Given a chance to play for the national championship of major junior hockey, Jayce Hawryluk and the Brandon Wheat Kings would not be denied.
Hawryluk, a 20-year-old Florida Panthers prospect, scored three goals and had two assists to lift the Wheat Kings to an 8-4 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds Friday in Game 5 of the WHL final in Kent Wash., to clinch the series 4-1.
The Wheat Kings advance to the MasterCard Memorial Cup in Red Deer, May 19-29. The tournament will include the London Knights (OHL) Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL) and Red Deer Rebels (host).
Down to their last lifeline in the WHL championship, the T-birds looked to be down and out when Tyler Coulter snapped in a pass from Hawryluk early the second period to give Brandon a 3-1 lead.
The T-birds scored three unanswered goals to retake the lead. Josh Uhrich triggered the comeback with his second goal of the game and Jerret Smith and Alexander True also scored to give Seattle a 4-3 lead with seven minutes to play in the second.
But Hawryluk tied it late in the period and Wheat Kings centre Nolan Patrick followed up with his 13th of the postseason early in the third period. Hawryuk’s second of the game, 6:19 into the third, gave the Wheat Kings some insurance before Hawryluk collected his hat trick goal into an empty net. Stelio Mattheos capped the scoring, also into the empty net.
Jordan Pipirny made 27 saves in the Brandon nets. Landon Bow made 30 stops for Seattle.
The Wheat Kings won the first two games in Brandon in overtime, both by 3-2 scores, and needed overtime to beat the T-birds 4-3 in Seattle in Game 3. The T-birds won Game Wednesday in Seattle 6-1.
