WHL NOTEBOOK: Playoff history favours Rebels over Wheat Kings

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This article was published 27/04/2016 (3691 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RED DEER, Alta. — If the Brandon Wheat Kings are looking back into their playoff history against the Red Deer Rebels, they’ll want to set their gaze to exactly two decades ago.

The powerhouse 1995-96 Wheat Kings were the first Brandon team to face the Rebels in the playoffs after Red Deer joined the Western Hockey League for the 1992-93 season.

The series started in an eerily familiar fashion to this year’s series opener, with Brandon winning 4-3 in overtime on a goal by Kelly Smart.

That would prove to be the best that the Rebels would have that season, as they dropped 5-3, 7-1 and 7-2 decisions to lose the series.

But Brandon wouldn’t be as fortunate in the next three series between the teams as Red Deer turned the corner and became a league power.

In four seasons beginning in 2000-01, the Rebels would appear in at least the Eastern Conference final. They won the Memorial Cup in that turnaround year as well.

In 1998-99, the Wheat Kings lost to the Rebels in five games despite the best efforts of Burke Henry and Brett McLean, who each had seven points in the series.

The Rebels won both games in Brandon and lost 9-5 in Red Deer before rebounding in Game 4 to extend the series with a 4-3 win. Red Deer won Game 5 to take the series,

Shawn McNeil led the Rebels with 14 points in the five games, including seven goals.

After three seasons without meeting in the playoffs, the Wheat Kings and Rebels met in the Eastern Conference finals two seasons in a row.

In 2001-02, the teams met in an epic seven-game battle that featured three overtime games.

The teams split the first two in Red Deer, with Brandon taking Game 1 in overtime on a goal by Lance Monych. The Wheat Kings then won both games at home to go up 3-1 in the series, with the Game 3 double-overtime winner coming off the stick of Brandon forward Jiri Jakes.

But the Rebels shut out the Wheat Kings in Game 5 and the series dagger came in Game 6 when Chris Neiszner scored in double overtime in Brandon for Red Deer.

The Rebels then closed out the series two nights later at home with a 5-2 win.

Ryan Craig led the Wheat Kings in scoring that year with five points in the series.

It wasn’t nearly as close a year later. The Wheat Kings managed just five goals in the entire series, winning Game 4 by a score of 2-1 to extend the series. Red Deer closed it out in Game 5.

Rick Kozak led the Wheat Kings in scoring in the series with three points. Boyd Gordon had six for Red Deer as they scored 16 goals.

In their 49 seasons in the Western Hockey League, the Wheat Kings have played in seven league finals, winning in 1978-79 and 1995-96 and losing in 1976-77, 1994-95, 1997-98, 2004-05 and 2014-15.

While playoff formats have changed over the years, Brandon has played in the Eastern Conference final six times since the championship season two decades ago, winning in 2004-05 and 2014-15 and losing in 2001-02, 2002-03, 2008-09, 2009-10.

During that same period, Brandon missed the playoffs twice. In their 49-year franchise history, the Wheat Kings have failed to qualify for the post-season 12 times, but eight of those came between the 1982-83 and 1991-92 campaigns.

SLAPSHOTS: Former Wheat Kings defenceman Colton Waltz has committed to play with the Mount Royal Cougars next season … The Kelowna Rockets were without their captain, F Rodney Southam, as they visited the Seattle Thunderbirds for Game 3 in Kent, Wash., last night. Southam received a two-game suspension for a high hit on Seattle forward Calvin Leth, who hasn’t played since … The Thunderbirds were a ridiculous 23-1-1 in their last 25 games and had won 10 of 11 playoff games entering play last night. They haven’t been to a league final since 1997, their only trip. They lost to the Lethbridge Hurricanes that year … The WHL’s bantam draft will be held on May 5 in Calgary.