Lamb fantastic but Brandon wins in shootout

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This article was published 09/02/2019 (2630 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Riley Lamb came to town on Friday night and nearly stole the show for the Swift Current Broncos.

The overage netminder from Rivers made 53 saves in regulation and overtime but Ben McCartney scored the only goal of the shootout as the Brandon Wheat Kings emerged with a 3-2 victory in Western Hockey League action at Westoba Place in front of a crowd of 3,803.

Brandon received its goals from Baron Thompson and Braden Schneider, with Joona Kiviniemi and Ethan O’Rourke replying for Swift Current (10-37-2-2).

Wheat Kings head coach David Anning said it’s the third time this season that Swift Current goaltenders have been their best player: The first two the Broncos won.

“You have to credit their goalies,” he said. “It’s been Lamb twice and (now Portland Winterhawks netminder Joel) Hofer once. Their goalies have been very good for them. I thought tonight we made it harder on him than we did in Swift and I thought in Swift we did play well and he made some big saves. I thought tonight he was outstanding.”

On Jan. 13, Lamb made 47 saves in a 4-2 Broncos win. Hofer also made 53 saves in a 3-2 Swift Current shootout victory on Oct. 13 in Brandon.

The Wheat Kings (23-21-3-4), who have 17 games remaining, sit six points behind the Calgary Hitmen (27-20-4-1) in the race for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Calgary lost 8-2 to the league-leading Prince Albert Raiders on Friday.

The Wheat Kings are seven points behind the Red Deer Rebels (28-18-3-1), with Red Deer holding a game in hand. Red Deer lost 3-2 in overtime to the Regina Pats on Friday.

McCartney nearly opened the scoring short-handed midway through the first period, but was hauled down as he sped by Swift Current defenders. He managed to get a shot on net from his knees, but with fans waiting for a penalty shot call, Connor Horning was instead assessed a penalty for tripping.

Brandon finally scored on its 19th shot.

Caiden Daley rushed with the puck into the Broncos zone, and his shot attempt went off a Swift Current shinguard to Thompson, who was trailing the play. He snapped a shot into the top of the net for the fan favourite’s sixth goal of the season.

Lamb kept his team close with a beautiful pad save on Stelio Mattheos on a 3-on-1, but Schneider beat him a few minutes later to make it 2-0.

Lynden McCallum carried the puck into the Swift Current zone and spotted the streaking Schneider, who had skated past all the Broncos defenders on the far side of the ice. McCallum threaded a pass that landed flat on Schneider’s stick, and the 17-year-old defenceman ripped it in for his eighth goal of the season.

“I saw all their guys kind of taking it easy on the way back and I saw McCallum draw them all to his side,” Schneider said. “I thought if I could beat my guys up the ice I might have a chance at the net and luckily I did. I got it up and got a goal.”

Swift Current pulled back within a goal with 72 seconds remaining in the second period on a 2-on-1 when Kiviniemi showed pass and ripped a shot off the crossbar and in past Brandon goalie Ethan Kruger.

The inability to score on Lamb nearly proved costly for the Wheat Kings.

With Lamb pulled, O’Rourke shovelled in a second rebound with 80 seconds left to tie the game.

Brandon came close to winning the game with 82 seconds left in the extra period when McCartney carried the puck into the net, but it was quickly it was waved off due to incidental contact on Lamb.

“The rules got me there,” McCartney said. “I guess getting tripped up and going into the goalie … the puck slid in but in a way it’s kind of unfair. I pushed in the goalie and it was a good call. It was no goal.”

In the shootout, Kruger foiled all three Broncos, Ethan Regnier, Kiviniemi and Horning. Mattheos, who had 14 shots on net during the game, missed for Brandon.

Kruger made 20 saves for the Wheat Kings, with Lamb stopping 53 shots for the Broncos.

Brandon went 0-for-6 on the power play, with Swift Current scoreless in one chance.

Swift Current head coach Dean Brockman said Lamb was simply outstanding.

“I saw one team dominate another team and our goalie was great,” Brockman said. “We didn’t play much for the first 50 minutes and the last 10 we kind of found it a little bit and made a game out of it anyway.”

ICINGS: Brandon’s scratches were G Jiri Patera, who may be ready to play on Sunday, F Jonny Hooker, who was high sticked in the face on Wednesday, and D Jonny Lambos (healthy scratch) … Brandon visits Saskatoon on Sunday to play the Blades.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson