Hurricanes Shutout 7-0 by Wheat Kings to End Road Trip
Brandon, MB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes ended a three-game East Division road trip on Saturday with a 7-0 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings at Assiniboine Credit Union Place.
Lethbridge made their first of two visits to Brandon this season to face the team they eliminated in the first round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs. Last year in the regular season and playoffs combined, the Hurricanes posted a 7-1-0-1 record against the Wheat Kings. Brandon entered the game with a 2-6-1-0 record through their first nine games, but had a great start to the game as Caleb Hadland buried his sixth goal of the season just 4:12 into the game to give the Wheat Kings a 1-0 lead; it marked the first time this year that Brandon opened the scoring in a game – Jaxon Jacobson picked up the lone assist on the goal. Lethbridge had a great opportunity to tie the game on a two-on-one when Logan Wormald slipped a pass across to Luke Cozens who was robbed by Wheat Kings goaltender Jayden Kraus. The ‘Canes had a pair of power plays in the opening period but couldn’t strike as the Wheat Kings held a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes of play. Brandon outshot Lethbridge 11-8 in the first period.
The Wheat Kings opened the second period with just over 30-seconds worth of time on a power play, but Brandon was unable to add to their lead. At the 2:45 mark, the Wheaties doubled their lead on a goal by Brady Turko as the Anaheim Duck prospect buried his second goal of the season to make it 2-0; Chase Surkan earned the assist on the tally. Lethbridge had trio of power plays in the second period as they peppered Kraus in the Brandon net. Logan Wormald had a good scoring chance on a redirect as he tipped a pass through the crease as it stayed out. The Wheat Kings added a goal while shorthanded in the final minute of the frame when Joby Baumuller scored his fifth goal of the season to make it 3-0 Wheat Kings after forty minutes of play. The Hurricanes outshot the Wheaties 14-10 in the middle frame.
In the third period, the Hurricanes had their fifth power play opportunity of the game, but despite another good scoring chance by Enzo DiDomenicantonio, Lethbridge was unable to get on the board. The Wheat Kings continued to keep their foot on the gas adding four more goals in the third period. Baumuller potted his second goal of the night at the 6:16 mark to open a 4-0 lead; Carter Klippenstein and Jordan Gavin were credited with the assists on the goal. Surkan buried his team-leading ninth goal of the year on a power play just over a minute later before Jacobson added his third goal of the season giving the Wheat Kings a 6-0 lead. With just over two-minutes remaining in the game, Baumuller completed the hat-trick with his third of the game – and seventh of the season – to make it a 7-0 final in favour of the Wheat Kings.
The Hurricanes were outshot 35-33 in the game by the Wheat Kings. Lethbridge went 0/5 on the power play while Brandon was 1/3 with the extra man.
Three stars of the game were:
1) Wheat Kings – #17 Joby Baumuller (3 goals)
2) Wheat Kings – #33 Jayden Kraus (32-saves shutout)
3) Wheat Kings – #9 Jaxon Jacobson (1 goal, 2 assists)
The loss for the Hurricanes was their third-straight defeat as their record fell to 2-6-0-0 on the road this year. Lethbridge’s overall record slipped to 3-11-0-1 on the season while falling to 0-4-0-0 against East Division opponents. The ‘Canes posted an 0-3-0-0 record on their three-game East Division road trip.
The Hurricanes will return to the VisitLethbridge.com Arena on Wednesday, October 29th when they welcome the Edmonton Oil Kings at 7:00pm. Tickets for the game can be purchased by visiting the VisitLethbridge.com Arena Ticket Centre, by calling 403-329-SEAT (7328) or online at www.visitlethbridgearena.ca.
