Tie Braun's power play goal, scored with nine seconds left in the second period, proved to be the winner as the Thompson King Miners beat the Portage Terriers 5-3 to claim the bantam A provincial championship March 7 at the C.A. Nesbitt Arena.

Zach Beaver scored his second goal of the game into an empty net to seal the win after Portage drew within one in the third period, which saw the King Miners kill off a five-minute major after Cody Dawson was assessed a match penalty for cross-checking.

Dawson, Nicholas Kraychuk and Beaver also scored second period goals for the Miners, Kraychuk's on a breakaway 2:17 after play resumed to give Thompson their first lead of the game at 2-1. The lead lasted only 36 seconds, as Portage's Jason Kirkland fired a slapper past Miners' goaltender Nickolas Haney to knot the score 2-2.

Dawson had tallied Thompson's first goal of the game just 51 seconds into the middle frame, cutting into the slot and firing a wrist shot past Terriers' netminder Justin Semchyshyn.

Beaver's first goal of the game, scored with the King Miner's enjoying a two-man advantage, came 3:28 before the second intermission.

"The boys played hard all weekend,'” said the King Miners’ head coach Jason Brabant. "They really came together when they needed to. The leadership Zach showed was unbelievable and the way the defence played on Sunday was great. Most of all, the way they believed in themselves, as I did, to bring home the gold as well since a lot of critics in town didn't expect them to win at all."

Thompson qualified for the semifinal in dramatic fashion, beating the Steinbach Millers 4-3 in overtime Sunday morning to book a spot in the gold medal game. Beaver was the hero in overtime, scoring on a wraparound 1:10 into the extra frame after Dawson tied the game with a power play goal 8:41 before regulation time expired.

Kraychuk had a chance to end the game on a penalty shot with 46 seconds left in the game but failed to connect. Haney then preserved the tie with a save less than 10 seconds before time expired.

Dawson gave the King Miners a 1-0 lead in the opening period before Dominic Dumesnil beat Haney with a long wrister 2:13 before the break.

The Millers took the lead midway through the second when Mick Penner scored after Haney lost his stick while untangling himself from a Steinbach player who crashed into his crease. Beaver tied it at two when he knocked in a rebound on a power play with 3:09 left in the period, but Steinbach replied with a power play goal by Patrick Haegeman just over two minutes later to send them into the third with the lead.

The King Miners recorded two ties and a win in the round robin, opening with a 2-2 draw against the Morden Hawks in the tournament's opening game March 5, then playing Portage to a 5-5 tie that evening. Their final round-robin game was a 6-2 win over the Swan River Stampeders on March 6.

"Kudos to the boys on a great season," said Brabant. "They went undefeated in their last seven games to end the season."