Controversial call costs Raiders in 4-1 loss to Brandon

After two missed penalty calls, one against each team in the opening minute, the officials were chasing the game all night.

The most controverscial call came at 10:02 of the third period with the Raiders trailling 3-1, when referee Patrick Gagnon signalled a goal on a scramble around the Wheat King crease before three altercations broke out. The debate began after the sticks, gloves and combatents were cleared off the ice. It began with all four officials huddled in the Brandon zone, presumably to sort out the penalties. Then came the announcement the goal was under review after the play in which Cory Millette scooped the puck on goal from a sharp angle, Tim Vanstone crashed the net jamming away with his stick and the goal was signalled without the red light being lit. The video review went on for several minutes amid several replays on the game clock which showed the puck clearly across the goal line following the havoc among the sea of hockey humanity. Video goal judge Mike Marshall determined the puck was kicked in and the goal was disallowed.

The Raiders never recaputred their momentum after the long delay and the Wheat Kings salted the game away with a Peter Quenneville power play goal at 15:05. Raiders associate coach Dave Manson called the video goal judge’s ruling a joke saying Marshall looked for any excuse to reverse the referee’s call. He also had praise for his players for the way they fought back from a 3-0 first period deficit. Manson told the 900 CKBI post game audience the effort was a big step forward from the two games against the Saskatoon Blades.

The Wheat Kings opened the scoring at 13:03 of the first period when Jayce Hawryluk snapped a wrister into the top corner finishing a play started by Ryan Pilon. The 18 year old draft eligable defenseman from Duck Lake who is going to the CHL prospects game ended the night with two assists. Turnovers at the Brandon blue line resulted in back to back goals a minute apart late in the opening frame by Tim McGauley and Braylon Shmyr, both set up by import winger Rihards Bukarts.  The Latvian slithered through the Raider defense and slid the puck to Shmyr for the easy tap in to make it 3-0.

The Raiders strong second period resulted in Jayden Hart’s sneaky snipe from the right wing circle on a Prince Albert power play, his 19th goal of the season. Hart later rung a shot off the post while Jesse Lees tickled the cross bar and Brandon goalie Jordan Papirny stopped Reid Gardiner on two breakaways. His glove snag of Gardiner’s rising wrister late in the middle frame was the best of his 31 stops. Raider goalie Rylan Parenteau also turned in a solid 31 save performance with many of his best stops coming while the Raiders killed off three straight Brandon power plays early in the first period.

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Both teams were 1/6 on the power play and the Raiders second unit was without Craig Leverton for much of the game. He never returned from a leg injury suffered after a second period cross check from behind into the boards by Brandon defenseman Coltan Waltz. 

The Raiders have lost three straight to start the second half and 8 of their last 9 games heading into Friday clash with the Everett Silvertips at the Art Hauser Centre. All Raider games can be heard on 900 CKBI.

diwlson@panow.com

At Twitter: RaidersVoice