Braves find their groove

Times Reporter   

 

Led by two Kyle Crncovic goals, the peewee Wheatland Braves defeated the Foothills Bisons in Hussar on Jan. 11 by a score of 3-0. Hassan Akl scored shorthanded midway through the third for the nail in the coffin. Braves goaltender Kenny Holt-Stewart made 35 saves for the shutout.

“We switched lines up a little bit and tried some different combinations,” said Braves coach Keith Klemmensen. “It worked well. The game against Foothills, that was probably our best effort of the year. That team showed finally what they were capable of doing.”

The Braves continued their efforts the next night against the Medicine Hat Venom Black, winning 8-2. Wheatland scored five powerplay goals – both teams spent a combined 44 minutes in the box. 

“They played pretty confident against Medicine Hat. The good thing was we had eight different guys score,” Klemmensen said. “We’re not just dependent on the same guy.” 

Ryan Conroy had one goal and two assists, while Ethan Phan, Tarun Fizer, and Crnkovic had two point nights.

The Wheatland Braves have their next challenge against the Lacombe Rockets on Jan. 25.

 

Bantams rally in third

Against the Red Deer Steel Kings on Jan. 8, the Wheatland bantam Warriors were down 3-2 at the end of the second. The Warriors came back strong in the third with a five-goal effort, and a total of 55 shots on net. Rylan Longmuir had five assists, while Chayse Hnatowich scored four, and Brady Skiffington added two. The Warriors have their next game against Medicine Hat on Jan. 24 in Hussar.

 

Chiefs win one, lose two

After losing 7-2 to CRAA Blue on Jan. 8 (goals scored by Cole Busslinger and Blair Roszell), the Wheatland midget Chiefs came back to life with a 4-3 win over the Lacombe Rockets on Jan. 10. Though it was 4-2 at the end of the second, and Lacombe came within one, Chiefs goalie Mike Conrad stopped 37 of 40 shots. Coltyn Herman had three assists in the win, while Busslinger added two more goals and an assist. However, the next day Mckay Bray had the lone Chiefs goal in a 4-1 loss against the Red Deer Indy Graphics. Red Deer’s offense proved to be too much – Conrad stopped 51 of 55 shots. The next midget game is on Jan. 17 against the Bow Valley Timberwolves.