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Brandon Wheat Kings

Brandon Wheat Kings Game Notes

January 4, 2007 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


1/5/2007: Saskatoon Blades @ Brandon 19:30, Keystone Centre

GAME NOTES: The WHEAT KINGS look to get back in the win column Friday night when they return home to the Keystone Centre following a 3-game Western Hockey League road trip...Tonight's game against SASKATOON is the second between the two in just over a week...Last Wednesday, the BLADES kicked off the second half of the 2006-07 regular season with a 3-2 Overtime Shootout victory over the WHEAT KINGS...BRANDON collected four of a possible six points during last weekend's road trip. After edging the REBELS 3-2 in an Overtime Shootout on Friday night in RED DEER, the WHEAT KINGS scored four third period goals on Saturday en route to a 4-2 victory over the HITMEN in CALGARY. BRANDON then closed out the trip with a 3-0 loss in REGINA on New Years Day...BRANDON is 2-1-0-1 since its 10-day Christmas break and enters the weekend sitting atop the Eastern Division with a record of 20-14-2-5, good for 47 points...WHEAT KINGS are currently five points up on second place SWIFT CURRENT and nine ahead of third place PRINCE ALBERT, who fell 6-2 in CALGARY Wednesday night...As for the Conference, the WHEATS are sitting in fifth place - two points back of both the HITMEN and REBELS and three up on LETHBRIDGE...BRANDON is currently 12-3-1-3 at the Keystone Centre and 8-11-1-2 on the road...The WHEATS are 3-2-2-3 in their last ten games, they're 7-5-1-2 against Eastern Division rivals and have a 2-2-5 record in nine games decided in Overtime this season...Last weekend's back to back wins over RED DEER and CALGARY marked the first time since early October that the WHEAT KINGS have won two straight games on the road...Last Friday's win in RED DEER snapped a 5-game winless (0-3-1-1) streak on the road...and the WHEATS have managed at least a point in eight of their last 10 games...BRANDON travels back to REGINA to meet the PATS on Tuesday night.

LAST GAME: The WHEAT KINGS modest 2-game win streak came to an end Monday afternoon in REGINA as they dropped a 3-0 decision to the fourth place PATS...A second period powerplay goal by GARRET FESTERLING proved to be the difference as the WHEAT KINGS oushot REGINA 34-27 including 27-11 through two periods of play...In making his first start since December 2nd against SWIFT CURRENT, 17-year old rookie JOE CALIGIURI turned aside 24 shots including 14 of 15 in the third period...PATS went 1-4 with the man advantage while the WHEAT KINGS went 0-7 on the powerplay...BRANDON has won just one of four games against the PATS this season.

VS. SASKATOON: This is the fifth meeting of the season between these two clubs, with BRANDON collecting seven of a possible eight points (3-0-0-1) against the BLADES this year...At the Keystone Centre, the WHEATS are 1-0-0-1...MARK DERLAGO leads BRANDON in scoring with three goals and 5 points in four games while ST. LOUIS BLUES' draft choice RYAN REAVES is second at 2-2-4...JOE CALIGIURI is 2-0-0 against the BLADES with a 1.50 goals against average and a .921 save pct while veteran TYLER PLANTE is 1-0-0-1 with a 1.44 goals against mark and a sparkling .944 save percentage...BRANDON posted a 2-6-1-1 record against SASKATOON in 2005-06.

PLANTE NETS MONTHLY HONOUR: TYLER PLANTE has been chosen the WHEAT KINGS' TIP TOP TAILORS PLAYER OF THE MONTH for December, after compiling a 4-2-2-2 record, a 2.73 goals against average and a .914 save percentage...In addition to those numbers, the FLORIDA PANTHERS' second round draft choice joined some pretty select company in December, becoming one of only four Brandon goalkeepers to eclipse the 8,000 minute mark during their WHL career. PLANTE has played 142 career games and 8,211 minutes, good for fourth place on the club's all time list...His 2.93 career goals against average is second only to ROBERT McVICAR'S 2.86 mark.

OTHER MILESTONES: TEEGAN MOORE, who will be playing in his 299th career game Friday night, picked up his 99th and 100th career WHL points in Saturday's win over CALGARY...JEFF TOPILKO played in his 250th career game on Friday in RED DEER while MARK LOUIS played his 200th on Dec. 16th in REGINA...DUSTIN KOHN is 5 assists shy of 100 while CODEY BURKI is 2 points away from 150 in his career.

BY THE NUMBERS: CODEY BURKI enters the weekend tied with BEN MAXWELL of KOOTENAY for third place in the WHL scoring race (21-32-53). BURKI hasn't scored since returning from the National Junior Selection Camp...MARK DERLAGO is 9th (25-20-45) in the WHL but fourth in goals...JURAJ SIMEK, who represented both the WHEAT KINGS and SWITZERLAND at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is fifth in rookie scoring (22-18-40), second in powerplay goals (14) and second in goals among first year players...DANIEL BARTEK is 4th in shorthanded goals (3)...DUSTIN KOHN is tied for 7th in scoring among blueliners with 2 goals and 31 points...THERAN YEO is third in penalty minutes (136)...TYLER PLANTE leads the league in saves (90 0), second in minutes played (1,904)...BRANDON'S powerplay is 4th in the WHL (22.1%) while its penalty killing is 14th (80.6%)...JEFF TOPILKO led the WHEATS in scoring last month (5-6-11 in 12 games)...BRANDON has not lost (regulation time) when leading through forty minutes of play (14-0-0-3) and have a 10-4-0-2 mark when outshooting its opponent.

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