Allard fires OT winner for Wheat Kings

Defenceman Cameron Allard scored late in overtime as the Brandon Wheat Kings topped the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-2 in Western Hockey League action at Assiniboine Credit Union Place on Friday.

Brandon (11-5-0-0) received two goals from Kris Muissu, with Jake Stuart and Dayne Beuker replying for Lethbridge (6-7-1-0) in front of a crowd of 2,028.

“It’s really nice,” Allard said. “We kind of dominated them all game. Things can get rough when they score that second one, but we wanted to stay on the pressure and keep the foot on the pedal and I think we did just that. Coming out with two points here is huge.”

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said it was an odd one but he’ll take the two points.

“It was kind of a funny game,” Murray said. “Obviously the first goal for each team was kind of funny, but that’s hockey. I thought we played a pretty good game. We didn’t give up a ton and I thought we created a little bit.

“I thought we were a little too perimeter in the first half of the game, and maybe overpassed the puck a little bit at times. We have to shoot, and we have a lot of guys who can. I thought we hung in there.”

The tight-checking first period looked like 14 kids playing road hockey on a driveway: There wasn’t much time or space for either club and there weren’t many Grade A scoring chances, although Brandon gained an early 14-7 edge on the shot clock.

The Wheat Kings took the lead four minutes 50 seconds into the middle frame on one of the oddest goals you’ll ever see.

After forward Joby Baumuller crunched Nathan Maloney along the end boards and the referee’s arm went up to signal a penalty, Lethbridge goalie Leif Oaten went to the bench for the extra attacker. The puck went into the neutral zone and forward Jake Evans flipped a backhanded pass back from centre ice to defenceman Carson Adair, who wasn’t in a position at the blue-line to receive it, and it rolled into the empty net.

“I don’t think I’ve been part of one of those before,” Murray said. “You see them on the highlights and stuff like that, but I don’t think I’ve seen that before.”

Baumuller’s hit went to a major-penalty review but it was judged to be the correct call and the high-scoring forward was banished from the game.

Lethbridge put the puck in the net with 27 seconds left in the man advantage, but a Hurricanes forward had already been flagged for a penalty so it was immediately waved off.

Brandon allowed just two shots on net on the 4:33 they had to kill.

“I thought they did a heckuva job,” Murray said of his penalty killers. “They did a good job of blocking shots and paying the price. It was obviously a pretty big part of the game.”

The Hurricanes tied the game 10 minutes later when Wheat Kings goalie Filip Ruzicka essentially allowed an own-goal. He went behind the net to play the puck and it went to Logan Stuart, who sent it out front to his brother, the former Wheat Kings prospect Jake Stuart, for his first WHL goal.

Brandon finally had a pair of outstanding chances in the final two minutes, with a Lethbridge defender getting his stick on a pass on a three-on-one, and then Colin Grubb squarely hitting the post in the dying seconds of the middle frame as he dove across to put the puck into the far side of the net.

Two minutes into the third period, Wheat Kings prospect Marko Malbasa created a turnover, and after Oaten denied Brady Turko off the rush, the rebound was narrowly sent wide.

Brandon nearly missed taking the lead again when Jimmy Egan fired a shot off the crossbar four minutes later as Brandon began to show some desperation in the final frame.

In an unlikely development in the tight-checking game, the teams traded unassisted goals off the rush in a 19-second span late in the third period.

Beuker fired a shot on a one-on-one that beat Ruzicka inside the far post, and on the next play, Muissu tied the game with a bullet of his own off the rush.

In overtime, Ruzicka made a tremendous pad save on a point-blank shot in the first minute, and Oaten had a Chase Surkan shot deflect off his mask out of play at the other end.

On the winning play, the Wheat Kings broke in late in the overtime period, with Jaxon Jacobson dishing the puck over to Allard, who waited a moment and then sent a shot inside the far post for the overtime winner with 22.8 seconds left.

“There was a two-on-one coming back on me and I got a stick in the lane,” Allard said. “The puck was scooped up and I could see a two-on-two were I can join as the late guy and I shot through a screen in my usual spot, low glove.”

Ruzicka made 24 saves for the Wheat Kings, with Oaten stopping 35 shots for the Hurricanes. It’s the third game in a row Brandon has outshot an opponent after doing it just once in its first 13 games.

“That’s a big focus in our group,” Allard said. “We want to outshoot teams because that was kind of a weakness in the starting, early portion of the year. Now you’re seeing it come into action, and that starts with the forecheck and everything we do in order to get shots on net.”

Brandon went 0-for-3 on the power play, with Lethbridge unsuccessful in one chance.

Lethbridge head coach Matt Anholt was content with his club’s night.

“We’re probably happy with getting a loser point,” Anholt said. “I think our goaltender was really, really good and I thought we did some good things but I just thought we fought the puck quite a bit and that led to a lot of time in our D zone.”

ICINGS: Brandon skated without injured D Josh McGregor, D Ilari Kapanen and F Gunnar Gleasman plus healthy scratches D Cruz Jim (at U17 World Challenge), F Hudson Landmark and F Levi Ellingsen … Malbasa made his debut with the team down to five blue-liners. He was called up on Thursday … Brandon goalie Ryley Budd suffered a lower-body injury after his skate blade broke during the morning skate.

… With assistant coach Ryan Aasman away at the U17 World Challenge, the Hurricanes have added veteran coach Dave Struch to their staff for a couple of weeks. The well-liked Struch, who coached in the WHL in Saskatoon, Regina, Everett and Red Deer, is now active with the Peak Hockey & Fitness in Regina.

… The Hurricanes have signed goalie Dylan McFadyen, an 18-year-old former Wheat Kings prospect from Winnipeg who was playing with the NAHL’s Idaho Falls Spud Kings. Lethbridge traded backup goalie Koen Cleaver to the Saskatoon Blades on Monday … Allard and Muissu led the Wheat Kings with six shots each on net … Even with overtime, the game took two hours, 33 minutes to play … In the faceoff circle, Brandon won 34-29 … Brandon next sees action when the Swift Current Broncos visit on Sunday afternoon at 4.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

 

Wheat Kings 3, Hurricanes 2 (OT)

First Period

No Scoring.

Penalties — Lesiuk Let (tripping) 5:19.

Second Period

1. Brandon, Muissu 9 (unassisted) 4:50.

2. Lethbridge, J. Stuart 1 (L. Stuart) 14:27.

Penalties — Baumuller Bdn (interference major, game misconduct) 4:50, Lesiuk Let (ineligible player) 9:23.

Third Period

3. Lethbridge, Beuker 10 (unassisted) 16:41.

4. Brandon, Muissu 10 (unassisted) 17:00.

Penalties — Scott Let (tripping) 7:21.

Overtime

5. Brandon, Allard 2 (Jacobson, Surkan) 4:37.

Penalties — None.

Shots on goal by

Brandon 14 10 13 1 — 38

Lethbridge 7 6 7 4 — 24

Goal — Brandon: Ruzicka (OTW, 0-4-0-0). Lethbridge: Oaten (OTL, 4-4-1-0).

Power plays (goals-chances) — Brandon: 0-3; Lethbridge: 0-1.

Referees — Micah Croker, Brian MacDonald.

Linesmen — Brent Vandermeulen, Logan Young.

Attendance — 2,028 in Brandon.