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Leave it to the Eastern Conference Player of the Year to score the biggest goal of the season for the Calgary Hitmen. Brett Sonne scored the winning goal at 13:10 of the 3rd period to give Calgary a 5-4 win in game 2 of their series with Brandon. The Hitmen now lead 2-0.
It was a game that certainly could have gone either way, because the 5-4 lead was Calgary’s first lead of the game. Brandon dominated the 1st period and erased any memory of their 9-3 loss in game 1 with a scorching opening 20 minutes. The Wheat Kings were quicker, stronger, and more efficient in the first period.
The tide started to turn in the 2nd period, but it was Keith Aulie’s powerplay marker in the 3rd period that seemingly was the turning point in this game. But a disputed Ian Schultz goal shortly afterward but the momentum firmly in Calgary’s favour…Sonne’s goal less than 3 minutes later would be the last goal of the game.
Calgary needs to be much, much better throughout the rest of the series…the calling card for this team all season has been winning the board battles all game long, and forcing turnovers. That was the opposite for too long in game 2; they lost the board battles and they were turning the puck over. But Calgary knows that, and this is a team that adjusts to bad games very well.
Game 3 is Tuesday night at 6 pm in Brandon.
I attributed Calgary’s performance to a combination of them not being ready and Brandon being better prepared. Again, I am amazed at the job Dave Lowry and his staff do to make in-game adjustments work for this team and the boys ability to implement those changes during the game. They were not in sync for much of the game and credit to them for overcoming a great effort from Brandon. I suspect we’ll be having a game 5 at the Dome on Friday…the Hitmen will win this series but Brandon won’t go down without a fight.
- Bob in the Abbey