WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Brandon Wheat Kings game notes

Published on October 14, 2004 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


The WHEAT KINGS will be looking for some revenge Friday night when they open up a 2-game weekend home stand against the first place SASKATOON BLADES.The WHEATS are coming off a 2-game Saskatchewan road trip that saw them win 6-2 in MOOSE JAW but lose 5-4 to the BLADES. Rookie center JUSTIN MCCRAE'S goal with just over eight minutes remaining in the third period proved to be the difference.Friday's game will be a battle for top spot in the Western Hockey League's East Division.BRANDON is currently trailing SASKATOON by one point, sitting with a 4-1-0-1 record, good for nine points.Friday's game is also the first of four straight at the Keystone Centre, before the club leaves for it's annual west coast road swing.Wednesday's victory in MOOSE JAW snapped a 2-game winless (0-1-0-1) streak for the WHEAT KINGS.BRANDON got goals from six different players including ERIC FEHR, who scored twice in a losing cause on Tuesday night vs. SASKATOON.Also scoring for the WHEATS were STEPHANE LENOSKI, RYAN REAVES, RYAN STONE, TEEGAN MOORE and JEFF TOPILKO.MIKE NICHOL stopped 33 shots to improve his record to 2-1-0.Tuesday's loss at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon was BRANDON'S first regulation time loss since February 29th of last season.BRANDON is currently 2-1-0 on the road and 2-0-0-1 at the Keystone Centre.BRANDON was a 3-2 overtime loser to SWIFT CURRENT in it's last home game - last Saturday night.The WHEAT KINGS are coming off an up and down 2003-04 campaign - a season that saw them finish in third place in the WHL's Eastern Division with a record of 28-32-9-3.BRANDON did however finish strongly, going 7-2-1 in it's final ten regular season games and upsetting the heavily favored PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS in the opening round of the playoffs.Among the seven players missing from last year's club are goalkeeper JOSH HARDING, all star left-winger LANCE MONYCH as well as the likes of ERIK CHRISTENSEN, TYLER DYCK, RICHARD JASOVSKY and defenceman REAGAN LESLIE..Entering the weekend, the WHEAT KINGS still have 26 players on their active roster including ten WHL rookies.

MCCRIMMON BACK IN CHARGE: The WHEAT KINGS had GM / coach KELLY MCCRIMMON back behind the bench on Wednesday. Assistants DWAYNE GYLYWOYCHUK and BRAD WELLS ran the club on Tuesday night while McCRIMMON was in Calgary attending league meetings.Excluding last year's playoffs, the WHEAT KINGS are 10-0-0-1 since MCCRIMMON replaced MIKE KELLY last March.

WHOSE BEEN HOT? RYAN STONE is among the league leaders with thirteen points including seven goals in just six games.Captain TIM KONSORADA is 3-7-10 in six games while ERIC FEHR, one of only three WHL players to score fifty goals last season, has six goals and 9 points.KONSORADA and STONE have scored at least a point in all five games this season.

INJURIES: In addition to left-winger MARK DERLAGO, who will be lost for the season after sustaining a fracture of his second vertebrae during a pre-season game against REGINA, the WHEAT KINGS are currently without defenceman JON WEBB (shoulder), who is listed as day-to-day entering the weekend.

PRE-SEASON REVISITED: BRANDON was 1-3-0 in four pre-season games this month.The WHEAT KINGS only win came against MOOSE JAW (3-2 in overtime on September 10th).Center RYAN STONE led the club in pre-season scoring (2-3-5).Rookie TYLER PLANTE was 1-1-0 with a 2.99 goals against average and an .897 save percentage.

MILESTONES: Captain TIM KONSORADA needs four games to reach the 250-game plateau in his WHL career.Former KAMLOOPS BLAZER TYLER BOLDT is 33 games away from 300.With his two goals on Saturday, RYAN STONE eclipsed the 150-point plateau in his career.Finnish rookie SAMI SANDELL picked up his first WHL points - both assists - in Wednesday's win over MOOSE JAW while rookie RYAN REAVES and second year defenceman STEPHANE LENOSKI both scored their first ever WHL goals in the same game.

VS. SASKATOON: This is the second meeting of the season between these two clubs, after BRANDON went 8-1-1 vs. SASKATOON last winter.In Tuesday's series opener, the WHEAT KINGS outshot the hometown BLADES 40-27.

BRANDON BITS: Local product TYLER DITTMER will be one of three WHEAT KINGS practicing Monday night with the SHILO NOVICE as COCA COLA / SOURCE FOR SPORTS hosts it's first MINOR HOCKEY CARAVAN of the season.WHEATIES host PRINCE ALBERT on Sunday night at six.

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 14, 2004


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