Wheat Kings' Dominant Season Comes to an End at TELUS Cup

Wheat Kings fall 4-1 in TELUS Cup Final

Canada’s No. 1 ranked U18 AAA Brandon Wheat Kings found themselves in an unfamiliar position as underdogs heading into the TELUS Cup final on Sunday.

The Wheat Kings – despite their first regulation loss during the West Regionals – were still considered the heavy favorites entering the year-end national championship. 

The U18 powerhouse – which went an outstanding 43-0-1 in the Manitoba AAA regular season – fell 4-1 to the Magog Cantonniers in the TELUS Cup final in Membertou, Nova Scotia. 

For the Wheat Kings, it was Brady Turko and Canadian Elite Hockey League Player of the Year Jaxon Jacobson who led the charge in the semi-final against the Calgary Buffaloes, a team they had previously lost to in the tournament. Turko scored a hat-trick while Jacobson had three assists, helping advance the Wheat Kings to the final with a 4-1 victory.

Brandon, which dropped its tournament opener to the Cantonniers, had to play most of the final without Jacobson. The Manitoba U18 AAA League’s top scorer suffered an upper-body injury in his second shift of the game and didn’t return.

After some huge early saves from Wheat Kings’ netminder Burke Hood, the Cantonniers struck first when QMJHL draft eligible prospect Simon-Xavier Cyr fooled Hood with a backhander.

Wheat Kings forward Colten Worthington then sent the lethal Cantonniers power-play to work as tournament MVP Gabriel Courchesne scored to close out the opening period.

The Wheat Kings struggled to find the dominant offensive game they had been known for without Jacobson, being outshot 18-6 and finding themselves trailing 2-1 after the first 20 minutes. 

Late in the frame, Brandon had a chance to gain some life on a Magog too many players minor. The Wheat Kings once again struggled to find offence without Jacobson as they headed into the third period down 4-1,while being outshot 35-15.

The Cantonniers never looked back, carrying the 4-1 lead to the very end. The host totaled 46 shots on Hood, who had a strong 42-save performance. At the other end it was Kyan Labbé stopping 19 of the 20 shots he faced, winning the tournament's top goaltending honors with a .944 save percentage and a 1.60 goals-against average.

Jacobson led the Wheat Kings in points throughout the tournament with one goal and 11 assists, while Turko was second in tournament goals with eight.

Hood split starts with Matthew Mitcha during the preliminary round, but it was Hood who took over the crease late in the tournament finishing with a .920 save percentage and 2.62 goals against average.