Photo by Brandi Pollock
Brandon, MB (CKLQ) – The Spokane Chiefs handed the Brandon Wheat Kings their first regulation loss of the season on Tuesday night, 6-4 in front of 3200+ fans at Westoba Place.
The Wheat Kings opened the scoring for the seventh time this season on a circus play that couldn’t be duplicated if they tried. With the puck stuck on the back of the net, Stelio Mattheos hit the mesh, popping the puck up into the air, Burzan used his hand-eye coordination to poke the puck out of mid-air over the pad of Bailey Brkin.
Brandon quickly made it 2-0 when Ridley Greig split the defense and roofed his 2nd of the season. The highlight reel goal was scored on the 2nd powerplay of the night for Brandon.
The Chiefs quickly responded just thirteen seconds after the Greig goal. Riley Woods found himself wide open in front and slipped home his 8th of the season.
Spokane kept coming, on the powerplay just over two minutes later Jack Finley potted his 2nd of the season after Luke Toporowski drove hard to the net. Finley was playing in his first game since he and Wheat King Ridley Greig were named to Hockey Canada’s U17 Team.
The two teams would exchange goals in the 2nd period. Eli Zummack gave Spokane their first lead of the game but just 0:20 seconds later Stelio Mattheos snapped home his 8th of the year to tie the game at three.
Brandon would take an early third-period lead on a pinball shot from Braden Schnieder that went off the end board, then a pair of Chiefs and in. The ricochet was the Prince Albert, SK native’s first of the season.
Spokane responded again as Eli Zummack notched his 2nd of the night before Jack Finley did the same to make the game 5-4 Chiefs.
With the goalie pulled, Ethan McIndoe would seal the game with an empty netter, giving the Chiefs a 2-1-0-0 record thru three games in this Eastern Conference road trip.
Jiri Patera finished the night with 37 saves while Brkin kicked aside 36 shots for the win.
The Wheat Kings will hit the reset button on Friday when they welcome another US Division opponent in the Everett Silvertips. (7:30 on QCountry Radio.)
SCORING SUMMARY
1st PERIOD
BWK – Luka Burzan (8) (Mattheos, Lambos) 3:41
BWK – Ridly Greig (2) (Nychuk, Patera) 9:53 PPG
SPO – Riley Woods (8) (Beckman, McGrew) 10:06
SPO – Jack Finley (2) (Toporowski, Reid) 12:23 PPG
Shots: 16-7 Spokane.
2nd PERIOD
SPO – Eli Zummack (4) (Woods) 12:55
BWK – Stelio Mattheos (8) (Burzan, Reinhardt) 13:15
Shots: 23-14 Brandon
3rd PERIOD
BWK – Braden Schneider (1) (McCorrister) 4:22
SPO – Eli Zummack (5) (Smith, Toporowski) 11:34
SPO – Jack Finley (3) (McIndoe) 17:23
SPO – Ethan McIndoe (2) (Smith) 19:10 ENG
Final Shots: 43-40 Spokane