Penalty troubles haunt Wheat Kings in loss

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This article was published 12/10/2016 (3303 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Special teams indeed.

The Brandon Wheat Kings and Portland Winterhawks scored a total of seven power-play goals as the visitors won 7-6 at Westman Place on Tuesday.

Referees Kyle Scrivens and Adam Bloski gave the two Western Hockey League teams 18 power-plays, with Portland (6-3-0-0) going 5-for-9 and Brandon scoring twice on nine chances. The Wheat Kings (2-3-1-0) actually built a 2-0 first period lead with the man advantage.

A disappointed Brandon head coach David Anning said penalties are a recurring theme for his team early in the season.

“We were in command of the hockey game and I thought we were in a good spot after 20 minutes,” he said. “I thought the penalties were a result of long shifts and putting ourselves in poor spots reaching in, and they have to stop. Discipline is a concern. It’s not only giving the other team momentum, it’s costing us hockey games now.”

Brandon struck first on Jordan Wharrie’s first as a Wheat King when his shot from the point snuck by Portland goalie Cole Kehler through traffic. It came on Brandon’s third power-play in the first half of the opening frame.

Ty Lewis added a power-play goal of his own just over two minutes later, as the Wheat Kings benefited from the first four penalties.

The tide turned, with Brandon killing off a long five-on-three that straddled the periods. But with the crowd still applauding the penalty killers, Lane Gilliss snuck a shot in to bring his team within a goal.

After Brandon had an unsuccessful five-on-three of their own, Portland tied it on the 10th power-play in the first 25 minutes of the game with a short side shot by Joachim Blichfeld into the top of the net.

Portland took their first lead on another power-play goal four minutes later on a pretty three-way passing play that Keoni Texeira just had to tap in.

Brandon forward Tanner Kaspick then scored the first of his two. After Alex Overhardt restored Portland’s lead, Kaspick scored again off a nice feed from Stelio Mattheos to knot the game at 4-4.

“It’s pretty hard to win games when you’re on the penalty kill that much,” Kaspick said. “Our discipline has been poor all year and that’s something we have to clean up on. Even if it does get to that, we have to find a way to win the special-teams battle and we didn’t tonight. Our power-play wasn’t clicking as good as it should have and they capitalized on their power-plays.”

Just over a minute into the third, Reid Duke scored his first after rejoining the team earlier in the day from the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack, when Connor Gutenberg sent him in on a long breakaway while killing a penalty. Unfortunately for the Wheat Kings, Duke’s marker came between a pair of Winterhawks power-play goals by Keegan Iverson and league scoring leader Cody Glass.

Kehler made a couple of fine saves in the final 10 minutes and Brandon rang a shot off two posts before Portland’s Evan Weinger made it 7-5 with an empty-netter.

Nolan Patrick completed the scoring with 3.4 seconds left.

Portland coach Mike Johnson was happy to take the win but said it wasn’t a great night at the rink.

“It certainly wasn’t a coaches game,” he said. “I don’t think either would say that. But what happened was, it became a special teams’ game. I don’t know, it was hard to tell if all those penalties were deserved but usually if there are that many penalties it’s a physical tough game and the refs try and get control of the game by calling penalties and power-plays. I thought the game had way too many special teams. It took a lot of the flow out of our bench.”

Brandon starting goalie Jordan Papirny made 29 saves, with Kehler stopping 40 shots for Portland.

ICINGS: Brandon scratched D Kale Clague (lower-body injury), D James Shearer (illness), F Rylan Bettens and F Duncan Campbell (healthy scratches) …Portland’s scratches included veteran overage import Rodrigo Abols, who was put on waivers earlier in the day … Former Wheat Kings defenceman Ivan Provorov has earned a spot on the Philadelphia Flyers blue-line and will wear his familiar No. 9 … Oak River’s Riley Shamray was returned to the Waywayseecappo Wolverines of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Tuesday … Brandonite Tyson Verhelst is out indefinitely with an undisclosed upper-body injury that he suffered in Red Deer with the Rebels. There’s no word what happened but Verhelst suffered two concussions last season … The Buffalo Sabres sent Brendan Guhle back to the Prince Albert Raiders on Tuesday … Seattle Thunderbirds F Matthew Barzal has made the New York Islanders opening day roster. Former Brandon Wheat Kings D Ryan Pulock was sent down to the American Hockey League.

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