Six-goal period propels Brandon to win

Kris Muissu scored twice as the Brandon Wheat Kings rallied with six third-period goals to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 6-2 in Western Hockey League pre-season action at Temple Gardens Centre on Saturday.

Brandon (2-2-0-0) received its other goals from Chase Surkan, Cameron Allard, Jaxon Jacobson and Ahmad Fayad, with Carson Deichert and Connor Schmidt replying for Moose Jaw (0-5-1-0). The Wheat Kings also beat the Warriors 6-2 on Friday at Assiniboine Credit Union Place.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said his team simply got better and better as the game wore on.

“We showed some resiliency in the third period,” Murray said. “We played to the identity we want to see. The first period we were pretty flat. We didn’t give up a ton but we didn’t generate much, we only had three or four shots on net. That doesn’t cut it. We did a better job in the second of getting pucks to the net but I still thought we needed to make life a little harder for (Moose Jaw goalie Jordan) Switzer, and in the third period, we accomplished that.”

For the second night in a row, Brandon surrendered a two-man advantage for 62 seconds but they killed it in the first half of the opening frame. As it turned out, that was a preview of coming attractions.

The Warriors struck first moments after 16-year-old Brandon goalie Joffrey Chan made a nice blocker save. The puck bounced out in the slot to Deichert, who fired it home 17 minutes two seconds into the opening frame.

After a lengthy but scoreless second period in which the Wheat Kings put 17 shots on net, Brandon finally equalized the game 1:41 into the third period. Colin Grubb drove the puck deep off the rush and sent the puck back into the slot, where Muissu fired a low shot for his team-leading fifth goal of the pre-season.

Four minutes later, the Wheat Kings sent the Warriors to another five-on-three, this time for 87 seconds and Moose Jaw finally capitalized when Schmidt fired a shot into the top corner from the low slot 15 seconds later.

Brandon knotted the game for a second time two minutes later after Grubb tossed the puck in front and Surkan found the puck after it hit Switzer’s pad.

The visitors took their first lead 92 seconds later at 10:06 when Cole Hunter dropped a nifty backhanded pass into the middle for Allard, who fired in a high shot that proved to be the winning goal.

The Wheat Kings went up a pair with 4:30 remaining when Muissu blasted a power-play shot past Switzer.

Just over a minute later, after Brandon’s Jacobson took another penalty in a scrum as Muissu explained to Lac du Bonnet’s Benson Hirst in a scrum why he’s a bad guy to antagonize, much to the delight of the Brandon bench. The Warriors pulled their goalie with 3:18 left for their third two-man advantage of the night, but the hosts were unable to connect.

Jacobson, however, put the puck in the empty net shortly after he jumped out of the penalty box at the 19:06 mark.

To rub a little salt in the wound, Levi Ellingsen found Fayad all alone in the slot 33 seconds later to close out the scoring.

Brandon outshot Moose Jaw 36-12 in the final 40 minutes in its most complete defensive outing of the pre-season.

“It’s one of the things we talked about going into the weekend, was being harder around our net,” Murray said. “Last weekend against Regina we were a little light in areas where guys were getting three whacks at the puck around the blue paint. That’s an area we need to own, not only in the defensive end but in the O zone as well. I thought in the last couple of games we did a much better job.”

Brandon went 2-for-7 on the power play, with Moose Jaw scoring once in seven chances.

Chan made 17 saves for the Wheat Kings, with Switzer stopping 33 shots for the Warriors.

“I thought he looked pretty calm and composed,” Murray said of Chan. “He made some good saves. On both goals, he didn’t really have a chance on them. I thought he was solid throughout.”

The WHL’s overtime pilot project was again instituted after the game, with the offensive team unable to bring the puck back across the blue-line after they enter the defending team’s zone. The league’s GMs will vote whether to keep the measure before the regular season begins.

In overtime, Brandon’s Carson Park was assessed a goaltender interference penalty and Moose Jaw’s Landen McFadden fired a power-play shot through a screen and past Chan.

With a .500 record in the four exhibition games, Murray was happy overall with how things turned out.

“If you take away the first 35 minutes against Regina in the first game and maybe a little blip in Game 2 that cost us, overall I thought we had a pretty solid pre-season,” Murray said. “There is going to be adversity and ups and downs and guys trying to learn the ropes.

“This is a new chapter today with a longer road trip the day of. There is a lot these young men go through that we need to understand is not so easy but I thought they passed the test with flying colours and had a pretty good pre-season overall.”

ICINGS: Brandon skated without injured forwards Gunnar Gleasman, Prabh Bhathal, Carson Ralph, Jimmy Egan and Hudson Landmark, plus healthy scratches Cruz Jim and Will Katsilieris … Filip Ruzicka, Brady Turko and F Joby Baumuller are away at National Hockey League camps … Muissu led the Wheat Kings with six shots on net … The game took two hours, 31 minutes to play … In the faceoff circle, Moose Jaw won 40-31 … Brandon opens its regular season against the Saskatoon Blades on Friday.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

 

SATURDAY

Wheat Kings 6, Warriors 2

First Period

1. Moose Jaw, Deichert 1 (Carter, Degenstein) 17:02.

Penalties — Young Bdn (tripping) 6:25, McGregor Bdn (roughing) 7:23, Trefny MJ (holding) 10:18.

Second Period

No Scoring.

Penalties — McGregor Bdn (cross checking) 4:41, Nagel MJ (hooking) 5:48, Deichert MJ (boarding) 9:22, Pierson Bdn (fighting major, game misconduct) 16:55, Boehm Bdn (roughing) 16:55, Darby MJ (fighting major, game misconduct) 16:55, Hirst MJ (roughing) 16:55, Andresen MJ (ineligible player) 16:55, Chan Bdn (delay of game) 17:55.

Third Period

2. Brandon, Muissu 5 (Grubb, Boyce) 1:41.

3. Moose Jaw, Schmidt 1 (McFadden) 6:21 (pp).

4. Brandon, Surkan 2 (Jacobson, Grubb) 8:34 (pp).

5. Brandon, Allard 1 (Hunter, Wilson) 10:06.

6. Brandon, Muissu 6 (Allard, Surkan) 15:30 (pp).

7. Brandon, Jacobson 2 (Worthington) 19:06 (en).

8. Brandon, Fayad 2 (Ellingsen, ) x:xx

Penalties — Boehm Bdn (high sticking) 5:33, Grubb Bdn (goaltender interference) 6:06, Lajoie MJ (interference) 7:23, Andresen MJ (cross checking) 14:30, Fidelak MJ (cross checking) 16:13, Muissu Bdn (10-minute misconduct) 16:42, Jacobson Bdn (roughing) 16:42, Hirst MJ (10-minute misconduct) 16:42 Petersen MJ (10-minute misconduct) 19:39.

Shots on goal by

Brandon 3 17 19 — 39

Moose Jaw 7 7 5 — 18

Goal — Brandon: Chan (W, 1-0-0-0). Moose Jaw: Switzer (L, 0-2-0-0).

Power plays (goals-chances) — Brandon: 2-7; Moose Jaw: 1-7.

Referees — Bob Millette, Aidan Slusar. Linesmen — Brendan Eisnor, Kaden Fiacco.

Attendance — n/a in Moose Jaw.