Despite a recent freeze in the win column, the Kootenay Ice completed a late, but high yield harvest over the Brandon Wheat Kings, filling their bin with a 4-3 overtime victory.
“It feels unbelievable,” said Peyton Krebs after the win, with a smile on his face.
“It’s a great win for the team. I think after this we are going to get rolling here, and I think the City of Cranbrook was really looking for a win, and we gave it to them. It’s pretty exciting.”
Taking on the Brandon Wheat Kings (6-2-3-1) at Western Financial Place, the Ice came out like they wanted that win.
Less than two minutes into the game and the first shot on net, forward Jaeger White buried one past Jiri Patera.
Ice went on the power play nearly halfway through the first when the Wheat Kings took a delay of game, but couldn’t add to their lead.
Martin Bodak took a penalty for cross-checking, which allowed the Wheat Kings to tie it up in the first with more than seven minutes left.
However, that didn’t last long. White got his second of the game with less than 6 minutes left in the first.
Sloppy play at the end of the first let the Wheat Kings come back and tie the game with a goal by Marcus Sekundiak.
Both teams in the second had multiple powerplay chances, but neither could get one past either goalie.
“I think our power play could have put it away a couple of time, but we will work on that,” said White.
Early in the third, the Ice got a three on five power play, but just as the first advantage ended, Zach Wytinck came out of the penalty box and got a breakaway to put it past goalie Duncan McGovern. The short-handed goal put the Wheat Kings up 3-2.
That lead wouldn’t last as the Ice defenceman Jonathan Smart scored on the power play to tie the game 3-3.
Tied at the end of the third and they went to overtime. Both the Wheat Kings and Ice traded chances, but it was Krebs who scored on a breakaway with 2:51 left in overtime.
“I was just backchecking and pretty gassed, to be honest with you,” said Krebs about his game-winning goal.
“Just a good play by [White] getting back to cut off that pass and just hop right through. From that, I just skated as hard as I could, and just put her in.”
White would finish the game with two goals and an assist, while Krebs went on to have two assists and one goal.
“[White] he’s a great player, I think he can see the ice well, he has a great shot. He’s been known for his shot for a long time now, and I think he’s getting in the right spots and I’m just feeding him the puck and he’s doing the rest. I’m pretty fortunate to be put in this position to be able to play with him and Brad [Ginnell],” said Krebs about his line being able to feed off of each other.
The Ice is now 4-5-2-1 in the WHL and sit third in the eastern conference wild card.
“Obviously we have gone through a tough spell. We have gone through a spell where we have played some really good games and were able to get one point, but we lost shootouts and overtimes,” said head coach James Patrick.
With the win on Wednesday, Patrick says it will let the players loosen up and be less tight on the ice.
“When teams get real tight funny things do happen, and obviously getting the win will go a long way for our confidence, it will go a long way for an individual players confidence. This is more important than a lot of other wins,” he said
The Ice will be back in action on Friday at home against the Edmonton Oil Kings (6-7-0-1).
“We just saw them. I know we will be familiar,” said Patrick.
“I just want to correct some of the stuff from tonight and tomorrow we will start focusing on Edmonton.”