Medicine Hat, AB (CKLQ) – The Brandon Wheat Kings fell 4-2 to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday night.
In the finale of a season-long road trip, the Wheat Kings found themselves in an early hole off the strength of a Tigers powerplay goal.
With Ben McCartney in the box for slashing, Ryan Jevne made the Wheat Kings pay as he potted his 29th of the year to open the scoring.
On the ensuing shift, Stelio Mattheos found a loose puck in front of the Tiger goal and ripped his 43rd of the year past Mads Sogaard to tie the game just 0:28 seconds after the Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
Late in the period, with the Tigers on another powerplay, Brett Kemp had a tap-in but out of nowhere, Marcus Sekundiak slid across the crease and took aware a sure goal for the Tigers to keep the game tied at the intermission.
The Tigers would take a 2-1 lead midway through the 2nd as Ryan Chyzowski finished off an odd-man rush for his 24th of the year.
Then, with Brandon on the powerplay Ryan Jevne sent a hail mary clearing attempt out of the Tigers zone, the bouncing puck fooled Jiri Patera who had come out to play the puck. The shorthanded goal put the Tigers up by two.
Despite the ugly goal, Brandon stuck with it and responded on the same powerplay chance. Chad Nychuk hammered home a point shot for his 2nd goal in as many nights to get Brandon back within one at the intermission.
Medicine Hat would put the game out of reach with the lone goal of the third period. Winnipeg, MB native Hayden Ostir fired a seeing-eye shot past Patera to put the Tigers up 4-2 and lift them to an all-important 33rd victory of the season.
The win gives the Tigers 72 points on the year, four up on the Wheat Kings and into a tie with the Red Deer Rebels (72 points) who beat Kootenay tonight as well. Brandon remains on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, now four points back of both the Rebels and Tigers.
After 11-days, 6-games and 3,980 kilometers, this Central Division road trip finally comes to a close with the Wheat Kings finishing with a record of 1-4-1-0. Brandon’s next action is Wednesday night vs Moose Jaw in the final "Rain Check" night of the season. (7:00 on QCountry Radio).
SCORING SUMMARY
1st PERIOD
M.H – Ryan Jevne (29) (Kemp, Hamblin) 16:16 PPG
BWK – Stelio Mattheos (43) (Burzan, McCorrister) 16:44
Shots: 10-9 Medicine Hat
2nd PERIOD
M.H – Ryan Chyzowski (24) (Jevne, Kemp) 7:53
M.H – Ryan Jevne (30) (Unassisted) 12:53 SHG
BWK – Chad Nychuk (3) (Greig, Schneider) 13:22 PPG
Shots: 13-12 Brandon
3rd PERIOD
M.H – Hayden Ostier (11) (Unassisted) 13:33
Final Shots: 34-30 Medicine Hat
