Brandon Reels in Tired Blades, Creating Tie Atop W-H-L East Division

Less than 24 hours after they took over sole possession of first place, the Saskatoon Blades have company atop the W-H-L’s East Division.

Marcus Nguyen scored three goals in the second period to pace the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 5-2 triumph over the Blue and Gold, leaving the Wheaties and Bridge City Bunch tied with identical 34-22-7 records. Prince Albert lost 5-3 in Lethbridge Wednesday, leaving the Raiders a point behind. The Blades started strong, but couldn’t beat Carson Bjarnason in the Brandon goal until past the mid-point of the second period. By then, Nguyen and the Wheat Kings had built a 3-0 lead. The Wheaties dominated a tired-looking Saskatoon squad in the third period as the Bridge City Bunch played Tuesday in Regina, traveled after the game to Brandon, losing an hour with a time zone change plus an earlier-than-normal start. Zach Olsen and Tanner Scott notched the goals for the Blue and Gold, who were out-shot 33-30. The Blades continue on the road Friday in Swift Current. The Broncos failed to clinch a playoff spot Wednesday with a 3-2 loss to visiting Red Deer. Speedy Creek stays six points back of Saskatoon and Brandon for top spot in the East Division. Following are the audio highlights from CJWW’s broadcast plus Les Lazaruk’s Post-Game Show interview with head coach Dan Da Silva and the official game summary courtesy the W-H-L…..

SASKATOON Goals SASKATOON PLAYERS (plus) BRANDON PLAYERS (minus) Per. Time  G-As1-As2 2nd 11:55  9-2-86 2 9 25 32 86 8 62 72 84 91 2nd 18:34 PP  29-26-21

BRANDON Goals BRANDON PLAYERS (plus) SASKATOON PLAYERS (minus) Per. Time  G-As1-As2 1st 10:36  27-91-82 8 27 71 82 91 4 11 13 26 29 2nd 4:05  72-62-27 8 27 62 72 91 20 21 23 32 52 2nd 7:28 PP  72-13 2nd 12:40  72-8-84 8 62 72 84 91 2 3 20 26 29 3rd 18:33 EN  10-11 5 10 11 13 84 2 4 11 25 26 27