Flamand scores OT winner for Brandon

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This article was published 15/03/2025 (236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nolan Flamand scored 44 seconds into overtime as the Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-4 in Western Hockey League action at Temple Gardens Centre on Saturday.

Second-place Brandon (36-22-4-3, 79 points, three games remaining) received its other goals from Roger McQueen, Marcus Nguyen, Matteo Michels and Luke Shipley, with Lynden Lakovic, Casey Brown, Pavel McKenzie and Riley Thorpe replying for 11th-place Moose Jaw (14-43-6-2) in front of a crowd of 3,215.

The Wheat Kings beat the Warriors 4-1 on Friday at Westoba Place.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said it was an up-and-down night for his club.

“We had a good start to the game to go up 2-0, and I thought our first period was pretty good overall,” Murray said. “We took a little bit of a lazy penalty and then let one in that (goalie Carson Bjarnason) might want back to knot it up and send it back to square one.

“They took it to us in the second a little. We got casual with the puck and Barney made some huge saves to keep it within one. We had to press to the end. It was a big goal by Shipley to tie it up and a big overtime win.”

The Eastern Conference race, and the second seed in the post-season that will go to the East Division winner, remains the subject of an intense battle.

The fifth-place Prince Albert Raiders (36-23-5-1, 78 points, three games remaining) also earned two points, earning a 4-1 decision over the seventh-place Edmonton Oil Kings (35-26-2-2, 74 points, three games remaining). The sixth-place Saskatoon Blades (35-22-3-4, 77 points, four games remaining) swing back into action Sunday against the 10th-place Regina Pats.

For the second night in a row, the Wheat Kings scored early, with Saturday’s goal coming off the stick of McQueen. The big forward, who was in his sixth game back after missing five months with a back injury, tipped a hard pass by Shipley just 57 seconds into the game.

Three minutes later, Brandon went to the game’s first power play after Ethan Hughes ran into Bjarnason. It took just six seconds for Nguyen to pick up the rebound off a McQueen shot and deposit it behind Moose Jaw goalie Matthew Hutchinson.

The Warriors evened the game in a four-minute span later in the period. Lakovic converted on a pretty passing play on the power play, and Brown backhanded a shot through Bjarnason’s legs off the rush to tie the game.

But Brandon went back to the man advantage late in the period, and it took four seconds for Michels to send a shot at net that banked in off the skate of Moose Jaw defender Aiden Ziprick of Russell. The goal came with 59 seconds remaining in the opening period as the Wheat Kings bookended the period with goals.

“Those are big,” Murray said of goals in the first or last minute of a period, of which Brandon had three. “It’s pretty deflating for the opposing team to be on the wrong side of it. We’ll take it. Moose Jaw played hard and they battled.”

The momentum changed entirely in the second period, with Moose Jaw dominating the shot clock 16-7 and much of the territorial play. The hosts took their first lead with a pair of goals in the final six minutes.

After a turnover at centre, the puck came flying into the Brandon end with McKenzie passing into the middle to Thorpe and then sending the return pass into the net at the 14-minute mark.

The Warriors took their first lead 17:18 into the second period off the rush on a four-on-one when Thorpe jumped on a rebound of a Lakovic shot to make it 4-3.

Brandon was fortunate to keep the lead at one goal, with Bjarnason robbing Moose Jaw’s top line with his glove on a one-timer off the rush seven minutes into the third period.

Michels hit a post midway through the period to nearly square the game 4-4, but it was the overage defenceman Shipley who tied it up.

With 5:14 remaining in regulation, Shipley wired a shot from the slot over Hutchinson’s blocker after a backhand pass from McQueen, who earned his third point of the game.

In overtime, Bjarnason absolutely robbed Lakovic off the backhand on a two-on-one 26 seconds into overtime. Off the ensuing faceoff, Brandon gained control of the puck after a scramble, skated up the ice and the pass came back to the trailer Flamand, who wired a shot that Hutchinson got a piece of but went into the top of the net for the overage forward’s 23rd goal of the season and fourth game winner.

“It started on the faceoff, and after a bit of a broken play, we got possession,” Murray said. “Nguyen got behind their guy a little bit and we were kind of hoping Ship would move it up quicker because I think Nguyen had a chance with his speed to maybe get in a footrace for a breakaway, but we got it up the ice. I would honestly have to look again, but I think they maybe over-backchecked and Nguyen delayed and they had two guys on our guy (Shipley) going to the net and it was a good shot by Flam.”

Bjarnason made 30 saves for the Wheat Kings, with Hutchinson stopping 28 shots for the Warriors.

Brandon went 2-for-3 on the power play, with Moose Jaw scoring once in two chances.

“This time of year you need that,” Murray said of his power play, which went 0-for-6 on Friday. “Roger was on the board and Michels, it’s been a while since he scored too, so those are not only scoring goals but giving guys some confidence, which helps.”

ICINGS: Brandon skated without injured forwards Jaxon Jacobson, Ben Binder Nord and Easton Odut and defenceman Merrek Arpin, plus healthy scratch Cam Allard … D Adam Belusko has returned from Slovakia and was back in the lineup after missing five games due to academic requirements at home … Flamand and Joby Baumuller led the Wheat Kings with five shots each on net … The game took two hours, 18 minutes to play … In the faceoff circle, Brandon won 34-21 … The Wheat Kings host the Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday at Westoba Place and then have a home-and-home series with the Regina Pats to end the regular season. Friday’s game is in Brandon at 7 p.m., and Saturday’s game is in Regina at 7 p.m. (CDT).

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson

 

SATURDAY

Wheat Kings 5, Warriors 4 (OT)

First Period

1. Brandon, McQueen 9 (Shipley) 0:57.

2. Brandon, Nguyen 34 (McQueen, Flamand) 3:53 (pp).

3. Moose Jaw, Lakovic 24 (Semeniuk, McKenzie) 14:18 (pp).

4. Moose Jaw, Brown 2 (Ness) 18:06.

5. Brandon, Michels 19 (Johnson, Petr) 19:01 (pp).

Penalties — Hughes MJ (goaltender interference) 3:47, Flamand Bdn (hooking) 12:59, Brown MJ (tripping) 18:57

Second Period

6. Moose Jaw, McKenzie 17 (Thorpe) 14:00.

7. Moose Jaw, Thorpe 7 (Lakovic) 17:18.

Penalties — Klippenstein Bdn (high sticking) 8:38, Schmidt MJ (holding) 19:52.

Third Period

8. Brandon, Shipley 17 (Hadland McQueen) 14:46.

Penalties — None.

Overtime

9. Brandon, Flamand 23 (Nguyen, Shipley) 0:44.

Penalties — None.

Shots on goal by

Brandon 14 7 11 1 — 33

Moose Jaw 7 16 10 1 — 34

Goal — Brandon: Bjarnason (OTW, 21-14-3-0). Moose Jaw: Hutchinson (OTL, 14-18-4-0).

Power plays (goals-chances) — Brandon: 2-3; Moose Jaw: 1-2.

Referees — Adam Bloski, Ty Skene. 

Linesmen — Ryan Lundquist, Tarrington Wyonzek.

Attendance — 3,215 in Brandon.