Tri-City welcomed the Brandon Wheat Kings for their only matchup of the season on Friday night, and Brandon wasted no time asserting control. The Wheat Kings dominated all 60 minutes, handing the Americans arguably their worst loss of the season in a 7–1 defeat at the Toyota Center.
First Period
Before the puck even dropped, there was a moment worth noting for Tri-City. Levi Ellingson, a 2010-born Pasco native, made his WHL debut, stepping into a fast-paced game in front of family and friends.
Following the game, Ellingson reflected on the experience.
“It felt awesome out there. It was fun, and being out there with all the guys really was great,” Ellingson said. “It was also awesome seeing family and friends out there. It was really fast and hard play.”
Tri-City had a pair of quality looks early, including a two-on-one with Gavin Garland and Savin Virk, followed by a three-on-one that saw David Krcal receive a centering feed before Jayden Krause came up with a strong save.
Despite the early chances, it was Brandon that struck first. Five minutes into the game, on just their second shot, Prabh Brathal carried the puck into the Tri-City zone with speed and space. From the left circle, Brathal ripped a laser glove-side past Xavier Wendt for his second goal of the season.
Moments later, Brandon doubled the lead.
Former Tri-City forward Jordan Gavin wrapped the puck around the net, forcing a pad save from Wendt. The rebound stayed loose in the crease, and amid a scramble in the blue paint, Joby Baumuller found it first and tapped it home to make it 2–0.
Things continued to unravel for the Americans shortly after the first media timeout when they were whistled for too many men on the ice. Brandon capitalized late in the power play as Giorgos Pantelas fired a point shot through traffic that beat Wendt.
After one wide-open period, Brandon led 3–0 despite shots favoring the Wheat Kings just 9–7.
Second Period
The second period brought little relief for Tri-City.
Cash Koch had an early chance, firing a close-range shot off the chest of Krause, but it was once again Brandon finding the back of the net.
Jordan Gavin added to the lead as he was initially stopped by Wendt’s outstretched pad, gathered his own rebound, and from a sharp angle slid the puck just inside the post to make it 4–0.
The game slipped completely out of control moments later.
A turnover right in front of the Tri-City net led to a backdoor feed from Prabh Brathal to Brady Turko, who buried it into a virtually empty net to make it 5–0. The goal ended Wendt’s night, marking the first time he has ever been pulled in a game he started.
Brandon kept pressing. On one of the first shots faced by Ryan Grout, a point shot found the top corner, extending the lead to 6–0.
In an attempt to spark the bench, Cash Koch dropped the gloves with Max Lavoie. The fight turned disastrous when referee Dustin Minty lost his footing, causing both players to fall. Koch’s head struck the ice, and he required assistance from several people to get off.
Brandon emerged from the sequence with a power play.
Following the game, head coach Jody Hull provided an update on Koch’s status.
“Right now, for me, he’s day-to-day,” Hull said. “He’s probably not going to play this weekend, and we’ll go from there.”
With six minutes remaining in the period, Brandon made it a touchdown game as Brady Turko snapped a one-timer from the slot for his second of the night.
After two periods, Brandon had poured in four goals in the second alone, taking a commanding 7–0 lead into the intermission.
Third Period
The third period slowed considerably, but Tri-City managed to spoil Jayden Krause’s shutout. Eight minutes in, David Krcal found the back of the net to get the Americans on the board.
That would be all the scoring on the night as the Wheat Kings closed out a 7–1 victory.
Postgame & What’s Next
With the loss, Tri-City falls to 24-18-3-1 and remains sixth in the Western Conference.
Head coach Jody Hull didn’t mince words when asked about his team’s performance.
“We just weren’t ready when the puck dropped,” Hull said. “As a group, there wasn’t one single guy that was ready to go tonight. They have a good hockey club that can score goals, and when you’re not willing to check and be engaged, you get the result you got tonight. You’ve got to park it and move on—we have a game tomorrow night.”
Jordan Gavin, facing his former team, reflected on his return to Tri-City and his time in Brandon.
“Getting back here was something I was really looking forward to. I had really good memories here,” Gavin said. “It definitely felt a little weird not playing for the Americans, but it was fun. Brandon has been really good for me—biggest change was the weather—but it’s been a similar hockey situation.”
Tri-City will look to quickly flush this one away as they continue a three-in-three weekend, hosting the rival Wenatchee Wild on Saturday night at 6:05 PM.
