A slow start, and finish cost the Swift Current Broncos at home Tuesday night, falling to the Brandon Wheat Kings 7-4 at InnovationPlex.
The Wheat Kings would get on the board early as Nicolas Johnson would counter on a Bronco turn-over to cash-in his 10th of the season beating Reid Dyck to make it 1-0 at 1:20. Brandon would drive into that lead at 8:42 Marcus Nugyen would finish off a passing play for a 2-0 lead and leading the way into the middle frame with the shots deadlocked at 9-9.
In the second, the Wheat Kings make it 3-0 at 2:37 as Giorgios Pantelas would blast his 3rd of the season spelling the end of the night of Reid Dyck making 11 saves on 14 shots bringing in Joey Rocha (Nanaimo, BC). The Broncos would draw some momentum, and it would be the first of his career for Otto Hanson (Calgary, AB) at 5:02 from Peyton Kettles (Winnipeg, MB) & Connor Dale (St. Albert, AB) to get on the board for the first time in the night. But the Wheat Kings would strike 51 seconds later where Dominik Petr would spring in and beat Rocha with his 10th of the season and regaining a three-goal lead for Brandon. Swift Current would cash in again this time on the power play as Carlin Dezainde would score his 150th career WHL point with his 25th of the season from Clarke Caswell (Brandon, MB) & Hunter Mayo (Saskatoon, SK) to give the home side a shot going to the third down by a pair.
With a carry-over of a power play to the third period the Wheat Kings would grab another three-goal lead as Dominik Petr would fire his 11th and second of the game past Joey Rocha 16 seconds into the period making it 5-2 Brandon. The Broncos would get their bearings before the half-way point of the third at 8:22 when Hunter Mayo would follow through after a face-off win from Rylan Gould (Headingly, MB) to get Swift Current within two again. Then the Broncos would get within one with less than five minutes to from Grayson Burzynski (Winnipeg, MB) for his 8th of the season from Connor Dale & Jace McFaul (Edmonton, AB) at 15:20. On the following play, Burzynski would be called for interference sending the Wheat Kings to the power play where Nolan Flamand would hit his 18th of the season at 16:39. The Broncos would pull the goalie late in the period looking to rally but Marcus Nguyen would finish a four point night with his second of the game, finalizing the Wheat Kings 7-4 win over the Broncos.
In the loss the Broncos drop their record to 27-21-1-1 and still sit four points out of 1st in the East Division heading into action Friday against the division lead Prince Albert Raiders.