The Calgary Hitmen whacked the Brandon Wheat Kings with a first-round sweep move on to Round Two of the 2026 WHL Playoffs.
Brandon led Calgary 2-0 in a must-win Game 4 in Virden, Man., but the visitors stormed back with four unanswered goals to seal a 4-2 win.
Alternate Captain Ethan Moore scored the game-winner in each of Calgary’s four victories.
But the five-game series doesn’t capture how close the matchup truly was.
Game 1 saw Eric Tu and Filip Ruzicka trade showstopping saves long into the night as Calgary prevailed 1-0 in triple overtime.
Moore’s marker sealed the longest 1-0 playoff game in the WHL’s internet era.
The rematch saw Calgary strike twice in the last 10 minutes, including a game-tying goal from captain Axel Hurtig, to force extra time, where Moore ended the match by hammering a powerplay rebound home for a 6-5 win.
Hitmen star Julien Maze was in on all six of Calgary’s goals, logging one tally and five assists, while Moore, 21, bagged a team-best five goals and one assist.
The series shifted East for Game 3, where Moore played hero again with a five-hole strike.
Captain Hurtig also earned more than a win as the Calgary Hitmen signed the towering Swedish defender to a three-year, entry-level contract after the Game 3 victory.
Tu closes out his first playoff series with a 4-0-0-0 record, a 1.63 goals-against average, a .945 save percentage and one shutout.
Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Kale Dach also shined with a pair of goals and helpers, while being named to the 2025-26 WHL Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team.
Dach is a finalist for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the WHL Rookie of the Year.
Calgary is the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference after going 38-21-8-1 in the regular season.
