Brandon, Man. – The Brandon Wheat Kings secured an all-important win against an Eastern Conference rival, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings by a 4-1 score on Wednesday Night in The Dub.
With the regulation victory, the Wheat Kings leapfrogged the Oil Kings to take hold of fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carson Bjarnason was the first star of the night, recording 46 saves in a near perfect performance between the pipes for the Wheat Kings. For Bjarnason, a 19-year-old product of Carberry, Man., Wednesday win was his 16th of the campaign.
While the Wheat Kings came out on top at the end of the night, it was the Oil Kings that got out to the quick start.
Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn Sawchyn opened the scoring 3:07 into the proceedings, redirecting a long, seeing-eye point shot from Blake Fiddler for a 1-0 Oil Kings lead. For Sawchyn, a 5-foot-11 product of Grande Prairie, Alta., it was his team-leading 27th goal of the season.
Gracyn your feed with the opening goal of #WHLWednesday Night in The Dub!@EdmOilKings | @FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/mJpFIiuR65
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) February 27, 2025
Despite the early blemish, Bjarnason was on his game early, sprawling from right to left, making a left pad save and stonewalling Landon Hanson to keep the home team within one.
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The Wheat Kings rewarded Bjarnason for his efforts by tying the game in the dying moments of the first period.
With a mere 0.4 seconds left on the clock, Slovakian forward Adam Belusko scored from the far boards and the two teams headed into the first intermission tied 1-1.
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The Wheat Kings pulled away in a second period, with Marcus Nguyen’s 30th goal of the season putting the home team in front for the first time. Nguyen, a 20-year-old product of Calgary, Alta., took a loose puck in the slot and snapped a quick shot high to the glove side to give Brandon a 2-1 edge.
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Bjarnason and his counterpart Alex Worthington continued to stand tall in the middle period, trading save after save. Through 40 minutes of play, the Oil Kings were outshooting the Wheat Kings by a 31-30 margin.
Defenceman Giorgos Pantelas finally capitalized on a rebound opportunity with 3:01 to go and the Wheat Kings carried a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. For the 16-year-old product of Victoria, B.C., it was his fourth goal of the season.
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The Wheat Kings pulled away for good 2:26 into the third period. Joby Baumuller hammered a one-time blast to the back of the net to make it 4-1 for the home team. For the 17-year-old product of Wilcox, Sask., it was his 15th goal of the campaign. The 5-foot-11 forward has caught the eye of NHL scouts so far this season, ranked 146th among North American skaters ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.
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With 9:58 to go in the third period, Bjarnason was tested once again, this time rejecting Cole Miller to preserve the 4-1 lead.
Both Belusko and Baumuller finished the night with a goal and an assist each.
The Oil Kings outshot the Wheat Kings 47-40.
The win moved the Wheat Kings to 31-18-4-3 (69 points), while the Oil Kings fell to 32-22-2-2 (68 points).
Next up, the Wheat Kings host the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night. As for the Oil Kings, they continue their journey through the East Division with a Friday night tilt against the Prince Albert Raiders.
Wednesday Night in The Dub continues next Wednesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. CT, when the Saskatoon Blades host the Swift Current Broncos.
