WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Brandon Wheat Kings Game Notes

Published on January 16, 2004 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


BRANDON GAME NOTES: The WHEAT KINGS will be looking to rebound from last night's loss to the Eastern Division leading PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS tonight when they face off against the Central Division leading SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS at the Keystone Centre.BRANDON had it's 3-game winning streak snapped Friday as they dropped a 5-4 decision to PRINCE ALBERT.SETH LEONARD scored three times to pace the RAIDERS, who scored four goals in the first eight minutes of the second period en route to the win.Former KAMLOOPS BLAZER ERIK CHRISTENSEN scored once and set up two others in a losing cause as the WHEAT KINGS lost (in regulation time) for the first time since dropping a 7-1 decision to the HITMEN in CALGARY on December 17th.Before last night, BRANDON had gone ten games (7-0-2-1) without a loss in regulation time.MARK DERLAGO, RYAN STONE and LANCE MONYCH also scored for the WHEAT KINGS, who had beaten the RAIDERS in PRINCE ALBERT 4-1 last Tuesday night.BRANDON enters tonight's game with a record of 17-21-5-3, good for 42 points, thirteen back of the second place MOOSE JAW WARRIORS in the Eastern Division and tied with LETHBRIDGE for seventh place in the Conference.BRANDON is 11-9-3-1 on home ice this season and 6-12-2-2 on the road, with four of those road victories coming since the weeklong Christmas break.BRANDON travels to SASKATOON on Tuesday before returning home to face MOOSE JAW and CALGARY on Friday and Saturday nights.

WHOSE HOT? Newly acquired netminder JOSH HARDING, who was obtained from the REGINA PATS last Wednesday in exchange for 17-year old netminder DUSTIN SLADE, 15-year old prospect RYAN MCDONALD and a third round draft choice, has been excellent since arriving last week. Despite giving up five goals in last night's loss, the MINNESOTA WILD second round draft choice has posted a 2.38 goals against average and one shutout. Last year's WHL Most Valuable Player enters tonight's game with a 2.39 goals against average and three shutouts..Former KAMLOOPS BLAZER ERIK CHRISTENSEN has a point in seven of eight games since arriving in BRANDON. During that stretch, he is 7-7-14.WASHINGTON CAPITALS' first round draft choice ERIC FEHR has cracked the league's top ten in scoring (30-24-54). His 30 goals are fourth in the league; his 14 powerplay are second while his four shorthanded tallies are second in the WHL.20-year old TYLER DYCK and MARK SHEFCHYK have 13 points in their last eight games.

MILESTONES: ERIK CHRISTENSEN recently collected his 250th career point in the WHL.Former BLADE defenceman STEVEN LATER picked up his first point - an assist - as a WHEAT KING in Wednesday's 5-2 victory at SaskPlace.JOSH HARDING is 260 minutes shy of 8,000 in his WHL career.BRANDON'S top three scorers - ERIC FEHR (30), TYLER DYCK (24) and LANCE MONYCH (24) - have career highs in goals this season.LANCE MONYCH is seven games away from 250.

INJURY UPDATE: Captain TIM KONSORADA (recovering from shoulder surgery) week .JEFF TOPILKO (knee) is scheduled to return to action next week.RICHARD JASOVSKY (shoulder) day to day.

STATISTICAL ODDS 'N ENDS: Former MIDGET AAA WHEAT KING scoring star MARK DERLAGO has moved past CODEY BURKI and into the team scoring lead for rookies (7-12-19) .BRANDON is 17-8-1 when opening the scoring.WHEATS are 1-3-5 in overtime games this year.Defenceman JON WEBB leads BRANDON with 123 penalty minutes.ERIK CHRISTENSEN leads the WHL with a +22 ranking (+6 since arriving in BRANDON last month).

DRAFTED PLAYERS: ERIC FEHR (Washington, 2003), RYAN STONE (Pittsburgh, 2003), LANCE MONYCH (Phoenix, 2002), TIM KONSORADA (Columbus, 2002), ERIK CHRISTENSEN (Pittsburgh, 2002), TYLER BOLDT (Atlanta, 2002), JOSH HARDING (Minnesota, 2002) and OLE-KRISTIAN TOLLEFSEN (Columbus, 2002).

DID YOU KNOW? BRANDON has announced plans for it's Second Annual SKILLS DAY to be held on Sunday, January 25th at the Keystone Centre. Admission is $2 with all proceeds going to the GOALS FOR KIDS FOUNDATION. Entering tonight's game vs. SASKATOON, the WHEAT KINGS powerplay is third in the league behind only PRINCE ALBERT and MEDICINE HAT, while it's penalty killing has been 80% efficient or fifteenth in the WHL.Over the weekend, BRANDON assigned 16-year old TYLER STRAUTMAN to DREYTON VALLEY of the AJHL and 17-year old TYLER HARDER to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's DAUPHIN KINGS.Last Saturday's shutout by JOSH HARDING in his "home" debut against SASKATOON made him only the third BRANDON goalie in league history to record a shutout in their debut at the Keystone. The only others were JAMIE HODSON (1997) and CHRIS OSGOOD (1991).

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