Red Deer scores late to drop Brandon

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This article was published 24/11/2023 (718 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ollie Josephson scored the opening goal of the game with 19.4 seconds remaining and Kai Uchacz added an empty netter eight seconds later as the Red Deer Rebels beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings 2-0 in Western Hockey League action at Peavey Mart Centrium on Friday.

Red Deer, which received 25 saves from Rhett Stoesser for the shutout, improved to 9-9-0-3 while Brandon fell to 10-10-4-1 in front of a crowd of 3,645.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said it was a heartbreaking finish to a well-played game.

“It kind of had a playoff feel to it, I guess,” Murray said. “It felt like the first goal was going to be the difference from start to finish and that’s what it was. It’s real disappointing because overall it was a solid road game. We have to close it out in the last 20 seconds and send it to overtime, and take our chances.”

It was the first meeting of the season for the two clubs, who face each other again in Brandon on Dec. 5.

Brandon’s road trip, which started with a 5-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday, continues on Saturday against the Medicine Hat Tigers and on Sunday against the Prince Albert Raiders.

After a scoreless first period in which Brandon held an 8-1 edge in shots in the opening 14 minutes, the Wheat Kings took back-to back penalties early in the middle frame.

While the Rebels couldn’t convert, the momentum took a decided change in direction, with Red Deer taking a 16-15 lead in shots.

The best chance of the game came on a two-on-one by Red Deer 16 minutes into the second period but Carson Latimer’s shot went wide past Brandon goalie Ethan Eskit. Matt Henry took an interference minor later in the play, and the Rebels had a couple of glorious opportunities but the teams went to the dressing rooms tied 0-0 after 40 minutes.

In the last six minutes of the third period, Eskit made another outstanding save on Uchacz on a one-timer from down low to keep the game knotted 0-0. Red Deer went to their fourth power play with 3:05 remaining when defenceman Luke Shipley mistakenly sent the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty, but Brandon’s penalty killers kept them at bay.

The dagger came late in the third period when Uchacz picked up the puck, circled deep in the Brandon zone and fired a shot. Eskit made the save, but Josephson was able to find the puck off the rebound and scored.

Murray elected to pull the young goalie off the ensuing faceoff. The puck went to the sideboards off the draw, where the Rebels were able to push it toward the Wheat Kings zone. Uchacz picked it up, skated in along the boards and a backhanded a shot that found the mesh with 11.6 seconds remaining.

Eskit, who was named first star, made 29 saves for the Wheat Kings.

“I thought Ethan played really well,” Murray said. “It was probably his best game as a Wheat King. It’s tougher to swallow when he’s 20 seconds away from a shutout. He battled to try and earn us a point.”

ICINGS: Brandon skated without healthy scratches D Seth Tansem, F Evan Groening and F Hayden Wheddon … A massive check by Brandon overage defenceman Kayden Sadhra-Kang in the second period left 18-year-old Red Deer forward Talon Brigley needing assistance to get off the ice. He didn’t return … Rebels defenceman Hunter Mayo also left the game after blocking a shot … The hosts also lost forward Frantisek Formanek for a few minutes when he was hit in the foot by a shot by his own player … Charlie Elick led the Wheat Kings with four shots on net … The game took two hours, 16 minutes to play … In the faceoff circle, Red Deer won 32-22 … Brandon went 0-for-1 on the power play, with Red Deer unsuccessful in four chances.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

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