On Monday March 26th, game 3 of the Provincial Midget Championship series took place at the MTS Ice plex. In the final dance the two teams remaining were the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Winnipeg Wild.

Prelude:

The Wild began the playoffs against the Central Plains Capitals, trading wins in the first two match ups. In game three for the series momentum, the Wild were down 1-0, until the third period, when Mikol Sartor and Matthew Shatsky secured the win with 3 goals in the first half of the third. The Wild made no mistake in the next game to move on. The Winnipeg Thrashers were the Wilds next obstacle. The series required the minimum three games for the Wild to prevail, their ability for various players to step up into scoring roles proved to be the deciding factor against the Thrashers. Kyle Bettens, Mitchell Joss, Luke Seremet, and Tristan Thompson lead their team in points, all finishing with double digits.

On the other side, the Wheat Kings path to the finals went through Souris Manitoba, taking on the Southwest Cougars. In the series, Brandon produced a wopping 20 goals in three games to seal the deal. Next matchup saw a more formidable foe, the Winnipeg Bruins who despite being swept, lost 3 one goal games against the Wheat Kings who stormed into the final series undefeated. Lynden McCallum, Dylan Halliday, and Nolan Ritchie were key players offensively in their playoff run. In addition, overall team defense and goaltending helped in tight games.

The Championship series contained all the necessary elements for high quality hockey. Both teams’ overall speed and offensive creativity made for some very exciting play, as well as great defense and goaltending to counter. The first game was a Chess match, in which the Wild pulled off a 2-0 win, despite being outshot in each frame. The second match followed the trend of the first, both goaltenders allowing nothing until a short-handed goal from Mitchell Joss put the Wild on the board. Brandon had an answer shortly after, however Kyle Betten’s clinched the GWG as the Wild shut down the scoring in the second half of the third period.

Game 3 brought a crowd, who also brought the noise, filling both sides of the Canadian Tire arena. The Winnipeg Wild found themselves heading into the third and final frame up 2-1. The Wheat Kings had to capitalize early, and within 5 minutes, Carter Sawchuk stepped up to tie it 2-2. Jackson Klewchuk came back with a goal to put the Wild up 3-2 and eventually 4-2 with an empty net to win the Provicial Midget Championship.

Congratulations to the Winnipeg Wild, who now move on to compete in the Telus Cup Regionals at Thunder bay!