Wheat Kings enjoy rich playoff history

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This article was published 18/02/2021 (1676 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings have enjoyed both tremendous post-season success and missed the playoffs during their long tenure in the Western Hockey League.

As the league prepares for its season to finally begin next month, here’s a look back at Brandon’s first 53 years in the league, which includes three championships, eight trips to the WHL final and 13 years missing the playoffs entirely.

2019-20

• SEASON: (35-22-4-2, 76 points, 3rd in East Division, 10th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: No playoffs held due to COVID-19.

• RECAP: An inconsistent group in the first half, Brandon rallied for a 10-game winning streak in the second half and was 20-5-3-0 down the stretch. The Wheat Kings appeared to be headed to a first-round matchup against their new provincial rival Winnipeg Ice.

 

2018-19

• SEASON: (31-29-4-4, 70 points, 4th in East Division, 15th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Missed post-season.

• RECAP: They fell two points shy of an Eastern Conference tie-breaker. The Wheat Kings selected forwards Nate Danielson, Tyson Zimmer and Rylen Roersma in the first round in the ensuing bantam draft.

 

2017-18

• SEASON: (40-27-3-2, 85 points, 4th in East Division, 8th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Medicine Hat 4-2. Lost 4-1 to Lethbridge. 

• RECAP: Brandon was crushed by a combined score of 14-5 in the first two games in Medicine Hat, and then rallied to win the next four, with Linden McCorrister sniping in overtime in Game 6 in Dauphin to win the series. After falling 5-1 in Game 1 against Lethbridge on the night of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, the Wheat Kings built a 4-0 lead in Game 2 only to blow it and fall 5-4 in overtime. They never recovered.

• LEADING SCORER: Linden McCorrister (14 points).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Stelio Mattheos, Ty Lewis, Evan Weinger.

• STARTING GOALIE: Logan Thompson.

 

2016-17

• SEASON: (31-31-7-3, 72 points, 4th in East Division, 15th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Lost 4-0 to Medicine Hat.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings (31-31-7-3) were dealt a terrible blow on the day before the playoffs began when team captain Nolan Patrick, who had missed much of the season with abdominal issues, was ruled out due to a knee injury suffered courtesy of an unpenalized slew foot in the second last game of the regular season. Tyler Coulter’s tying goal in a 3-2 loss in Dauphin in Game 4 went into the net a fraction of a second too late and was waved off.

• LEADING SCORER: Stelio Mattheos (5 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Kale Clague, Reid Duke, Tyler Coulter.

• STARTING GOALIE: Logan Thompson.

 

2015-16

• SEASON: (48-18-4-2, 102 points, 1st in East Division, 2nd of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Edmonton 4-2, beat Moose Jaw 4-1, beat Red Deer 4-1, beat Seattle 4-1 to become league champions.

• RECAP: Edmonton won the first two games of their first-round series at Westman Place, but the Wheat Kings swept the next four games to win the series and went 12-3 through the rest of the playoffs, never losing again at home. They won the league title on May 13, 2016 in Kent., Wash., with an 8-4 win over the Thunderbirds in a series in which Brandon won three overtime games by identical 3-2 scores. Brandon went 0-2-1 at the Memorial Cup in Red Deer and was eliminated by the host Rebels in overtime.

• LEADING SCORER: Nolan Patrick and Jayce Hawryluk (30 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Ivan Provorov, Nolan Patrick, Jayce Hawryluk.

• STARTING GOALIE: Jordan Papirny.

2014-15

• SEASON: (53-11-4-4, 114 points, 1st in East Division, 1st of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Edmonton 4-1, beat Regina 4-1, beat Calgary 4-1, lost to Kelowna 4-0 in the league final.

• RECAP: After losing their first game of the playoffs to Edmonton, Brandon won four straight. It went on to win an overtime game in each of the first three series by a 3-2 margin before eventually running out of gas in the league final against Leon Draisaitl — who posted four goals and three assists in the series — Josh Morrissey and the Rockets.

• LEADING SCORER: Peter Quenneville (20 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Ivan Provorov, Tim McGauley, Jayce Hawryluk.

• STARTING GOALIE: Jordan Papirny.

 

2013-14

• SEASON: (34-29-6-3, 77 points, 3rd in East Division, 13th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Regina 4-0, lost to Edmonton 4-1.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings upset the Pats by scoring 24 goals in four games. In Game 3, Brandon fell behind 4-1 but Jayce Hawryluk scored three goals, including the winner, as the Wheat Kings rallied for a 5-4 victory. They subsequently lost to an Edmonton team that held Brandon to four goals in the Oil Kings victories and won the Memorial Cup.

• LEADING SCORER: John Quenneville (13 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Jayce Hawryluk, Ryan Pulock, Tim McGauley.

• STARTING GOALIE: Jordan Papirny.

 

2012-13

• SEASON: (24-40-4-4, 56 points, 6th in East Division, 20th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Missed post-season.

• RECAP: The team missed the playoffs by 16 points but help was on the way. Brandon selected Nolan Patrick, Kale Clague and Tanner Kaspick in the first 25 picks, all of whom starred for the team. (In addition, Clague and Kaspick were traded as 19-year-olds, landing a handful of picks and players who continue to pay dividends.)

2011-12

• SEASON: (39-28-1-4, 83 points, 3rd in East Division, 11th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Calgary 4-1, lost to Edmonton 4-0.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings upset a familiar foe in the higher-ranked Hitmen. In Game 5, Paul Ciarelli tied the game in the third period and scored the overtime winner in his hometown of Winnipeg. An Oil Kings team that went on to win the league outscored the Wheat Kings 17-4 in the conference semifinal.

• LEADING SCORER: Alessio Bertaggia (7 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Mark Stone, Micheal Ferland, Ryan Pulock.

• STARTING GOALIE: Corbin Boes.

 

 

2010-11

• SEASON: (32-31-1-8, 73 points, 3rd in East Division, 12th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Lost to Medicine Hat 4-2.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings met a Tigers team that finished 27 points ahead of them in the standings. Brandon shocked Medicine Hat with a 7-2 road win in Game 1 after Ryan Pulock scored twice and added a pair of assists, and also won Game 3, but struggled to shut the Tigers down, getting outscored 31-29 and only winning the games in which it surrendered fewer than four goals.

• LEADING SCORER: Mark Stone, Scott Glennie (10 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Shayne Wiebe, Micheal Ferland, Ryan Pulock.

• STARTING GOALIE: Corbin Boes.

 

2009-10

• SEASON: (50-28-1-3, 104 points, 1st in East Division, 2nd of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Swift Current 4-0, beat Saskatoon 4-2, lost to Calgary 4-1.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings triumphed in two deceptively close series — Alexander Urbom sniped in overtime as Brandon closed out Swift Current in Game 4 — before falling to a familiar foe, the regular-season champion Hitmen. A key turning point came when Ian Schultz scored for Calgary on the power play in overtime in Game 2 to knot the series after Brandon won Game 1. The two would meet again, however, because Brandon was hosting the Memorial Cup. In the semifinal, Jay Fehr’s overtime goal sent the Wheat Kings past the Hitmen to the Memorial Cup final, where they lost to Taylor Hall and the Windsor Spitfires 9-1.

• LEADING SCORER: Brayden Schenn (19 points).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Matt Calvert, Scott Glennie, Colby Robak.

• STARTING GOALIE: Jacob De Serres.

 

2008-09

• SEASON: (48-19-3-2, 101 points, 2nd in East Division, 5th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Kootenay 4-0, beat Medicine Hat 4-0, lost to Calgary 4-0.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings scored 45 goals in their two series sweeps — outscoring Kootenay 19-9 and Medicine Hat 26-12 — but they ended up on the other side of the equation with Calgary, 24-14. A key turning point came with Ian Schultz’s overtime winner in Game 3 that gave Calgary a 3-0 series lead.

• LEADING SCORER: Brayden Schenn and Scott Glennie (18 pts)

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Jay Fehr, Andrew Clark, Colby Robak.

• STARTING GOALIE: Andrew Hayes. 

 

2007-08

• SEASON: (42-24-3-3, 90 points, 2nd in East Division, 10th of 22 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Lost to Lethbridge 4-2.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings ran into a Hurricanes team that finished six points ahead of them in the Eastern Conference and subsequently made it to the league final. The Hurricanes went up 3-0 in the series with three one-goal wins. The Wheat Kings mounted an unsuccessful comeback that saw them take the next two, including Matt McCue’s overtime winner in Game 5, but they were blanked 4-0 in Game 6.

• LEADING SCORER: Darryl Boyle (6 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Brayden Schenn, Matt Calvert, Matt Lowry.

• STARTING GOALIE: Joe Caligiuri.

 

2006-07

• SEASON: (41-20-3-8, 93 points, 1st in East Division, 6th of 21 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Prince Albert 4-1, lost to Calgary 4-2.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings posted a pair of overtime victories to start the P.A. series, with the goals coming from Daniel Bartek and Mark Derlago. Despite kicking off the Hitmen series with an OT win courtesy of Tyler Dittmer and also a one-goal victory, a pair of lopsided losses in Calgary led to their Alberta foes winning four in a row.

• LEADING SCORER: Codey Burki (11 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Mark Derlago, Andrew Clark, Dustin Kohn.

• STARTING GOALIE: Tyler Plante.

 

2005-06

• SEASON: (30-32-6-4, 70 points, 4th in East Division, 14th of 20 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Lost to Moose Jaw 4-2.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings met a Warriors team that finished 26 points ahead of them in the regular season. Brandon dropped the opener before winning twice to actually lead the series 2-1 but managed just one goal in the last three games.

• LEADING SCORER: Dustin Kohn (4 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Codey Burki, Mark Derlago, Tyler Dittmer.

• STARTING GOALIE: Tyler Plante.

 

2004-05

• SEASON: (45-21-5-1, 96 points, 1st in East Division, 4th of 20 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Moose Jaw 4-1, beat Calgary 4-3, beat Prince Albert 4-3, lost to Kelowna 4-1 in the league final.

• RECAP: Eric Fehr had six points in Game 5 as Brandon closed out Moose Jaw 9-1 in Game 5. Six nights later, the Wheat Kings fell 10-1 to Calgary in Game 1, but Brandon, the highest-scoring team in the league (255 goals), rebounded. Tyler Plante stopped 29 shots and the Wheat Kings scored goals 36 seconds apart in the third period to close the series out. The Wheat Kings and Raiders alternated victories in the conference final before Lance Monych and Jeff Topilko each scored twice in Game 7 in a 5-1 win. They met the defending Memorial Cup champions in the final, losing a pivotal Game 4 in overtime on a Lauris Darzins goal that would have pulled them even in a series where they managed only eight goals.

• LEADING SCORER: Eric Fehr (32 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Ryan Stone, Lance Monych, Steven Later.

• STARTING GOALIE: Tyler Plante.

 

2003-04

• SEASON: (28-32-9-3, 68 points, 3rd in East Division, 17th of 20 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Prince Albert 4-2, lost to Medicine Hat 4-1.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings were led by pickups from Kamloops (Eric Christensen, who scored the overtime winner in Game 1 against Prince Albert) and Regina (Josh Harding, who made 28 saves in Game 6 as they ended the first-round series). Despite a 9-3 pasting of the Tigers in Game 4 — Brandon scored just seven goals in the other four games — Medicine Hat went on to win the series and later the league title.

• LEADING SCORER: Erik Christensen (12 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Eric Fehr, Tyler Dyck, Reagan Leslie.

• STARTING GOALIE: Josh Harding.

 

2002-03

• SEASON: (43-17-9-3, 98 points, 1st in East Division, 3rd of 19 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Regina 4-1, beat Moose Jaw 4-3, lost to Red Deer 4-1.

• RECAP: In the tight-checking opening series, Brandon and Regina combined for just 14 goals in the first four games, with Eric Fehr sniping the OT winner in Game 4. The Wheat Kings overcame a balanced Warriors team, rebounding after a 7-6 Game 6 overtime loss in the second round, to win Game 7 by a score of 7-3 as Lance Monych, Rick Kozak and Greg Watson each scored twice. They met a familiar foe in Red Deer in the conference final, winning only Game 4 in a series in which they scored just five goals.

• LEADING SCORER: Tim Konsorada (14 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Ryan Craig, Jordin Tootoo, Eric Fehr.

• STARTING GOALIE: Rob McVicar.

 

2001-02

• SEASON: (43-23-4-2, 92 points, 1st in East Division, 3rd of 19 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Beat Saskatoon 4-3, beat Swift Current 4-1, lost to Red Deer 4-3.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings survived losing three overtime games against Saskatoon in the first round, with Adrian Foster scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory in game 7 over his former team. Travis Young and Jordin Tootoo had overtime winners against Swift Current to set up a meeting with the defending Memorial Cup champion Rebels. This time they won two OT games, with Lance Monych and Jiri Jakes scoring, but lost in double OT in Brandon in Game 6 and couldn’t rebound.

• LEADING SCORER: Ryan Craig (21 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Jordin Tootoo, Colin McRae, Kevin Harris.

• STARTING GOALIE: Rob McVicar.

 

2000-01

• SEASON: (32-32-5-3, 72 points, 4th in East Division, 11th of 18 in WHL)

• PLAYOFFS: Lost to Swift Current 4-2.

• RECAP: The Wheat Kings won the opener against the first-place Broncos, who were led by Duncan Milroy, Layne Ulmer and Tim Smith, but lost three one-goal games. A double-overtime loss in Game 3 hurt in what proved to coach Bobby Lowes’ final season behind the bench for the team.

• LEADING SCORER: Jordin Tootoo (6 pts).

• KEY PLAYERS INCLUDE: Ryan Craig, Colin McRae, Kevin Harris.

• STARTING GOALIE: Rob McVicar.

 » See Part 2 in Friday’s edition of The Brandon Sun.

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