Wheat Kings Look For Sweep
April 10, 2009 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release
Brandon, Manitoba -- The Brandon Wheat Kings will be hoping to punch their ticket to the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference Finals Friday night when they play host to the Medicine Hat Tigers in game four of their best of seven series.
Brandon leads the series three games to nothing after Wednesday's 6-1 victory at Westman Place. The victory extended the Wheat Kings' playoff win streak to seven games. Brandon swept Kootenay in their best of 7 opening round playoff series.
The Wheat Kings last played in the WHL's Final Four in 2005 when they defeated the Prince Albert Raiders before losing out to the Kelowna Rockets in the Championship Final.
To find out when the Wheat Kings last swept the first two rounds of post-season play, you would have to look all the way back to the 1995-96 season when they swept Saskatoon and Red Deer in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and Semi-Finals en route to their first league title in seventeen years.
The '95-96 team featured Jody Lehman in goal, Wade Redden on defence and the likes of Mike Leclerc, Bobby Brown, Peter Schaefer and captain Chris Dingman up front. Brandon finished that year with a record of 52-19-1, good for 105 points. Until this year, that Brandon team was the last one to reach the century mark in points.
17-year old center Brayden Schenn enters Friday's game riding a 7-game playoff point scoring streak. Schenn and linemate Scott Glennie currently lead the club in playoff scoring with thirteen points each. Former Tiger Matt Lowry is next with eleven points and like Schenn has managed at least a point in all 7 playoff games. Lowry leads Brandon in playoff experience, having played a total of 35 games.
After going four games without a powerplay goal, the Wheat Kings appear to be back on track having scored four times with the man advantage over the course of the last two games. Overall, Brandon is 8-32 (25%) in post-season play. Matt Calvert, who currently shares the club goal scoring lead with Andrew Clark, leads the team with three of his 7 goals coming on the powerplay.
A member of Canada's gold medal winning National Junior Team, Tyler Ennis leads the Tigers in scoring in this year's playoffs with eight goals and 19 points, including six assists through the first three games of this series.
Should a fifth game be necessary, it will be played Saturday night at Westman Place.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, close to 4,000 tickets had been sold for game four Friday night. With over one thousand tickets remaining for the game, fans can order by stopping by the Keystone Centre box office, by calling 726-3555 or by going online at ticketmaster.ca. Because of the Good Friday Holiday, the box office will open at 1 p.m.
Season ticket holders meanwhile are reminded to use "Round 2 - Game 2" ticket for Friday night's playoff game.
The Tavern United at the Canad Inns Brandon will be open at 4 p.m. Friday to accommodate those fans wanting to come early.
The Calgary Hitmen await the winner of this series, after sweeping the Lethbridge Hurricanes in their Eastern Conference Semi-Final.
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Western Hockey League Stories from April 10, 2009
- Wheat Kings Look For Sweep - Brandon Wheat Kings
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