced that Jiri Patera has returned to the team. He will be ready for the team’s home opener next Friday against Winnipeg.
- Moose Jaw has lost three straight and they’ve given up 12 goals in the process.
- They have also allowed 26 goals in the preseason, that’s second to only Portland (28).
