WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Brandon Wheat Kings Game Notes

Published on January 18, 2004 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


BRANDON GAME NOTES: The WHEAT KINGS will be out to snap a 2-game losing streak Tuesday night when they travel to SASKATOON to meet the BLADES.BRANDON had it's 10-game point (7-0-2-1) streak snapped this past weekend when it dropped back to back games to the Eastern Conference leaders. On Friday night, PRINCE ALBERT scored four unanswered goals in the first eight minutes of the second period en route to a 5-4 victory and the following night, the visiting SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS doubled up on BRANDON 4-2.SETH LEONARD scored three times to pace the winners on Friday night while former KAMLOOPS BLAZER ERIK CHRISTENSEN scored once and set up two others in a losing cause.On Saturday night, the BRONCOS built up a 2-0 second period lead and held on for the win. MARK SHEFCHYK and ERIC FEHR scored goals for the WHEAT KINGS, who outshot the Central Division leading BRONCOS 32-22.BRANDON enters Tuesday's game with a record of 17-22-5-3, good for 42 points.BRANDON is 11-10-3-1 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 returns home this coming weekend to face second place MOOSE JAW on Friday night and the CALGARY HITMEN on Saturday.

WHOSE HOT? Former KAMLOOPS BLAZER ERIK CHRISTENSEN has a point in eight of nine games since arriving in BRANDON. During that stretch, he is 7-8-15.WASHINGTON CAPITALS' first round draft choice ERIC FEHR has cracked the league's top ten in scoring (31-24-55). His 31 goals are fourth in the league; his 15 powerplay are third while his four shorthanded tallies are second in the WHL. MARK SHEFCHYK have 14 points in their last nine games.SHEFCHYK is currently 10th in the WHL with 32 assists.

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 200 minutes shy of 8,000 in his WHL career.BRANDON'S top three scorers - ERIC FEHR (31), 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.LANCE MONYCH (shoulder) is out.DEREK LEBLANC (shoulder) was injured in Saturday's loss to SWIFT CURRENT when he was dumped into the boards by ALEX LENTOWICH.

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.Defencemen JON WEBB and STEVE LATER lead BRANDON with 123 penalty minutes.ERIK CHRISTENSEN leads the WHL with a +22 ranking (+6 since arriving in BRANDON last month).BRANDON is 6-2-2 in it's last ten games.

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.Last 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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Western Hockey League Stories from January 18, 2004


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