Warriors sweep Wheat Kings

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This article was published 15/09/2012 (5026 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings mounted a more serious challenge in their second meeting with the Moose Jaw Warriors, but it wasn’t enough to earn a win.

Sixteen-year-old rookie Brayden Point scored twice as the Warriors downed the Wheat Kings 5-3 to complete their home-and-home series — and Western Hockey League pre-season schedule — Saturday in Moose, Jaw, Sask.

It was a quantum leap from Friday’s 7-1 loss to the Warriors at Westman Place, but Wheat Kings assistant coach Darren Ritchie said one major area of concern — lack of discipline — remained. After being short-handed 11 times on Friday, Brandon gave Moose Jaw 10 more power plays on Saturday, allowing goals on two of them.

“I thought we had a good first period,” said Ritchie, whose team led 2-1 after the first period, but was short-handed eight times and outshot 26-13 over the final two frames. “I thought we had some good legs, and then when you take penalties in the second, it’s tough to keep everybody in the game. I thought from that (viewpoint) it was tough, but from last night to tonight, we were definltey a better team; a lot more emotion, harder working, which was what we asked from our guys and they responded with that.”

Alessio Bertaggia had a goal and an assist, with Richard Nejezchleb and Eric Roy also scoring for the Wheat Kings, who went 1-3-0-0 in the exhibition schedule and open the regular season by hosting the Regina Pats on Friday. Andrew Johnson, Sam Fioretti and Torrin White scored single goals for the Warriors (3-1-1-0).

Wheat Kings goalie Corbin Boes made 29 saves in his first appearance of the pre-season, while Justin Paulic stopped 20 shots for the Warriors.

ONE-TIMERS: Brandon went 1-for-3 on the power play and scored its other two goals while the teams were playing 4-on-4 … Warriors D Joel Edmundson of Brandon had an assist to give him two assists and a plus/minus of +3 during the home-and-home … Brandon D Tyler Yaworski and Moose Jaw LW Austin Bourhis, who were teammates last season in Prince Albert, engaged in a third-period fight … The Wheat Kings scratched C Jayce Hawryluk (concussion), C Daniel Asham, LW Dominick Favreau, C Jason Swyripa, LW Kailum Gervais, LW Jack Palmer, C Kord Pankewicz, C John Quenneville, D Rene Hunter, D Ayrton Nikkel and G Jordan Papirny … Warriors scratches included C Brayden Cuthbert (concussion) of Brandon … Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald tweeted before the game that the Warriors had cut second-year G Spencer Tremblay, who beat the Wheat Kings on Friday … Calgary traded LW Alex Gogolev, a 20-year-old Russian who had 57 points last season, to Victoria along with a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick, in exchange for LW Zane Jones, 18, and a conditional sixth-rounder next year.
» rhenders@brandonsun.com