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The curtain has come down on the Brandon Wheat Kings' 2008-2009 Western Hockey League season.
The Calgary Hitmen built up a 5-1 second period lead and then hung on in the third period for a 6-4 victory over the Wheat Kings and a four game sweep of their best of seven WHL Husky Mohawk Eastern Conference Final.
With the victory, their 12th straight in this year's playoffs, the Hitmen advance to the WHL Championship against the winner of the Western Conference Final between Kelowna and Vancouver.
The win also matched the league record for consecutive post-season victories, which is currently shared by the 2006 Vancouver Giants, 1991 Spokane Chiefs, 1989 Swift Current Broncos and 1984 Kamloops Junior Oilers.
Calgary got goals from six different players - Keith Seabrook, Paul Postma, Alex Plante, Bostjan Golicic, Brett Sonne and Tomas Karpov.
The Wheat Kings, who trailed 2-0 and 6-2 at the period breaks got goals from Nathan Green, Jay Fehr, Jordan Hale and Andrew Clark, who was one of three 20-year olds that were playing their final game of major junior hockey.
Joining Clark, the former midget AAA Wheat King that helped lead Brandon to the National Championship in 2004, were Sanford Manitoba product Chad Erb and former Medicine Hat Tiger Matt Lowry. A member of the 2007 WHL Champion Tigers, Lowry spent two productive seasons in Brandon while Erb played four full seasons with the Wheat Kings after graduating from the Pembina Valley AAA Hawks.
Among the others that may have played their final game in a Brandon uniform was 19-year old captain Keith Aulie. A member of this year's National Junior team that captured the gold medal in Ottawa, Aulie has already signed with the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames and is expected to play professionally next winter.
The 2008-09 Wheat Kings, who will host the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup next May, enjoyed an outstanding season compiling a record of 48-19-3-2 for 101 regular season points and posted an 8-4 playoff record.
Next up for the Wheat Kings will be the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft, scheduled for next Thursday in Edmonton.
The Calgary Hitmen built up a 5-1 second period lead and then hung on in the third period for a 6-4 victory over the Wheat Kings and a four game sweep of their best of seven WHL Husky Mohawk Eastern Conference Final.
With the victory, their 12th straight in this year's playoffs, the Hitmen advance to the WHL Championship against the winner of the Western Conference Final between Kelowna and Vancouver.
The win also matched the league record for consecutive post-season victories, which is currently shared by the 2006 Vancouver Giants, 1991 Spokane Chiefs, 1989 Swift Current Broncos and 1984 Kamloops Junior Oilers.
Calgary got goals from six different players - Keith Seabrook, Paul Postma, Alex Plante, Bostjan Golicic, Brett Sonne and Tomas Karpov.
The Wheat Kings, who trailed 2-0 and 6-2 at the period breaks got goals from Nathan Green, Jay Fehr, Jordan Hale and Andrew Clark, who was one of three 20-year olds that were playing their final game of major junior hockey.
Joining Clark, the former midget AAA Wheat King that helped lead Brandon to the National Championship in 2004, were Sanford Manitoba product Chad Erb and former Medicine Hat Tiger Matt Lowry. A member of the 2007 WHL Champion Tigers, Lowry spent two productive seasons in Brandon while Erb played four full seasons with the Wheat Kings after graduating from the Pembina Valley AAA Hawks.
Among the others that may have played their final game in a Brandon uniform was 19-year old captain Keith Aulie. A member of this year's National Junior team that captured the gold medal in Ottawa, Aulie has already signed with the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames and is expected to play professionally next winter.
The 2008-09 Wheat Kings, who will host the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup next May, enjoyed an outstanding season compiling a record of 48-19-3-2 for 101 regular season points and posted an 8-4 playoff record.
Next up for the Wheat Kings will be the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft, scheduled for next Thursday in Edmonton.
