The Wranglers had the lead twice and still walked away empty-handed, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Reign in Ontario after Martin Chromiak scored late in the third period to finish off the comeback.
It was also the first chapter in what could become a season-long brother battle between Hunter and Henry Brzustewicz. Hunter came into the night with extra edge after losing to his younger brother in junior during a playoff series the last time they faced off.
Calgary’s lineup had a different look before the puck dropped. With Mikael Backlund injured, Sam Honzek had to go on injury reserve and Ben Jones was called up to join the big club in Calgary. That opened a spot for Alex Gallant to slide back into the lineup, while the defense pairs stayed intact and the forward group got shuffled all over the place.
Connor Zary moved back onto the top line with Dryden Hunt and Luke Philp after being on the third line in the previous game. Sam Morton filled Jones’ spot on the second line alongside Rory Kerins and Alex Nylander.
Andrew Basha moved up a line, while Tyson Gross and William Stromgren dropped from the top line to the third. The coaching staff kept leaning on whoever was producing, but the group still had enough depth to roll three to four lines effectively.
Kirill Zarubin got the start after Arsenii Sergeev had handled two games in a row last week. Based on the rotation so far, Sergeev is expected to go Saturday and Zarubin Sunday when the Wranglers head to Abbotsford.
The opening 20 minutes were almost all skating and very little stopping. Zarubin and Carter George were both busy enough, but neither side could cash in.
Ontario got the best chance of the period when a shot rang off the post around the midway point. Dryden Hunt had a look at 11:30 after trying to deke in tight, but George shut the door.
The first whistle didn’t come until around the 14-minute mark, and by then the officials had a chance to catch up on some media timeouts. Calgary got one more push in the final seconds when Andrew Basha and William Stromgren came in on the rush, but Stromgren’s shot just missed.
After one, there were no goals, no penalties, and Ontario held a 12-9 edge in shots.
The Wranglers finally broke through early in the second. At 2:22, William Stromgren threaded a pass to Tyson Gross through the neutral zone, and Gross ripped it upstairs for the game’s first goal. Axel Hurtig picked up the secondary assist.
The response from Ontario wasn’t far behind, and the physical tone picked up right after. Nikita Pavlychev delivered a heavy hit on the next shift, and Kaleb Lawrence stepped in to answer for his teammate. The two dropped the gloves briefly and both went off with fighting majors.
Calgary then took a penalty at 13:18 when Hunter Brzustewicz was called for holding. Less than half a minute into the kill, Ontario tied it with a short-side shot that beat Zarubin over the glove.
The Wranglers were able to reclaim the lead late in the period, though. After the Reign were penalized for tripping, Calgary needed only seven seconds at the end of the frame to strike again, as Dryden Hunt set up Rory Kerins for a long-range finish.
Abram Wiebe got the secondary assist on the goal.
Through 40 minutes, Calgary led 2-1 and held a 19-18 shot advantage. That edge disappeared almost immediately.
Just 18 seconds into the third period, Martin Chromiak tied the game for the Reign. Calgary then had to kill another penalty at 3:38 when Hunt was sent off for roughing, and Zarubin kept things level with a big stop on Lane Pederson at 7:03.
The Wranglers had a chance to grab the lead back late when Sam Morton drew a holding call at 14:52. They pressured on the power play and fired three shots on goal, but nothing got through.
Then at 17:10, Chromiak struck again and put Ontario in front for good. Calgary pulled Zarubin at 18:09 and used a timeout shortly after, but the Reign held firm.
They got one empty-net try that missed wide, and the Wranglers never found the equalizer.
Zarubin finished with 23 shots faced in a 3-2 loss, while the Wranglers finished with 23 shots of their own.
Axel Hurtig, Abram Wiebe, William Stromgren, Dryden Hunt, Rory Kerins and Tyson Gross all appeared on the scoresheet, with Gross scoring Calgary’s first goal and Kerins adding the other. Hunt, Stromgren, Hurtig and Wiebe each picked up assists.
Calgary now heads to Abbotsford for another two-game weekend set against the Canucks. The Wranglers will play Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
MT and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. MT as they close out their six-game road trip.
In Other News...
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Canucks Flat Effort Drew A Brutal Response From Brock Boeser
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For a team that has not been able to stack consistent wins, nights like this can feel bigger than a single defeat. The issue is not just the scoreline, but the way the Canucks let the game drift from them without ever regaining control, leaving both players and fans with the same uneasy question about where the steady push is supposed to come from next. [Read more 🡒]