Wheat Kings focused on ending series

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This article was published 05/04/2016 (3659 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What a difference nine days can make.

On March 25, the Eastern Conference-leading Brandon Wheat Kings had lost their second home game in a row to the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oil Kings and their best-of-seven first-round playoff series was headed to Alberta for the next three.

But for the second year in a row, the Wheat Kings swept all three games in Rexall Place and now find themselves with their first chance to win the series at Westman Place tonight at 7 o’clock.

Brandon head coach and general manager Kelly McCrimmon noted that it has been an unusual series, with the visitor winning all five games.

“It’s a race to four and it’s been a different series,” McCrimmon said. “They might be excited about going back to Brandon because that’s where they won both their games. You have to be prepared. You can say all of the things that you’re going to say about the game, but you’ve got to play and you’ve got to be ready. You have to play hard to end somebody’s season.”

After losing 4-2 on March 24 and 2-1 on March 25 at Westman Place, the Wheat Kings rebounded last week with 3-1, 5-0 and 5-2 victories in the Alberta capital.

In the 2014-15 playoffs, the Wheat Kings won all three games at Rexall Place by identical 3-2 scores.

Leading the way for Brandon this year is 19-year-old forward John Quenneville, who has four goals and three assists in the series, and has opened the scoring in three games, twice while killing a penalty.

He’s happy the Wheat Kings will have their first chance to win their Eastern Conference quarter-final at home tonight.

“We feel so comfortable at home,” Quenneville said. “Going back there with a chance to close it out is huge for us. We’re going to come out on game night and have our best effort.”

The team’s top offensive players have been hitting their stride, with Jayce Hawryluk contributing six points (two goals, four assists) and both Reid Duke (three goals, one assist) and Nolan Patrick (two goals, two assists) putting up four points.

One of the keys on Thursday and Sunday was contributions from the third and fourth lines, which each found the back of the net in the 5-2 win.

“I think the last two games our guys have done some of the things that we generally do,” McCrimmon said. “We expect contributions right through our lineup.”

Tanner Kaspick, who centres the third line, had a pair of assists on Sunday, with his hard work making Jordan Thomson’s game winner possible.

Kaspick said after the disappointment of losing the first two games at home, the Wheat Kings were pleased to meet their goal of sweeping the games in Edmonton. But he said the series is a long way from being over.

“They’re fighting for their lives over there,” Kaspick said of the Oil Kings. “That’s a big one because if we lose that one we’re up against elimination too and that’s not something that we want. We’re going to be looking to close them out on Tuesday for sure.”

One key will be continuing to pepper Oil Kings netminder Payton Lee, who has stopped 165 of 179 shots for a .922 save percentage. He was especially strong in Brandon, where he stopped 82 of 85 shots in the first two games.

At the other end of the ice, Jordan Papirny has stopped 119 of 128 shots for a .930 save percentage, including several spectacular saves that kept the Wheat Kings ahead after they built early leads.

Brandon has scored the first goal in all five games.

The Wheat Kings will be looking to improve their 4-for-27 power play (14.8 per cent). Edmonton is 2-for-27 with the man advantage (13.3 per cent), but have also given up two short-handed goals.

Thomson said the Wheat Kings will be ready.

“It’s super exciting,” Thomson said. “It’s going through all the minds in the room right now. We know that the fans are going to be there for us back in Brandon and we’re going to do everything that we can.”

ICINGS: The Moose Jaw Warriors await the winner of the Brandon-Edmonton series …The WHL decided on Monday that Tyler Coulter’s suspension for a butt end on Oil Kings defenceman Anatolii Elizarov would be two games. The Brandon forward sat out Game 5 on Sunday and will miss today’s contest … Hawryluk was named the WHL’s player of the month for October. The 20-year-old forward from Roblin had 18 goals and 14 assists and a plus-minus rating of plus-21 in 13 games during March. This is the second straight month the five-foot-10, 194-pounder, whose 106 points were the fourth-most in the league during the regular season, earned the honour. Landon Bow of the Seattle Thunderbirds is the WHL’s nominee for the CHL’s goalie of the month award …Papirny is the WHL’s nominee for CHL goalie of the week. The six-foot-one, 170-pound Edmonton product, who turns 20 on Sunday, posted a 3-0 record along with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .959 save percentage in the three playoff games in Edmonton. Adam Brooks of the Regina Pats is the WHL’s player of the week. He had two goals and seven assists in three games, while helping Regina upset the Lethbridge Hurricanes in five games in their quarter-final series … Travis Sanheim, a Calgary Hitmen defenceman from Elkhorn, has been assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, for the rest of the season. The Hitmen were eliminated from the WHL playoffs by Red Deer on Saturday … Former Wheat King Rihards Bukarts has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Portland Pirates of the AHL. Bukarts spent most of this WHL season with the Portland Winterhawks, who were swept by the Everett Silvertips in the first round.

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