Calgary capitalizes on Brandon mistakes

Kris Foucault and Jimmy Bubnick each enjoyed four-point games as the Calgary Hitmen roared out to a big lead in a 5-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Memorial Cup on Wednesday.

Foucault scored twice, with Bubnick, Tyler Shattock and Cody Beach also scoring in a game where all the goals were scored in the opening period. Atlanta Thrashers prospect Bubnick now has eight points, moving ahead of Windsor's Taylor Hall for the tournament scoring lead.

"It'sa great honour, but there's still a lot of tournament to go," said Bubnick, acquired late in the season from Kamloops.

Jay Fehr scored for Brandon to make it 1-1 early in the first before the Hitmen took over and peppered goalie Jacob De Serres.

The Wheat Kings have allowed 14 goals in their two losses at the tournament, but Wednesday's defeat wasn't fatal.

The two Western Hockey League rivals play again in Brandon, Man., on Friday, with the winner advancing to play Sunday afternoon against the Windsor Spitfires, who are looking to repeat as Memorial Cup champions.

"It's disappointing," Wheat Kings coach Kelly McCrimmon said. "People thought it was a meaningless game, but I know that we  didn't, and I'm sure Calgary felt the same way. We're disappointed with the loss, even though it doesn't impact what lies ahead, because we came to win tonight, but didn't."

Calgary has now won five of the last six games between the clubs, including a series win in the WHL playoffs. Brandon took three of four during the regular season and will have to summon something from those efforts to stay alive.

De Serres, who shut out Moncton on Sunday, spent much of the first diving around his crease in an often futile attempt to contain rebounds he'd allowed. The netminder wasn't helped by his teammates, who too often failed to properly get an angle on Calgary's rushing forwards, leading to the scoring chances.

The key juncture came after Foucault scored his second to make it 2-1 just 6:36 into the game. Brandon hit the post and saw another shot trickle over the back of Martin Jones and close to the goal line before the Calgary netminder recovered to prevent a tie game.

Beach and Bubnick would soon score similar goals 67 seconds apart to blow the game open. The Hitmen forwards were dogged in their pursuit of loose pucks near the crease.

Foucault deked a Brandon defender and took a shot to set up the fifth goal, with St. Louis Blues draft pick Shattock right on top of De Serres and beating the goalie to the loose puck for the goal at 16:54.

Brandon actually outshot Calgary 15-14 in the period.

Jones stopped Matt Calvert at the five-minute mark of the second and then was helped late in the frame by defenceman Giffin Nyren, who cleared the puck just as it was crossing the goal line.

The officials went to video review but it was ruled the puck didn't completely cross the line.

De Serres kept the score the same at the other end, denying Bubnick a fifth point in the game.

Foucault's first goal of the game was a rather weak affair, a wrister that trickled through the pads at 3:15. Just 29 seconds later, Fehr replied. Aaron Lewadniuk corralled a Brandon dump-in and the puck was eventually worked to the slot for Fehr's one-timer.

Foucault, a Minnesota Wild prospect, found the mark just over three minutes later to put Calgary on top again, the first of their scores from goalmouth scrambles.

Brandon tried to establish some momentum heading into Friday's game in the third period but could not beat Jones, even with a five-minute power play after Rigby Burgart was ejected for boarding.

Unsurprisingly, there were also some tussles as the one-sided game dragged to its conclusion. Beach and Michael Ferland essentially got the gate when given 10-minute misconducts after fighting in the latter half of the period.