W'kings clinch!!!!!!!!!!!

[Triton]

Awesome job in sweeping the Blades this weekend.Lokk forward to the First round against MJ.What a come back.Down 4-1 to come back and tie it with less than a minute than win it in a shootout.Jory was huge tonight in teh game and the shootout.Kudos to Topilko for ending it and chipping in with 2 goals.

I'm so proud of the entire team.Thanks S.C for beating P.A and congrats on your playoffs spot.

[Triton]

Winnipeg, Manitoba -- For the thirteenth time in the past 14 years, the Brandon Wheat Kings are heading to the Western Hockey League playoffs.

The Wheat Kings earned the berth Saturday night with a dramatic come from behind 5-4 Overtime Shootout victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades at Winnipeg's MTS Centre.

The win, Brandon's third straight and second in as many nights against Saskatoon, improved the Wheat Kings record to 28-31-6-4, giving them 66 points and a seven point lead on the Prince Albert Raiders - with only three games remaining in the regular season.

After Saskatoon's Devin Setoguchi and Brandon defenceman Daryl Boyle exchanged goals in the Shootout, center Jeff Topilko - the sixth Wheat King shooter - beat Blades' Russian goalkeeper Anton Khudobin for the win.

In addition to his Shootout heroics, the 19-year old Vegreville, Alberta product scored a pair of regulation time goals while singles came off the sticks of defenceman Riley Day - with .3 seconds remaining in the second period and Stephane Lenoski with just 39 seconds left in regulation time.

Winnipeg's Joe Barnes had two goals and three points for the Blades, who led 2-1 and 4-3 at the period breaks. In fact, Saskatoon led 4-1 early in the second period, only to see the Wheat Kings battle back time and time again.

Khudobin made 33 saves including four of six in the Shootout for Saskatoon while Kurt Jory stopped 21 shots in relief of starter Tyler Plante, who was pulled after giving up two first period goals. In the Shootout, Jory stopped Barnes, Wacey Rabbit, Chad Klassen, Joe Logan and Colton Gillies.

With a playoff spot secured, the Wheat Kings will close out the 2005-06 regular season this week with games against the Broncos in Swift Current on Tuesday, the visiting Regina Pats on Friday and in Moose Jaw Saturday night.

Saturday's game will be nothing more than a preliminary for the club's best of seven opening round playoff series, expected to begin Friday, March 24th in Moose Jaw. Due to the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, the Wheat Kings first two playoff home games will be played at Winnipeg's MTS Centre.

[Dwight Schrute]

congrats to the wheatkings. lets hope they make some noise in the playoffs

[WHEATMAN]

congrats to the wheatkings. lets hope they make some noise in the playoffs

I think we will do some damage if we use our size to our advantage and play as a unit as opposed to individuals. It's going to be tough but I hope the boys will use there underdog role to there advantage, and maybe shock the warriors

[Joe Hallenback]

Nice job by this team and some great coaching by McCrimmon. After a really shakey start this team has started to play some decent hockey in the last few months and I think if we get a ref that will let them play we could see an upset in the first round.

[nivek_wahs]

Congrats to McCrimmon and the Wheat Kings... Good luck vs. the Warriors, I say the Wheat Kings can make the series worth watching. I might even have cheer for Brandon :laugh:

[T-BOT]

Winnipeg, Manitoba -- For the thirteenth time in the past 14 years, the Brandon Wheat Kings are heading to the Western Hockey League playoffs.

The Wheat Kings earned the berth Saturday night with a dramatic come from behind 5-4 Overtime Shootout victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades at Winnipeg's MTS Centre.

The win, Brandon's third straight and second in as many nights against Saskatoon, improved the Wheat Kings record to 28-31-6-4, giving them 66 points and a seven point lead on the Prince Albert Raiders - with only three games remaining in the regular season.

After Saskatoon's Devin Setoguchi and Brandon defenceman Daryl Boyle exchanged goals in the Shootout, center Jeff Topilko - the sixth Wheat King shooter - beat Blades' Russian goalkeeper Anton Khudobin for the win.

In addition to his Shootout heroics, the 19-year old Vegreville, Alberta product scored a pair of regulation time goals while singles came off the sticks of defenceman Riley Day - with .3 seconds remaining in the second period and Stephane Lenoski with just 39 seconds left in regulation time.

Winnipeg's Joe Barnes had two goals and three points for the Blades, who led 2-1 and 4-3 at the period breaks. In fact, Saskatoon led 4-1 early in the second period, only to see the Wheat Kings battle back time and time again.

Khudobin made 33 saves including four of six in the Shootout for Saskatoon while Kurt Jory stopped 21 shots in relief of starter Tyler Plante, who was pulled after giving up two first period goals. In the Shootout, Jory stopped Barnes, Wacey Rabbit, Chad Klassen, Joe Logan and Colton Gillies.

With a playoff spot secured, the Wheat Kings will close out the 2005-06 regular season this week with games against the Broncos in Swift Current on Tuesday, the visiting Regina Pats on Friday and in Moose Jaw Saturday night.

Saturday's game will be nothing more than a preliminary for the club's best of seven opening round playoff series, expected to begin Friday, March 24th in Moose Jaw. Due to the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, the Wheat Kings first two playoff home games will be played at Winnipeg's MTS Centre.


That kind of sucks though that the 3rd and 4th games of the series are in Winnipeg, I mean your team gets in the playoffs and WheatKing fans have to travel to Winnipeg to see it. I don't know, but if I was a Brandon fan that winter fair would be annoying as hell.

[WHEATMAN]

its is. I think the keystone should move the fair back 2 weeks, and if the WHL allows, have a mini road trip, so we can have the boys at home for the playoffs

[Triton]

Yeah having to play away from the Keystone every year could one year make or break us.Fortunately we've played some of our best hockey in Winnipeg.I wish they would have the winter fair moved up 2 weeks and have the boys go on the road.It's also funny that they are now having this fair,but honestly it's spring now.How about having the fair when the Wheaties head out of their west coast trip.

[BWK]

I agree that it sucks to miss the first round of play-offs every year but in the big picture, this fair is huge to Brandon.

In one week, the Keystone attracts almost as many people as the Wheat Kings do in one season and the vast majority from out of town. The fair has been held continously, the same weekend, since 1908. The Keystone Centre was built in the 1970's as a home for the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. The Wheat Kings know that their venue is spoken for that week and that is the reason Kelly takes his team to Winnipeg for four games a season, to get them ready for play-offs in Winnipeg. Until Kelly builds his own arena, the Wheat Kings wil play second fiddle to the Winter Fair every year, much like Calgary and the Saddledome this year.

But, you know what? All that don't mean s**t. I want to see play-off hockey