Canada bounces back for bronze

LAPEENRANTA, Finland — Canadian head coach Kevin Dineen knew it would be a stiff challenge to get his team back on track after a crushing semifinal loss at the world under-18 hockey championship.

His team rose to the occasion Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Sweden in the bronze-medal game.

“The sting from yesterday is not something we hid from or pretend didn’t happen,” Dineen said. “We accepted it and moved on. I think we take satisfaction that we worked hard and that things worked out today.”

A day earlier, Canada erased a three-goal deficit before dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to the Czech Republic. The loss, in which Brandon Wheat King forward picked up an assist, prevented the 2013 champions from returning to the gold-medal game.

Vintage Wheat King jerseys net $30,000 at auction

Vintage-style jerseys worn by the Brandon Wheat Kings during their recent Memorial Cup opening game have raised $30,000 in an online auction. The money will be donated to the Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund.

The commemorative jersey signed by Hockey Night in Canada hosts Don Cherry and Ron MacLean received the highest bid of any jersey at $3,800.

Commemorative jerseys worn by the last three hosts of the MasterCard Memorial Cup including the Brandon Wheat Kings, the Rimouski Oceanic, and the Kitchener Rangers have cumulatively generated over $90,000 for the fund, which is spent to support veterans and their families, buy hospital equipment, support cadet groups, and provide student bursaries.

The commemorative jerseys were designed by the CHL in conjunction with the Brandon Wheat Kings in honour of the Canadian Army, specifically the men and women past, present, and future of CFB Shilo, which is is Manitoba’s only army base and is located approximately 20 minutes from Westman Place, home of the Wheat Kings.

2010 Memorial Cup Final

The 2010 Mastercard Memorial Cup Final between the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Windsor Spitfires at Westman Place in Brandon on Sunday, May 23, 2010. The Spitfires defeated the Wheat Kings by a score of 9-1 to win their second consecutive Memorial Cup.

Talented and tough, Hall earns second MVP award

Taylor Hall's MasterCard Memorial Cup started with a thud, and ended with a bang.

The highly-touted prospect was named the Memorial Cup tournament MVP on Sunday, moments after leading his Windsor Spitfires to a 9-1triumph over the Brandon Wheat Kings in last night's championship game at Westman Place.

Hall, who is expected to be one of the top two picks in the National Hockey League entry draft this summer, finished the tournament with five goals and nine points while being named the Memorial Cup MVP for the second straight year as Windsor won the title for the second straight time.

While Hall flashed the finesse and skill set that has NHL scouts raving and fans craving for him to join their team, it was Travis Hamonic's hit on the Kingston, Ont., product on Day 1 that got the tournament off to a raucous start. The image of Hall hitting the end boards head-first was played on highlight reels across the continent, but the left-winger shook off the impact and got back to the task of dismantling the opposition.

Blowout loss tough to swallow

History will have to wait.

Bidding to bring the city its first MasterCard Memorial Cup title -- on home ice no less -- the Brandon Wheat Kings were instead rolled 9-1 by the defending champion Windsor Spitfires on Sunday at Westman Place.

Last night's game marked the second time the Wheat Kings had played in the Memorial Cup final since the event went to a tournament format in 1972, joining the2-1 overtime loss that Brandon suffered to the Peterborough Petes in the 1979 final.

While second place in a tournament featuring the top teams in the Canadian Hockey League is no small feat, the way it happened last night -- tying the record for the most lopsided final since 1972 -- made it tough for the Wheat Kings to put a positive spin on their performance.

Wheat King loss doesn’t dampen spirits of local fans

A sea of yellow flags, thunderous applause and a sellout crowd couldn't help the Brandon Wheat Kings clinch the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup.

While hometown fans were disappointed to see the Kings lose 9-1 to the Windsor Spitfires in the championship game Sunday night, they remained proud of how far their team went this season.

"Just to see us in the final is such an accomplishment, I never thought it would happen," said Dave Sturby of Brandon.

Sturby is a diehard Wheat King fan and has been coming to games his entire life.

Spitfires down Wheat Kings 9-1 to win Memorial Cup

The Windsor Spitfires exploded with nine goals to win the Mastercard Memorial Cup tonight, toppling the Brandon Wheat Kings 9-1.

The host Wheat Kings, who also allowed the Spitfires to score nine goals in the tournament opener, battled through a close semifinal to earn their berth in the final. The Spitfires didn't lose a game all tournament to repeat as Memorial Cup champions.

For the full story and game analysis, see holiday Monday's special extra edition of the Brandon Sun.

Volunteers ‘tired but very excited’

It has taken more than 850 volunteers working behind the scenes to make the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup go off without a hitch.

From transportation to security, all the bases have been covered by a dedicated volunteer.

"I'm so proud of how everybody's pulled together, right from the top down," volunteer chairperson Roz Evason said. "My feeling is any good organization starts with good organizers. So you look at Jeff Cristall, Lois MacDonald and Bernie Chrisp ... These people have put together good people, and of course the citizens of Brandon and area are just awesome."

As the 11-day tournament winds down today, the volunteers are still going strong.

Hosts need ‘best game of the year’

This is what Matt Calvert came back for.

The Brandon Wheat Kings co-captain turned down the chance to play professional hockey this season for a chance to win the MasterCard Memorial Cup with his hometown team. Tonight he'll get that chance as the 20-year-old left-winger leads the Wheat Kings into the tournament final against the defending champion Windsor Spitfires (6 p.m., Westman Place).

A lifelong fan of the Wheat Kings, Calvert knows better than nearly every other player what it would mean to bring Brandon its first Memorial Cup final.

"It'd be unbelievable. I know I was out (Friday) night in a restaurant and everyone was coming up and talking to me and just saying 'You don't know what it's done for the city,' said Calvert, who scored a goal to help the Wheat Kings knock off the Calgary Hitmen 5-4 in overtime in Friday night's semifinal. "... I know they're all proud of us so far, but I know they want us to get that last win and it's been electric in (Westman Place). It's been awesome, pretty surreal, so it's going to be a real exciting atmosphere."

‘We can leave a legacy’

The Windsor Spitfires are already champions.

Tonight, they have a shot at lasting greatness.

The Ontario Hockey League-champion Spitfires meet the host Brandon Wheat Kings in the final of the MasterCard Memorial Cup (6 p.m., Westman Place) with a chance to join the select group of teams that have claimed the coveted trophy in back-to-back seasons.

"We've talked about that. I think that would be a great accomplishment and a privilege to be a part of," said Spitfires left-winger Eric Wellwood, who scored the overtime winner in Windsor's 4-3 victory over the Moncton Wildcats that wrapped up a 3-0 round-robin record for his team. "This was our goal at the beginning of the year, to win it again and we're one game away so hopefully we can do that."