diff --git a/closed/autoconf/custom-spec.gmk.in b/closed/autoconf/custom-spec.gmk.in
index 2ea6623745..08dfd95def 100644
--- a/closed/autoconf/custom-spec.gmk.in
+++ b/closed/autoconf/custom-spec.gmk.in
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ COMPILER_VERSION_STRING := @COMPILER_VERSION_STRING@
 
 include $(TOPDIR)/closed/openjdk-tag.gmk
 
-J9JDK_EXT_VERSION       := $(VERSION_NUMBER_FOUR_POSITIONS)-ea
+J9JDK_EXT_VERSION       := $(VERSION_NUMBER_FOUR_POSITIONS)
 J9JDK_EXT_NAME          := Extensions for OpenJDK for Eclipse OpenJ9
 
 # required by CMake
diff --git a/closed/get_j9_source.sh b/closed/get_j9_source.sh
index 325b4c3348..8ccd54f10a 100644
--- a/closed/get_j9_source.sh
+++ b/closed/get_j9_source.sh
@@ -66,14 +66,8 @@ declare -A references
 git_urls[openj9]=https://github.com/eclipse-openj9/openj9
 git_urls[omr]=https://github.com/eclipse-openj9/openj9-omr
 
-currentbranch=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
-if [[ "$currentbranch" =~ v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?-release ]] ; then
-	branches[openj9]=$currentbranch
-	branches[omr]=$currentbranch
-else
-	branches[openj9]=master
-	branches[omr]=openj9
-fi
+branches[openj9]=v0.44.0-release
+branches[omr]=v0.44.0-release
 
 pflag=false