A look back at Brandon’s 2021 season

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This article was published 06/05/2021 (1599 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings have won East Division banners before and likely will again, but none may be quite as memorable as the one they captured in 2021.

With the pandemic raging and repeated delays to the start of the season, the league ultimately chose to put the six East Division teams and the Central Division’s Swift Current Broncos into a hub in Regina.

The teams stayed in residences at the University of Regina and played all their games at the Brandt Centre, an expensive approach that was rewarded when no players, coaches or team staff tested positive for COVID-19 in their two-month stay.

The players arrived on Feb. 27, started practice on March 5 and the regular season on March 12. The final games were held on April 28, with the Wheat Kings playing 24 games in 48 days.

Here’s a look back at the busiest, most unique season in Wheat Kings history, complete with quotes from Brandon’s coaching staff after every game.

 

Moose Jaw 4, Brandon 3 (OT)

Game 1: Friday, March 12

SYNOPSIS: Brandonite Tate Popple scored his second goal of the game in overtime as the Warriors stunned the Wheat Kings in the East Division hub opener. Brandon scored twice in the final 10 minutes of the third period to send the game to extra time.

• Brandon goals: (In the order they were scored.) McCartney, Chiasson (pp), Schneider.

• Brandon goalie: Kruger.

• Brandon power play: 1-6.

• Opponent’s PP: 2-4.

• Shots: 31-22 MJ.

• Faceoffs: 30-29 MJ

• Record: 0-0-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “It’s different when you play another opponent then it is scrimmaging in practice. I think it took us a while to get adjusted that things were going to happen faster and time and space were going to be taken away. Moose Jaw had a good game plan and executed their game plan, and we didn’t get into our game plan until the third period. We have room to grow and I was happy with a lot of guys.”

 

Brandon 3, Winnipeg 2

Game 2: Saturday, March 13

SYNOPSIS: Ice rookie Conor Geekie of Strathclair announced his presence by scoring 81 seconds into the game but Brandon replied with three goals in the middle frame, including Jake Chiasson’s winner on the power play with 22 seconds left in the period.

• BWK goals: Schneider, Hyland, Chiasson (pp).

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 1-4.

• OPP PP: 3-4.

• Shots: 25-24 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 30-29 BWK.

• Record: 1-0-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “I really liked our team tonight. We played a really gritty, patient game with guys in the right spots. You can go up and down our lineup tonight, from the goaltender on out, and there wasn’t one guy who didn’t perform the way they should have performed. It was a quick turn-around from (Friday) and I thought we made some real nice adjustments.”

 

Prince Albert 5, Brandon 3

Game 3: Tuesday, March 16

SYNOPSIS: After Ben McCartney’s power-play goal tied the game 2-2 late in the first period, the Raiders took a 3-2 lead early in the second period and then scored goals 27 seconds apart later in the frame to earn the victory.

• BWK goals: Iorio (pp), McCartney (pp), Salame.

• BWK goalie: Ungar.

• BWK PP: 2-6.

• OPP PP: 2-5.

• Shots: 37-24 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 31-29 PA.

• Record: 1-1-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “I thought we had a good start to the game, we had some momentum going and then we took some dumb penalties that took the momentum away from us. Then we were chasing the game the whole night. It was totally opposite from last game where we had everybody going. Tonight we had lots of passengers and guys who were on their own page. To be successful against good hockey clubs, you have to have everybody pulling the same way and tonight we just didn’t.”

 

Brandon 4, Swift Current 1

Game 4: Thursday, March 18

SYNOPSIS: Nolan Ritchie put Brandon up with the game’s first goal seven minutes into the opening frame and Lynden McCallum scored what proved to be the winner 14 seconds later. Ritchie added another goal and an assist in a three-point outing.

• BWK goals: Ritchie (pp), McCallum, Perepeluk (sh), Ritchie (en).

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 1-2.

• OPP PP: 1-5.

• Shots: 39-27 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 34-30 SC.

• Record: 2-1-1-0.

• Mark Derlago: “That was a good effort by our guys. There were some plays you don’t like but there were a lot of plays we did like. When you put 40 shots on net and win 4-1, you’re happy with that. We got some guys contributing who maybe haven’t so that was good to see.”

 

Brandon 3, Regina 2 (OT)

Game 5: Saturday, March 20

SYNOPSIS: The Wheat Kings built up a 2-0 lead midway through the second period, but young phenom Connor Bedard capitalized on a giveaway to score a long breakaway goal and Ryker Evans tied it midway through the third before Nolan Ritchie struck in overtime.

• BWK goals: McCallum, McCartney (sh), Ritchie.

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 0-6.

• OPP PP: 1-6.

• Shots: 35-24 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 37-32 REG.

• Record: 1-1-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “I really liked the first half of the game. After we turned the puck over on their first goal, it kind of gave them some life and we took some bad penalties again. It’s just one of those things. We were chasing the game a little bit but I thought we settled down and dug in and obviously got a big goal in overtime. It was good to get a win.”

 

Saskatoon 6, Brandon 4

Game 6: Monday, March 22

SYNOPSIS: Brandon simply didn’t match Saskatoon’s intensity early on and they paid for it, staking the Blades to a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes. The Wheat Kings settled down but Kyle Crnkovic’s second goal of the game into an empty net settled the matter.

• BWK goals: McCartney, McCallum, McCallum, Ritchie.

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 0-7.

• OPP PP: 1-5.

• Shots: 33-28 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 38-29 SAS.

• Record: 3-2-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “It was not a very good start for our club. We stood around and watched. Saskatoon was ready to go and they were winning all the 50-50 puck battles. We were standing around watching and letting them come at us. I thought it was real poor start for our club, but on the upside I thought we started to play better.”

 

Brandon 8, Moose Jaw 2

Game 7: Wednesday, March 24

SYNOPSIS: Jake Chiasson scored 25 seconds into the game and Lynden McCallum put the Wheat Kings up a pair 47 seconds later as Brandon went up 4-0 in the first eight minutes, chasing Warriors goalie Brett Mirwald from the net. Nate Danielson and Logen Hammett each scored their first WHL goals.

• BWK goals: Chiasson, McCallum, Chiasson (pp), McCartney (pp), Iorio (pp), Danielson (pp), Hammett, Salame (pp).

• BWK goalie: Ungar.

• BWK PP: 5-7.

• OPP PP: 2-6.

• Shots: 42-29 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 44-23 MJ.

• Record: 4-2-1-0.

• Mark Derlago: “It was a quick start. The first shift, the guys were ready to play. The first shift we get a goal and then come back with a strong power play after and then we got rolling from there.”

 

Brandon 4, Winnipeg 3

Game 8: Thursday, March 25

SYNOPSIS: Conor Geekie opened the scoring again for the Ice but Brandon poured in three goals in the next eight minutes go up 4-1, including the first WHL goal by Brandon’s Rylen Roersma. After the Ice tied the game 3-3 early in the third period, Ridly Greig scored the short-handed winner two minutes later.

• BWK goals: Danielson (pp), Roersma, Chiasson, Greig (sh).

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 1-2.

• OPP PP: 1-6.

• Shots: 34-30 WPG.

• Faceoffs: 41-33 BWK.

• Record: 5-2-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “Tonight the difference was we got some big kills and got the big shortie at the end to win the hockey game. I’m very pleased with the effort. It was our second game in two nights with a quick turn-around against a good team who hasn’t lost since they lost to us last time. They’re our arch-rival. I’m not going to say anything negative about tonight’s game. It was a good win for our group.”

 

Brandon 5, Swift Current 2

Game 9: Sunday, March 28

SYNOPSIS: After a scoreless first period, the Broncos scored 27 seconds into the second period and went up 2-0 six minutes later. By the end of the period, however, Brandon led 3-2, and they iced the game with a pair of third-period markers.

• BWK goals: Sekundiak (pp), McCallum (pp), Ginnell, Nychuk, Greig (en).

• BWK goalie: Ungar.

• BWK PP: 2-7.

• OPP PP: 0-5.

• Shots: 38-31 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 39-32 BWK.

• Record: 6-2-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “To win you have to have contributions from different guys and it was nice to see Riley Ginnell get on the board and nice to see Marcus Sekundiak get rewarded. Those guys do a lot of the heavy lifting and they got rewarded tonight for some of their play. Nychuk gets on the board and he’s hit a couple of posts here so that was good to see. Everybody wants to score goals, so I think it’s important when different guys are contributing on a nightly basis.”

 

Brandon 7, Prince Albert 1

Game 10: Tuesday, March 30

SYNOPSIS: It took Ridly Greig just 22 seconds to find the back of the net, and Brandon had built a 4-0 lead before the Raiders, playing without Kaiden Guhle and Ozzy Weisblatt, scored midway through the third period. With the outcome decided, Brandon stopped skating their top power-play units and still added three goals on the man advantage in the last nine minutes.

• BWK goals: Greig, McCartney (pp), Perepeluk, McCallum, Iorio (pp), Thorpe (pp), Ginnell (pp).

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 4-7.

• OPP PP: 1-6.

• Shots: 35-29 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 42-27 PA.

• Record: 7-2-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “I thought we came out with lots of jump and energy, and I thought in the first period we played really well. There was a lot of emotion in the game. Sometimes it’s difficult when the other team doesn’t have its best players. It’s hard to get into that mindset that it’s not going to be an easy game, and we talked about P.A. and how they play. They’re a hard physical team that plays hard, and we hadn’t beat them last time so we wanted to make sure that we came out hard with a good start, and that’s what we did.”

 

Brandon 7, Regina 2

Game 11: Thursday, April 1

SYNOPSIS: Brandon built a 4-0 lead in the first period, and despite the first goal of the WHL career of Pats forward Colby Wotton of Foxwarren, the romp continued. Brandon’s Tyson Zimmer also scored his first WHL goal.

• BWK goals: McCallum, Schneider (sh), McCallum, Greig, Zimmer, Ginnell (pp), Ritchie.

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 1-2.

• OPP PP: 0-4.

• Shots: 28-28.

• Faceoffs: 36-29 BWK.

• Record: 8-2-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “I liked our game tonight. I thought obviously we scored some goals in the first period and that put us in a good spot. The second period was probably our best period of the game. I thought we did a lot of really good things and thought we did what we needed to do and kept (Connor) Bedard off the board basically, gave him a late assist. For the most part, we were in good positioning all night.”

 

Brandon 3, Saskatoon 1

Game 12: Sunday, April 4

SYNOPSIS: Former Wheat King Caiden Daley put Saskatoon up 1-0 in the first period, but Lynden McCallum tied the game midway through the second period and Ben McCartney found the net early in the third period for Brandon’s only win of the season over Saskatoon.

• BWK goals: McCallum, McCartney, Perepeluk (en).

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 0-5.

• OPP PP: 1-4.

• Shots: 32-23 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 40-25 SAS.

• Record: 9-2-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “We really didn’t like our first period. We didn’t really accomplish anything that we wanted to accomplish. I think Saskatoon played exactly the way we wanted to in the first period, but credit to our guys, they came out and played a really, really good second period and took over the game. And we did what we needed to do in the third period with that big goal by Carts, and then we stemmed the tide after that.”

 

Brandon 3, Prince Albert 2

Game 13: Monday, April 5

SYNOPSIS: Prince Albert forward Justin Nachbaur of Cross Lake gave the Raiders 1-0 and 2-1 leads, but Nolan Ritchie tied the game 2-2 in the second period and Ridly Greig scored shorthanded midway through the third period for the victory.

• BWK goals: Chiasson, Ritchie (pp), Greig (sh).

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 1-2.

• OPP PP: 1-5.

• Shots: 33-25 PA.

• Faceoffs: 37-25 PA.

• Record: 10-2-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “I couldn’t be more proud of our team tonight. We’ve had two real tough games here. P.A. was a very, very good team tonight and played a playoff-style game, and we matched it and found a way to get timely goals. Obviously we had a couple of big kills and the shortie to win it. Our leadership group tonight was outstanding and our goaltender made some big saves at key times. It was a team effort.”

 

Brandon 4, Swift Current 1

Game 14: Wednesday, April 7

SYNOPSIS: Nate Danielson scored his third goal of the season on the power play in the first period, and even though Swift Current responded 67 seconds after Jake Chiasson put Brandon up 2-0, the Wheat Kings struck for two more goals to extend their winning streak to eight games.

• BWK goals: Danielson (pp), Chiasson, Zimmer, Nychuk (en).

• BWK goalie: Ungar.

• BWK PP: 1-4.

• OPP PP: 0-2.

• Shots: 37-21 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 27-25 BWK.

• Record: 11-2-1-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “I liked how we played the game tonight. We had a lull in the second period where they took the play to us and we turned some pucks over, but we played with lots of energy and lots of chances. Their goalie (Isaac Poulter) was outstanding. He played great and gave them a chance to stay in the game.”

 

Regina 2, Brandon 1 (OT)

Game 15: Friday, April 9

SYNOPSIS: Days after his grandfather died in a car accident, Regina’s rookie star Connor Bedard scored both goals in the Pats victory, including the overtime winner, and Roddy Ross was sensational in net, making 33 saves. Brandon’s only goal came early in the third period with the man advantage.

• BWK goals: Chiasson (pp).

• BWK goalie: Ungar.

• BWK PP: 1-4.

• OPP PP: 1-3.

• Shots: 34-25 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 33-26 REG.

• Record: 11-2-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “The puck just wasn’t going for us tonight. I thought we had a good effort from our guys and I think we did a lot of good things. We got a little bit loose at times in our defensive zone coverage but for the most part we played a pretty solid game. Give Regina credit, their goalie (Roddy Ross) played good and their young star got the job done. Full credit to them, they got the win.”

 

Saskatoon 3, Brandon 2

Game 16: Sunday, April 11

SYNOPSIS: Nolan Maier was simply outstanding for the Blades, turning aside 42 shots and making several spectacular saves. Brandon didn’t help themselves by surrendering a 2-0 lead on a pair of Saskatoon power-play goals that they were never able to overcome.

• BWK goals: McCartney (pp), Greig.

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 1-6.

• OPP PP: 2-5.

• Shots: 44-22 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 34-28 SAS.

• Record: 11-3-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “We carried the play to Saskatoon for the most part. We gave up two goals on the penalty kill and only scored one on the power play and that was the difference in the hockey game. We needed to find a way to get pucks in the net and we didn’t do that.”

 

Brandon 8, Moose Jaw 3

Game 17: Tuesday, April 13

SYNOPSIS: After two games in which goals were hard to come by, Ty Thorpe sniped twice in the opening nine minutes. Young Moose Jaw star Brayden Yager replied twice, but six other Wheat Kings found the back of the net in the romp.

• BWK goals: Thorpe, Thorpe, Iorio, Ritchie (pp), McCallum, Greig (pp), Zimmer (pp), Perepeluk.

• BWK goalie: Ungar.

• BWK PP: 3-5.

• OPP PP: 1-4.

• Shots: 44-40 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 36-26 MJ.

• Record: 12-3-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “Thorpe’s first two goals, both of them were right in front, junkyard goals. The pucks were lying there and rebounds were there and he put them in. Those are good goals. They count the same as a goal to the top corner. That was the message, to stay around the net, get to the inside and make their goalie make some saves.”

 

Brandon 5, Winnipeg 3

Game 18: Wednesday, April 14

SYNOPSIS: Brandon scored the opening goal against Winnipeg for the first time in the season series to build a 2-0 lead in the first nine minutes. After each Winnipeg goal, Ben McCartney replied for the first hat trick of his WHL career.

• BWK goals: Ginnell, Hyland, McCartney, McCartney, McCartney (en).

• BWK goalie: Ungar.

• BWK PP: 0-0.

• OPP PP: 2-6.

• Shots: 41-26 WPG.

• Faceoffs: 31-29 WPG.

• Record: 13-3-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “We loved our first period. I thought we had some great exits, we had two really nice goals off entries and did some good things. We had lots of jump but you could just see the game change as we started to turn the pucks over in the middle of the ice. Winnipeg carried the play. We didn’t take advantage of their D corps tonight by getting pucks behind them in the second and third periods, we took some extended shifts and we got tired and took penalties and then you’re using less and less of your bench. It was a compounding thing.”

 

Brandon 4, Moose Jaw 1

Game 19: Saturday, April 17

SYNOPSIS: After a pair of routs, Brandon forward Riley Ginnell’s older brother Brad opened the scoring late in the first period for Moose Jaw, but Jake Chiasson tied it with two seconds remaining in the frame. It was all Brandon from there as Ben McCartney added a goal and two assists.

• BWK goals: Chiasson, McCartney, McCallum, Greig (sh).

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 0-2.

• OPP PP: 0-4.

• Shots: 34-20 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 30-25 MJ.

• Record: 14-3-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “We played really well in the first period. I thought we dominated the first period, then we had a communication breakdown in the D zone and they get a goal through some traffic and then we scored right after. That was a big goal to get it tied up after one, and then we scored some highlight reel goals in the second period and just did our business in the third. It was a good win.”

 

Brandon 5, Winnipeg 4 (OT)

Game 20: Sunday, April 18

SYNOPSIS: In a game Brandon seemed intent on giving away with a pair of penalties late in the third period, they found a way. The Ice went up 4-3 with less than five minutes remaining in the final frame, but Ridly Greig tied it with three minutes later. Braden Schneider was then flagged for a tripping call Brandon didn’t like with 11 seconds remaining. In overtime, Schneider stepped out the penalty box and scored 1:56 into extra time to complete the season sweep.

• BWK goals: Ritchie (pp), Sekundiak, Salame, Greig, Schneider.

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 1-4.

• OPP PP: 3-8.

• Shots: 34-31 WPG.

• Faceoffs: 39-29 WPG.

• Record: 15-3-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “We dodged a bullet for sure. We played a good hockey club. Winnipeg has a great team. They have some really good players and some really good young players who make a difference on a night-to-night basis. They are going to be a really good team going forward, but we beat them four times. Let’s call a spade a spade. If you had said to me we were going to beat Winnipeg four times, I would have said we would be happy with a split with them. They’re a very good club.”

 

Brandon 6, Swift Current 1

Game 21: Wednesday, April 21

SYNOPSIS: Lynden McCallum scored 14 minutes into the first period and then assisted Brandon’s next two goals as they built up a 3-1 lead. The back breaker came late in the second period when Nolan Ritchie scored and Rylan Thiessen added his first WHL goal 91 seconds later as the Wheat Kings swept the season series.

• BWK goals: McCallum, Ritchie (pp), Ritchie, Thiessen, Hyland (pp), Iorio (pp).

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 3-6.

• OPP PP: 1-6.

• Shots: 33-18 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 39-23 SC.

• Record: 16-3-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “I said to the guys after the second period that I thought we were cheating ourselves a little bit tonight. I didn’t think we played our best game tonight but we did what we needed to do. Sometimes those games are tough who they look like a mismatch on paper. Swift works hard and they have some young players trying to find their way. Give them some credit, they battled hard and their goalie was really good tonight.”

 

Brandon 5, Prince Albert 4 (OT)

Game 22: Saturday, April 24

SYNOPSIS: Brandon took a 2-0 lead in the first nine minutes but found themselves behind 4-3 midway through the third period in the final game of Raiders goalie Max Paddocks’s career against his hometown Wheat Kings. Ben McCartney tied it up for Brandon in the final six minutes of the third period, and in the last game of his WHL career against his hometown team, Brandon captain Braden Schneider sniped in overtime.

• BWK goals: Hyland, McCallum (pp), McCallum (pp), McCartney (pp), Schneider.

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 3-4.

• OPP PP: 1-2.

• Shots: 34-27 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 34-29 PA.

• Record: 17-3-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “We have a confidence level that we can be in every game and we have some game breakers who can put the puck in the net so we’re never out of a game. We have lots of guys who like to win, they are competitive guys and that’s been the key for our guys. Our leadership group has been outstanding.”

 

Brandon 5, Regina 1

Game 23: Sunday, April 25

SYNOPSIS: With a chance to clinch the East Division banner, Ridly Greig opened the scoring in the first period but the Pats tied it early in the second. That’s when Lynden McCallum took over. The Brandon overager pumped in a pair of power-play goals 31 seconds apart late in the second period, and then scored two more on the man advantage in the first 68 seconds of the third period. The four power-play goals came in a span of two minutes 58 seconds.

• BWK goals: Greig (sh), McCallum (pp), McCallum (pp), McCallum (pp), McCallum (pp).

• BWK goalie: Kruger.

• BWK PP: 4-7.

• OPP PP: 0-6.

• Shots: 35-30 REG.

• Faceoffs: 36-30 REG.

• Record: 18-3-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “Once we got through that first segment, we understood that we had a chance to win. I’m real proud of the group, the way they’ve worked. We put some bad games behind us, we put some good games behind us. We prepared ourselves on a daily basis like we did today and didn’t talk about the end result. The end result is we ended up with the best record in the hub.”

 

Saskatoon 5, Brandon 2

Game 24: Wednesday, April 28

SYNOPSIS: Brandon came out flat in the final game of its season, which had no bearing on the standings. The Blades built up a 2-0 lead, only to have Lynden McCallum score two more power-play goals six minutes apart in the second period. Disaster struck for Brandon when Chase Wouters replied for Saskatoon 42 seconds after Brandon had tied the game. After the game, graduating Saskatoon overager Caiden Daley skated across the ice to hug his former Brandon teammates.

• BWK goals: McCallum (pp), McCallum (pp).

• BWK goalie: Ungar.

• BWK PP: 2-5.

• OPP PP: 1-5.

• Shots: 37-28 BWK.

• Faceoffs: 31-29 SAS.

• Record: 18-4-2-0.

• Don MacGillivray: “Tonight’s game, I think there is an asterisk beside it. It’s tough after you’ve won and you’ve celebrated to come back today and play a really inspired, meaningful game. We did our best to try and stay on task but it clearly wasn’t there.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson