Wheaties win game, lose chance at division title

The Brandon Wheat Kings kept their hopes for an East Division title alive on Friday as they beat the visiting Regina Pats 7-3 in Western Hockey League action at Westoba Place.

Unfortunately for them, the rest of the league didn’t help out. Their only path to the division crown lay in the Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders splitting their two games this weekend in regulation. When Friday night’s contest at SaskTel Centre went to overtime in a 3-2 Prince Albert victory, Brandon officially lost its last chance.

Brandon (37-23-4-3) received two goals each from Joby Baumuller and Marcus Nguyen and singles from goals from Jaxon Jacobson and Luke Shipley and Matteo Michels, with Caden Brown, Zach Pantelakis and Ephram McNutt replying for Regina (16-43-5-3) in front of a crowd of 4,017

The Wheat Kings and Pats offically close out their seasons tonight at the Brandt Centre at 7 p.m. (CDT).

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said it was a good effort in some ways.

“It was nice to score some goals, for sure,” Murray said. “I’m not thrilled giving up 36 shots but it was good to see out offence click again. There were a couple of big goals by Baumuller on the same shirt were huge and kind of opened it up a little bit. We executed some plays.”

The Wheat Kings struck first at the one-minute, 31-second mark. Team captain Quinn Mantei pinched off a Regina breakout along the boards and got the puck into the middle for Jacobson, who made a nifty move to beat Regina goalie Ewan Huet.

It didn’t take long in the middle frame for Brandon to build on the lead.

They made it 2-0 off a faceoff 2:24 into the second period when Jacobson won the draw back to Baumuller and he sent a shot through traffic past Huet.

“We had a set play for me to walk in and get a shot on net,” Baumuller said. “Jax won it back clean to me and I saw a lane to the net and I just took a shot and hoped for it to go in and it went in.”

It took just 43 seconds for Baumuller to strike again.

Off the rush, Jacobson got the puck over to the second-year forward and he one-timed a shot inside the post to make it 3-0.

“We had a good breakout in the D zone and we came down three-on-two,” Baumuller said. “Mikey (Michels) made a pass over to Jax and then Jax made a pass over to me and I shot shot it low blocker.”

The Pats replied just after a power play ended, when Brown deflected a shot by Zach Lansard past Brandon goalie Carson Bjarnason for his team-leading 19th goal.

Brandon restored the three-goal lead before the period ended.

On their second power play, Mantei passed across the zone to Jordan Gavin, who touched a quick pass in the middle for Nguyen to blast home his 35th goal of the season.

The Pats struck again 4:57 into the third period — for a second time just after a power play ended — when Pantelakis fired a bad angle shot that squeezed in a narrow hole over Bjarnason’s shoulder and under the crossbar.

The Wheat Kings put the game away when the clubs were playing four-on-four. Roger McQueen fed Shipley in front at 9:41, and 54 seconds later, Nguyen was set up at the side by defenceman Adam Belusko, who looked like he was shooting and instead slid the puck to the overage forward at the side of the net.

Brandon struck again shorthanded.

Michels fought off a Regina defender all the way down the ice and finally found himself in the clear in the Pats zone and lifted the puck over Huet’s shoulder to put Brandon up 7-2.

It was the team’s 10th shortie of the season.

The Pats finished up the scoring when they moved the puck around nicely on a late power play and McNutt cashed in with 72 seconds left.

“These types of games are always big,” Baumuller said. “We wanted to come in with a good mentality and a good mindset and we came out with the win tonight and it was a pretty big. Hopefully we get some help on the other side of things.”

Bjarnason made 33 saves for the Wheat Kings, with Huet stopping 36 shots for the Pats in his final WHL game. The son of former National Hockey league goalie Cristobal Huet is returning to Switzerland to play professionally next season.

Brandon went 1-for-3 on the power play, with Regina scoring once in four chances.

Regina head coach Brad Herauf said his team some things well.

“I thought we were all right in spots and I thought we weren’t very good in other spots,” Herauf said. “It seemed when they scored a goal they would score a couple right away. It’s bene a little bit of an emotional roller coaster. These guys (Brandon) have something to play for, and we’re just playing for pride right now.

“Brandon scores easily and they challenge you offensively on the rush on your transition, you have to start defending as soon as you lose the puck. I thought this is one of the better games they’ve played against us all year.”

ICINGS: Brandon skated without injured F Easton Odut, F Ben Binder Nord, D Merrek Arpin and D Dylan Ronald plus healthy scratch F Isaac Davies … In the faceoff circle, Regina won 32-25 … Shipley led the Wheat Kings with six shots on net … The game took two hours, 32 minutes to play because Brandon presented its awards. See Monday’s online edition for a closer look at the winners.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

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