It's not ever day you get another crack at something, but for the Brandon Wheat Kings, this year's edition of the Memorial Cup is exactly that – a second chance.
The Wheat Kings of course bowed out of the race for the WHL's Ed Chynoweth Cup at the end of April when they lost the Eastern Conference Final against the Calgary Hitmen 4-1. Twenty-one days of rest later and Brandon is facing off against the OHL champions, the Windsor Spitfires, in the opening game of the 2010 Memorial Cup Championship.
For Kelly McCrimmon and the boys, Friday's tournament opener is one that is being highly anticipated by hockey fans. Taylor Hall, this year's NHL entry draft's first or second pick, will be in town trying to lead his Spitfires to a second consecutive Memorial Cup, and would be just the fifth team in 35 years to do so. For the Wheaties they knew they had to be ready for this match and the rust may show after three weeks of not seeing a real game. Expect the better part of the first period to be controlled by Windsor as Brandon finds their legs. Also get ready to see Travis Hammonic stockpile the minutes as the WHL's top shutdown defenceman will have to keep up with Hall. The final outcome though could be tricky to predict. A lot of people are already betting the farm on Windsor in the opening game but don't forget what happened to team in the OHL Western Conference Finals. Down three games to none, the Spitfires had to scramble their way back against the Kitchener Rangers just to advance to the OHL Championship. Windsor by two goals.
As for Brandon's second game of the tournament, it comes fast. Less than 48-hours after their opening game, the Wheat Kings will suit up against the Moncton Wildcats Sunday afternoon. This one is a little hard to predict. Moncton is the lowest ranking team in this year's tournament. Plus the kicker – Nicolas Deschamps, the QMJHL's leading scorer, is expected to miss the whole thing with a leg injury. Brandon seems too powerful for this team going into the Memorial Cup. Expect the Wheat Kings to easily walk around the Wildcats and control the play the whole sixty minutes. Brandon easily wins this one.
And finally, the Calgary Hitmen. Two years and two Eastern Conference Finals worth of revenge will roll out in this match Wednesday night. As mentioned before, Calgary eliminated Brandon in this year's playoffs – the second straight year. During the 2008-2009 season, the Hitmen weren't as nice eliminating the Wheat Kings in four games. A possible saving grace for the Wheats. Brandon Kozun, the WHL's leading scorer this year, missed practice on Thursday with a right ankle sprain. His status is still up in the air for Calgary's tournament opener Saturday against Moncton. But even with Kozun out of the lineup, Calgary still packs a powerful punch. The Wheat Kings seemed to have trouble with Martin Jones in the playoffs. Plus add the likes of Joel Broda, Michael Stone and Tyler Shattock and this one could be a toughie. Expect a heated, back and forth affair with a lot of physical activity during and after the whistles. These two teams have way too much between each other for this one to be a blowout. In the end, Brandon will get their revenge.
The biggest thing to remember as the Wheat Kings compete for the Memorial Cup for the fifth time in franchise history: this tournament is a one win tournament. Anything can happen. With no series, a single win can decide it all and really upset the best. Below are some stats I pulled together to compare all four teams. Happy Memorial Cup!
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Brandon Wheat Kings
Regular Season Record — 50-18-1-3
321 goals for — 204 goals against during regular season
Leading Scorer — Matt Calvert — 47 goals, 52 assists, 99 points
Brayden Schenn — 34 goals, 65 assists, 99 points
Goalies — Andrew Hayes — 42 games, 25 wins, 109 GA, 5 SO, 2.68 avg., .906 %
Jacob De Serres — 32 games, 25 wins, 83 GA, 2 SO, 2.70 avg., .905 %
Second in Eastern Conference
Calgary Hitmen
Regular Season Record — 52-17-1-2
269 goals for — 177 goals against during regular season
Leading Scorer — Brandon Kozun — 32 goals, 75 assists, 107 points
Starting Goalie — Martin Jones – 48 games, 36 wins, 105 GA, 8 SO, 2.21 avg., 0.919 %
Eastern Conference Champions
WHL Champions
Windsor Spitfires
Regular Season Record — 50-12-1-5
331 goals for — 203 goals against during regular season
Leading Scorer — Taylor Hall — 40 goals, 66 assists, 106 points
Starting Goalie — Troy Passingham — 50 games, 35 wins, 132 GA, 3 SO, 2.78 avg., 0.902 %
Western Conference Champions
OHL Champions
Moncton Wildcats
Regular Season Record — 48-14-2-4
263 goals for — 149 goals against during regular season
Leading Scorer — Nicolas Deschamps — 39 goals, 57 assists, 96 points
Starting Goalie — Nicola Riopel — 33 games, 19 wins, 50 GA, 3SO, 2.06 avg., 0.918 %
3rd in QMJHL Regular Season
QMJHL Champions
Memorial Cup Schedule
Friday, May 14th — Windsor vs Brandon — 7pm
Saturday, May 15th — Calgary vs Moncton — 2pm
Sunday, May 16th — Brandon vs Moncton — 2pm
Monday, May 17th — Calgary vs Windsor — 7pm
Tuesday, May 18th — Quebec vs Windsor — 7pm
Wednesday, May 19th — Brandon vs Calgary — 7pm
Thursday, May 20th — Tiebreaker (if necessary) — 7pm
Friday, May 21st — Semifinal — 7pm
Sunday, May 23rd — Championship Final — 2pm
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