The Manitoba Junior Hockey League will crown a new champion after the Dauphin Kings were eliminated from the McMunn and Yates Building Supplies Turnbull Cup Playoffs by the Swan Valley Stampeders.

Swan Valley clinched the series with a 4-1 win in game six, Apr. 4, in Dauphin, winning the series four-games-to-two.

Swan Valley built a 2-1 lead after the opening period and sealed the win with two in the third.

Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley felt after the Kings won game five in double overtime in Swan River, Apr. 1, that they would be the team that would come out hungry for victory.

“I thought if anything, after that game in Swan we would be the ones jumping out and they would chase the game. Instead we chased the game right off the hop,” he said. “We weren’t sharp. We weren’t on our toes. We weren’t doing things we’ve done for the previous five. Even in some of those games that we lost in the first five games, we were better.”

The Kings, Hedley said, did not get much of a forecheck going in game six.

“It happens at this time of year. It all comes down to will and fire in the belly. If you start thinking about what you’re doing when the season is over, the focus is lost. Give Swan credit. They did a hell of a job,” he said.

Hedley pointed out the Kings did not win a single game on home ice, with both victories coming in Swan River.

“I really feel bad because the fans deserve better. Our fans here, they didn’t see a win in the playoffs. Of course, we had a lot of people in Swan, but at the same time, you’ve got to protect our home ice. We should be getting breaks. On our ice, we should be getting bounces and breaks because we’re out working the opposition, not getting outworked,” he said. “I give Swan credit. They outworked us tonight.”

Trailing 2-1 in the third period, the Kings could not get anything going offensively, managing just three shots compared to Swan Valley’s 14.

That lack of urgency and desperation proved costly.

“It’s frustrating. Now the 20-year-olds are in there and they’re crying. Their junior A career is over and the rest of the guys in there see that. It’s one of those things when it’s final, it’s ended. It’s just done,” Hedley said. “It comes down to they were hungrier than we were tonight, for some reason. Bottom line is, when you get in the playoffs like that, it’s got to come from the room. You know the little things, the simple things you’ve got to do well. Tonight, I don’t think we were as good as we have been.”

The Kings were inconsistent over the course of the season. Some nights they played like they were the best team in the league. Other nights, they didn’t.

Hedley pointed out the Kings were not counting on losing players from last season such as Nick Braun and Luke Morris, who would have been top six forwards this season.

“Those are guys that we counted on being back and part of that nucleus. When you lose that kind of culture, we ended up putting some bandaids here and there,” he said. “Getting Smitty (Mason Smith), getting Brooksy (Jakob Brooks), Gougher (Mathew Gough), getting Hansy (Deepkaran Hans), I thought Hans was one of our best players in the series. He never stopped working. He cared. And when you care, good things happen. I just don’t know if we had enough guys with the passion and the fire in the belly. And it was like that all year.”

With only a handful of players returning from last year’s championship team, Hedley knew it would be a tough season.

“When you lose that many guys, it’s tough. And it’s sure not an excuse, because we played well. We beat Portage four times this year. So we were capable of being one of the best teams in this league, but you have to do it at the right time,” he said, adding the team could have quit in Swan River in game five, but they didn’t. “They wanted to win. We outplayed them in Swan. We outchanced them and outplayed them. That’s why tonight is so frustrating, because we haven’t won a game on home ice and our fans deserve better,” Hedley said.

Looking ahead to next season, the team looks good on the back end, as they only lose defenceman Owen Wareham and goaltender Dmytri Kubritskyi.

With Cole Sheffield and Marko Belak eligible to return and the signing of two goaltending prospects, there will be quite the battle between the pipes next season.

Up front, the Kings return the likes of local products Rylan Gibbs and Carter Zalischuk, as well as Logan Walker, Aaron Neal, Alex Senf, Myles Yearwood, Blake Boudreau and Ethan Williment.

Connor Picard and Riley Borody, both of whom were traded early in the season, will also return to the fold as they were sent out on loan.

“And we’ve got some real good U18 kids coming in. It’s a really exciting future coming up, for sure,” Hedley said. “And probably the next year or two, there will be more Parkland and Dauphin kids on the team than ever been in a while.”

The Kings will host their annual spring prospects camp, Apr. 28 to 30, with more than 120 players already registered.

An identification camp will be held, June 23 to 25, in Minneapolis, Minn., for American-born players.

With the season over, Hedley wishes to thank the fans for their support over the course of the season.

“It’s disappointing when you don’t get it done,” he said.