Wheat Kings finally beat Wild franchise

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This article was published 06/02/2025 (274 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s taken 1,137 days, but the Brandon Wheat Kings finally have a victory at home over the Wenatchee Wild-Winnipeg Ice franchise.

Brandon (25-16-3-3) received two goals from Joby Baumuller, and singles Marcus Nguyen, Nolan Flamand and Carter Klippenstein in a 5-2 triumph over Wenatchee in Western Hockey League action at Westoba Place on Wednesday.

Tye Spencer and Zane Saab replied for the Wild (18-27-3-1) in front of a crowd of 2,035.

The Wheat Kings last beat the Ice at home on Dec. 27, 2021 when Chad Nychuk scored the winner in a 5-4 overtime victory. Winnipeg won the next seven games, and since the move in the summer of 2023, this is Wenatchee’s first game in Brandon.

While it wasn’t beautiful at times, Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said he’ll take the final result.

“This time of the year you’ll take two points whenever you can get them,” Murray said. “It’s a battle every night and tonight was another one.”

The Wheat Kings had another sleepy start, allowing the first four shots, and didn’t put a puck on net until near the end of an early power play. But off the rush after the teams began to play five-on-five again, Baumuller sent a hard shot from the high slot that beat Wenatchee goalie Brendan Gee just inside the post below his blocker.

The goal came at the four-minute, 38-second mark.

“I picked it up on my left side and cut to the middle and just kind of threw it on net,” Baumuller said. “I didn’t really have a chance to look at the net, I just knew if I put it low it might have a good chance of going in.”

The Wheat Kings made it a two-goal lead nine minutes later when Flamand lifted the puck into the air from his own end into the neutral zone and it bounced past a Wenatchee defender to the speedy Nguyen, who put the puck between Gee’s legs on the breakaway for his career-high 25th goal.

After the puck went in, he was pushed into the boards by Wild defender Lukas McCloskey, sparking a short-lived confrontation before the Wheat Kings celebrated with their customary head tap.

After nearly making it a three-goal lead when Dominik Petr hit a post, the Wheat Kings cashed in again when Nick Johnson tipped Nguyen’s shot. The puck bounced in the air behind Gee and was pushed in by Flamand near the far post.

“I think one of the first things we talked about was having a real strong first period and I thought we accomplished that,” Murray said. “Our first period was one of our best in a while.”

The game took an ugly turn five minutes into the second period.

Brandon defenceman Luke Shipley skated across the top of the Wenatchee zone with the puck and took an elbow to the face that sent the overager to the dressing room and earned forward Shaun Rio a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct that will almost certainly draw a suspension.

Shipley returned to the game a few minutes later.

Brandon didn’t do much with the man advantage and actually gave up a shorthanded goal when Spencer one-timed a shot past Brandon goalie Carson Bjarnason on a nice setup by Miles Cooper on a two-on-one to make it a 3-1 game.

“When they took the five-minute major — they take liberties on one of our best players — our response should be to put the game out of reach,” Murray said. “They got the shortie so they got the momentum out of that. We had two units out there for three-and-a-half minutes so that’s way too long. It’s not winning habits, and after that I thought we struggled to get our game back.”

Spencer later hit the far post on a wrap-around that could have drawn the game even closer.

Despite having the major, the Wheat Kings were actually outshot 13-8 in the second period and displayed none of the territorial dominance they showed in the opening frame.

The Wild opened the third period on a fresh power play and the Wheat Kings had Bjarnason to thank for maintaining the two-goal lead as he made four stops on the man advantage and the first seven of the frame. It took the hosts nearly six minutes to get a shot on net as they simply couldn’t get anything going.

The finally got the insurance marker they needed with 5:32 remaining. Ben Binder Nord chipped the puck into the Wenatchee zone from the neutral zone and charged in after it, tying up both Wild defencemen. Baumuller picked up the puck and fired it in for the insurance marker the hosts desperately needed.

“It was kind of a bouncing pucks and I saw both defenders stood up on Ben and I saw that if I kept driving, I was able to pick up the puck,” Baumuller said. “I just had to get it off quick so I went backhand forehand and low glove so it was pretty nice.”

Brandon took a pair of minor penalties and Wenatchee pulled Gee with 3:50 left in regulation on a five-on-three for 47 seconds. They scored with one second remaining in the first penalty and 74 seconds remaining in the second one when Saab fired a shot from the slot.

The Wild pulled Gee again when they had possession in the Brandon zone, but Matteo Michels created a turnover and pushed the puck into the neutral zone for Klippenstein to score a shorthanded empty netter with 2:18 remaining to make it 5-2.

Bjarnason made 34 saves for the Wheat Kings, with Gee stopping 31 shots for the Wild.

Brandon went 0-for-4 on the power play, with Wenatchee scoring once in four chances.

Wenatchee head coach Don Nachbaur said his club, which blasted the host Moose Jaw Warriors 8-2 on Tuesday, didn’t start well.

“I thought we had a really sluggish first period,” Nachbaur said. “The bottom line for us is we check really well as a team and tonight we didn’t do that in the first period. In the second and third period I thought we played like ourselves but the game was over in the first period. I told our guys starts are really important.

“Some of it had to do with travel coming in at 4 in the morning. I thought our guys were really sleepy but we woke up and put a good battle up in the second and third but we weren’t good enough to win.”

ICINGS: Brandon skated without injured F Roger McQueen (upper body, week to week), F Easton Odut (upper body. indefinite) and D Merrek Arpin (upper body, week to week) … There was a delay prior to the game as a problem with the main clock was sorted out. The shots were listed as 38-31 prior to the puck drop, and then disappeared for good … Brandon’s Matt Michta was the emergency backup for Wenatchee with former Wheat Kings G Alex Garrett out … Former Brandon D Eastyn Mannix was a healthy scratch and D Josh Fluker of Boissevain was also out due to injury … Former Wheat Kings D Seth Tansem played his first game back in Brandon since a trade on Sept. 16 for a sixth-round pick in 2027 … Baumuller led the Wheat Kings with seven shots on net … The game took two hours, 25 minutes to play … In the faceoff circle, Brandon won 30-28 … Not only were no boos heard during the American anthem, there was a nice ovation after it finished … The Wheat Kings return to action when the Saskatoon Blades visit Westoba Place on Friday at 7 p.m.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson

Wheat Kings 5, Wild 2

First Period

1. Brandon, Baumuller 8 (Boehm) 4:38.

2. Brandon, Nguyen 25 (Flamand, Belusko) 13:36.

3. Brandon, Flamand 17 (Johnson, Nguyen) 17:08.

Penalties — Davis Wen (kneeing) 2:01, Pankey Wen (tripping) 9:19.

Second Period

4. Wenatchee, Spencer 13 (Cooper) 8:28 (sh).

Penalties — Rios Wen (checking to the head major, game misconduct) 5:00, Mantei Bdn (roughing) 20:00..

Third Period

5. Brandon, Baumuller 9 (Binder Nord, Turko) 14:28.

6. Wenatchee, Saab 9 (Seitz, Andresen) 16:56 (pp).

7. Brandon, Klippenstein 11 (Michels) 17:48 (sh, en).

Penalties — Seitz Wen (delay of game) 6:42, Turko Bdn (cross checking) 9:20, Binder Nord Bdn (cross checking) 14:57, Belusko Bdn (closing hand on puck) 16:10.

Shots on goal by

Brandon 15 8 0 — 36

Wenatchee 9 13 0 — 36

Goal — Brandon: Bjarnason (W, 12-11-2-0). Wenatchee: Gee (L, 6-8-0-0).

Power plays (goals-chances) — Brandon: 0-4; Wenatchee: 1-4.

Referees — Josh Grimm, Bryce Sebastian.

Linesmen — Nick Grenier, Josh Miko.

Attendance — 2,035 in Brandon.