Wheat Kings Fall Flat Against Winterhawks
A long series of circumstances from travel weariness to an extremely talented opponent conspired against the Brandon Wheat Kings as they faced the Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday, October 18. It showed on the scoreboard.
Kyle Chyzowski and Gabe Klassen scored hat tricks as the Winterhawks thumped the Wheat Kings 11-1. Rylen Roersma scored the lone goal for the Wheat Kings.
In a sign of things to come, Portland scored early when Chyzowski was sent in alone at 4-on-4 and snapped one past Bjarnason. But on this goal, the Wheat Kings fought back. Jayden Wiens and Rylen Roersma worked a give and go in the low slot with Roersms polishing it off.
At that moment the game could’ve swung either way when the Wheat Kings got the next power play. It swung heavily in favor of the Winterhawks thanks to a shorthanded goal by Josh Davies. He broke in after a puck bounced awkwardly on Roger McQueen and fired one low-glove.
This started the Winterhawks on an incredible offensive role that carried them all the way through the second period. They struck twice late in the first to go up 4-1 with tallies from Jack O’Brien and Chyzowski, then continued early in the second with Diego Buttazzoni picking up a dump pass off the end boards and taking it to the net.
A pair of tip goals, a power play goal by Gabe Klassen followed by a redirection by Chyzowski to complete the hat trick, kept the offense going for Portland. Davies got his second of the game as he caught up to an areal pass and scored on the ensuing breakaway. And in the second, stretching into the third, Klassen scored twice to complete his hat trick.
Buttazzoni scored again late to make it 11-1 and then tempers boiled over as both Jayden Wiens and Luke Shipley picked a dance partner and squared off, though the officials did their best to break it up.
The Wheat Kings will have some time to recover from the lopsided loss as they take a day off in Everett tomorrow. Then they’ll face the Silvertips on Friday.
