GAME 1: Hitmen win 1-0 in triple OT

Eric Tu made 50 saves and Ethan Moore scored the only goal of the game in triple overtime as the Calgary Hitmen edged the Brandon Wheat Kings 1-0 in Game 1 of their Western Hockey League quarterfinal series at Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday.

Brandon’s Filip Ruzicka stopped 64 shots in front of a crowd of 2,959.

“He was sensational,” Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said of his goalie. “He gave us a chance to win all night long. It’s too bad we didn’t get one for him. He played his heart out and did everything he could to help us get a win.”

With the victory, which came in the second longest game in Wheat Kings history in the Internet era, Calgary takes a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2 is in Calgary on Sunday at 8 p.m. (CDT). “It was a battle, a grind,” Murray said. “I think it’s the first time I’ve been involved in a game that long without any goals. Both teams certainly have the ability to score goals so it’s certainly a little surprising it took that long.

“We battled hard and obviously losing stings but to lose in triple overtime stings a bit more. It was it is. We’ll have to get back on the horse here on Sunday and try to muster up a good effort.”

Calgary’s speedy and relentless forecheck created an early presence, making Brandon work to clear its own zone.

Three minutes into the game, Brandon went to the first power play and Luke Mistelbacher hit the outside of the goalpost on a backdoor feed from Jaxon Jacobson. That’s as close as they got, with Calgary creating a partial shorthanded breakaway and later a two-on-one that forced Ruzicka to make a shoulder save on defenceman Ben MacBeath.

The Hitmen continued to create chances, with Ruzicka stopping forward Andrei Molgachev, and then overage defenceman Grayson Burzynski sprawling on the ice in the crease to block a shot on its way into the net.

Brandon finally had its first good chances late in the period but Tu denied Joby Baumuller twice. The Hitmen were already up 14-7 on the shot clock when they earned their first power play late in the period, and Molgachev blasted a shot that Ruzicka found with his pad on a backdoor one-timer.

The Hitmen outshot Brandon 16-8 in the first period.

The goalies continued to be sharp through the second period, even as the quality of the chances diminished. The Hitmen were especially adept at loading up their blue-line and creating offsides for the visitors as they attacked.

The Wheat Kings went to the game’s third power play late in the period and Burzynski hit a post and then Tu made another tremendous save on Baumuller to keep the game scoreless.

Two minutes into the third period, Ruzicka made a ridiculous save when he slid across the crease on his knees to deny Molgachev with his glove on a one-timer.

The teams traded power plays midway through the third period and while both teams had looks, neither created any Grade A chances.

In the first overtime, both teams were able to create zone time and threaten, with Calgary especially dangerous for a two-minute stretch six minutes in.

The Wheat Kings had a scary moment 12:36 into extra time when defenceman Max Lavoie shot a puck that was lying on its side over the glass, sending the Hitmen to their third power play. On their best opportunity, a diving Brandon defenceman Gio Pantelas blocked a shot with his back to take away a goal.

At the other end, Tu stopped a quick shot from Caleb Hadland in the slot with 17 seconds remaining.

In double overtime, Ruzicka used his skate to get a piece of the puck on a Keaton Jundt wrap-around that appeared to be headed into an empty net. The play continued and Mistelbacher hit the crossbar at the other end as the game went back and forth.

Brandon had an even better chance with 4:51 left when Jimmy Egan was hooked down on a breakaway by Wyatt Pisarczyk and awarded a penalty shot. The American forward came in down the side, skated into the middle and had his shot denied by Tu’s shoulder to keep the game alive. In the Brandon end, Ruzicka stopped a Blake Vanek breakaway when he was sent in on a two-on-one in the final two minutes.

In triple overtime, the winner came at the 5:11 mark.

Off a faceoff in the offensive zone, the puck came up the ice and a long Calgary shot went wide and sat near the end boards. Four Wheat Kings and two Hitmen pursued the puck but Caine Wilke made a nice play to intercept an attempted pass around the net and made a no-look backhand feed to Moore in the low circle and the overage forward from Okotoks, Alta., scored with a low shot.

Brandon last played in a 1-0 overtime playoff game when they fell to the Moose Jaw Warriors on April 2, 2006. Calgary’s last similar game was on March 26, 2013 when they beat the Swift Current Broncos. After some heartbreak on Friday, Murray said his club will need to put it behind them for Game 2.

“It’s a quick turn-around,” Murray said. “We have (Saturday) to regroup. It’s going to be mind over matter here on Sunday. We have to find a way to dig deep and find some character that we maybe don’t even know we have. That’s going to be the focal point, being ready to play on Sunday and getting back into it.

“I think we have the ability to create more offence than we did and I think the guys can rally around that.”

The series returns to Virden’s Tundra Oil and Gas Place for Game 3 on Tuesday, with Game 4 on Thursday and a potential Game 5 on Friday, with the Manitoba games all starting at 7 p.m.

If necessary, Game 6 is back in Calgary on Sunday at 6 p.m. and Game 7 on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

ICINGS: Brandon skated without injured D Merrek Arpin, D Dylan Ronald, F Easton Odut and F Carter Klippenstein plus healthy scratches F Gunnar Gleasman, F Ahmad Fayad, D Daniil Skvortsov and D Cruz Jim … Mistelbacher led the Wheat Kings with seven shots on net … The game took four hours, 24 minutes to play … In the faceoff circle, Calgary won 68-49 … Both teams went 0-for-3 on the power play … The first goal of the WHL playoffs was scored by Medicine Hat Tigers forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll against the Regina Pats. It came at the 9:45 mark of the first period in a 6-2 Tigers victory … The first goal in the Western Conference came off the stick of Everett Silvertips defenceman Brek Liske of Beausejour 48 seconds into their 8-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks … Saskatoon Blades forward Hunter Laing scored on a penalty shot against the Edmonton Oil Kings … Prince George Cougars defenceman Carson Carels left Game 1 of his team’s series against the visiting Spokane Chiefs due to injury … Penticton Vees defenceman Charlie Michaud scored the first goal of his WHL career in overtime for a 3-2 victory over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

 

LATE FRIDAY

Hitmen 1, Wheat Kings 0 (3OT)
First Period
No Scoring.
Penalties — Hildebrandt Cgy (hooking) 3:10, Allard Bdn (hooking) 16:07.
Second Period
No Scoring.
Penalties — Jundt Cgy (charging) 18:02.
Third Period
No Scoring.
Penalties — Lavoie Bdn (kneeing) 7:00, Hamilton Cgy (high sticking) 8:48.
Overtime
No Scoring.
Penalties — Lavoie Bdn (delay of game) 12:36.
Double Overtime
No Scoring
Penalties — None.
Penalty shot: Egan, Bdn 15:09, miss.
Triple Overtime
1. Calgary, Moore 1 (Wilke) 5:11.
Penalties — None.
Shots on goal by
Brandon     8     14     5 10 10 3    —     50
Calgary     16     13     8 14 8 6     —     65
Goal — Brandon: Ruzicka (OL, 0-1-0-0). Calgary: Tu (OW, 1-0-0-0).
Power plays (goals-chances) — Brandon: 0-3; Calgary: 0-3.
Referees — Jesse Wood-Schatz, Corey Koop.
Linesmen — Jason Nedinis, Matthew Lattimer.
Attendance — 2,959 in Calgary.