Photo by Brandi Crowe
Swift Current, SK (CKLQ) – Linden McCorrister registered a hat-trick as the Brandon Wheat Kings won their third consecutive game, 5-2 over the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday night.
McCorrister who continued his hot play as of late opened the scoring for the Wheat Kings on the powerplay. His 2nd goal and 3rd point in as many nights was the 17th time this season Brandon has opened the scoring.
Late in the period, Joona Kiviniemi sent the fur flying with his 5th of the year. The goal tied the game and sent both teams to the locker room as the game staff cleaned up hundreds of stuffed animals in the annual Teddy Bear Toss.
Brandon’s powerplay kept clicking in the 2nd period as Stelio Mattheos buried his 22nd of the year and 13th on the powerplay to regain the lead for the Wheat Kings.
The Broncos would tie the game late in the period. Andrew Fyten sent a seeing-eye shot from the corner that somehow beat Jiri Patera for the 2nd Broncos goal of the night. The goal was the lone blemish in a period which the Czech netminder made a number of big saves.
Patera would finish the night with 31 saves, earning his 10th win of the season.
In the third, the Wheat Kings exploded for three goals in a span of 1:18. On the powerplay, McCorrister tapped home his 2nd of the night. The goal was Brandon’s 3rd powerplay goal of the game.
0:46 seconds later, Ridly Greig stole the puck from Joel Hofer behind the net and tucked home his 6th of the season into the open net. Hofer, a St Louis draft pick stopped 30 of 35 shots he faced in the losing effort.
Before the announcer could finish calling the Greig goal, McCorrster drove the puck down the right wing and sent a backhand shot through the five-hole of Hofer for his third of the night and put the final nail in the coffin.
The win moves Brandon to 13-7-3-3 on the season. The busy stretch continues with their fourth game in six nights on Tuesday when the Medicine Hat Tigers come to town. (7:00 on QCountry Radio.)
SCORING SUMMARY
1st PERIOD
BWK – Linden McCorrister (6) (Mattheos, Wytinck) 3:10 PPG
S.C. – Joona Kiviniemi (5) (Culling) 15:36
Shots: 14-12 Swift Current
2nd PERIOD
BWK – Stelio Mattheos (22) (Wytinck, Gutenberg) 14:03 PPG
S.C. – Andrew Fyten (6) (Regnier, Nagel) 16:55
Shots: 12-11 Brandon
3rd PERIOD
BWK – Linden McCorrister (7) (Burzan, Wytinck) 12:15 PPG
BWK – Ridly Greig (Unassisted) 13:01
BWK – Linden McCorrister (8) (Iorio) 13:33
Final Shots: 35-33 Brandon