2016 Playoff Run
The 2015-16 Brandon Wheat Kings are considered by most as one of the very best teams in franchise history. With this year's “Wheaties” putting in a bid for the 2026 Memorial Cup, it is a perfect time to look back at some of the most dominant teams in the Wheat Kings archives.
This edition of the Memorial Cup Throwback features a look at the championship round of the WHL playoffs and Brandon's appearance at the Memorial Cup. Take a trip down memory lane below:
Championship Series vs Seattle
The Brandon Wheat Kings went into the finals knowing their opponent finished eight points behind them in the regular season. But as the team found out, looks can be deceiving. Seattle - led by Matt Barzal, Keagan Kolesar, Alexander True, Ethan Bear and the WHL save percentage leader (20+ games) Landon Bow - had lost only one game en route to its Western Conference title, and would end up being a huge test for Brandon.
Game 1
Reid Duke got the Brandon crowd bumping with a late powerplay goal in the last three minutes of the first. Seattle finally broke through a rock-solid Jordan Papirny midway through the second and again early in the third. Wheat Kings’ fans didn't have to worry for long as Nolan Patrick answered three minutes later with his 11th goal of the playoffs. Just over six minutes into overtime a Duncan Campbell shot took an awkward bounce off the glass and went back over the net where Tanner Kaspick batted it into the net for a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2
Game 2 started off with no score through the first period, as Papirny and Bow both made some key stops early in the game. Just a minute into the first Donovan Neuls put one by Papirny which was quickly answered by a short-handed Patrick goal. In a game where Papirny was sensational it was Bow on the other side of the ice making some huge desperation saves to keep Seattle afloat. Bear gave Seattle its one goal lead back halfway through the third frame, but once again Brandon kept firing as Tyler Coulter buried one four minutes later. Off to overtime once again, Brandon kept buzzing as a sneaky shot from behind the net ended Jayce Hawryluk’s lengthy playoff goal drought and sent Brandon to Seattle with a 2-0 series lead.
Game 3
If we follow the same storyline of the previous two rounds, Brandon gets blown out in game three, instead we follow the same storyline of the first two games of the championship series. Brandon found itself down 2-1 heading in the final frame for the third-straight game, but John Quenneville’s second of the night and 15th of the playoffs tied it up at the 11-minute mark. And once again we are off to overtime where it didn’t take long for Reid Duke to find the back of the net, sending Brandon into Game 4 with its third-straight 3-2 overtime victory.
Game 4
Landon Bow vs Jordan Papirny was a huge storyline heading into Game 4. Both goalies had been sensational against each team's high power offence, with Papirny getting the edge by one goal in three-straight games. The script flipped in Game 4 and turned into the Bow show. He stopped 30 of 31 shots, while Papirny gave up six-straight Seattle goals. A late goal by Hawryluk - only his fourth of the playoffs - ruined Bow’s shutout hopes but Seattle came outon top with a 6-1 blowout victory.
Game 5
Quenneville opened up the scoring early in Game 5, but it was Seattle's fourth line who answered rather quickly. A power play goal from Macoy Erkamps and an early second period goal by Coulter woke the Thunderbirds up as they scored three quick goals to go up 4-3. Hawryluk would answer after a beautiful play by Tim McGauly with less than two minutes left in the second frame, sending the game to the third period tied 4-4.
In one of the most exciting back-and-forth games of the year, Patrick and the top line came out flying and put the Wheat Kings up by one, three minutes into the third. It would be three-straight goals - two by Hawryluk, who completed the hat trick - that won the Wheat Kings the 2015-16 Ed Chynoweth Trophy and send Brandon to the Memorial cup.
GM 1 Seattle Thunderbirds 2 - 3 at Brandon Wheat Kings OT
GM 2 Seattle Thunderbirds 2 - 3 at Brandon Wheat Kings OT
GM 3 Brandon Wheat Kings 3 - 2 at Seattle Thunderbirds OT
GM 4 Brandon Wheat Kings 1 - 6 at Seattle Thunderbirds
GM 5 Brandon Wheat Kings 8 - 4 at Seattle Thunderbirds
Memorial Cup in Red Deer
Unfortunately, Brandon could not find the same success at the Memorial Cup as the team had all year. Still one of the deepest teams in the tournament, the Wheat Kings couldn’t match the top star power in the tournament
Game 1 vs Rouyn Noranda
Rouyn Noranda were the CHL’s top ranked team the majority of the 2015-16 season with NHL talent Timo Meier, Jeremy Lauzon and Phillipe Myers leading the way along with 108-point scorer Francis Perron.
Just over two minutes into the first period and after a huge scramble in front of the net, Reid Duke poked the puck in to put his team up 1-0.
The game slowly got away from the Wheat Kings after their early start. Lauzon went end-to-end, and sent a beautiful pass across the middle of the ice to another now NHLer, AJ Greer, who found the back of the net. The Huskies continued to pour it on, scoring two goals in the final 1:27 in the first to put them up 5-1 going into the third.
Brandon didn’t back off and outshot the Huskies 20-4 in the third, but could only get two past Chase Marchand, granted one of them was one of the nicest goals in tournament history with John Quenneville going between his legs and roofing it. The comeback was not enough, and the Wheaties moved on to face London.
Game 2 vs London
The game against London is one Wheat Kings fans would love to forget. London, with their loaded first line of Matthew Tkachuk, Mitch Marner and Christan Dvorak blew out the Wheat Kings 9-1. Looking at it now, Brandon stood no chance against arguably a top five junior team of all time which featured the big three along with other NHL talent Olli Juolevi, Evan Bouchard, Max Jones, Victor Mete and Kole Sherwood.
The Tkachuk-Dvorak-Marner line combined for 20 points through the Kinghts' first two games of the tournament and were ultimately too tough to handle for the WHL champs.
Game 3 vs Red Deer
Brandon came into their third game needing to not only beat Red Deer but beat them by nine goals in order to even create a tie breaker situation. An unfortunate end to the season for Brandon saw the team lose 2-1 in overtime.
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Game On's Jackson Bachewich has produced this five-part series set for release in advance of puck drop on the 2024-25 WHL season. The remaining pieces will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned for the next two stories released in Game On's Memorial Cup Throwback Series.
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