BRANDON, Man. — Brendan Burke deserved better.
He probably warranted a medal of some kind.
But all he has to show for a sparkling 43-save effort is a loss.
The Calgary Hitmen goaltender did everything in his power to get his club to overtime, but a chest-high deflection by Tyler Coulter on the first shift of sudden death gave the Brandon Wheat Kings a 3-2 win and a 2-0 lead in the WHL Eastern Conference Final.
Micheal Zipp and Adam Tambellini scored in regulation time for the Hitmen, who will return home for Games 3 and 4 (Tuesday and Wednesday, 7 p.