WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Brandon Wheat Kings Game Notes

Published on March 10, 2007 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


3/10/2007: Brandon @ Swift Current Broncos @ Brandon 19:30

GAME NOTES: The WHEAT KINGS play their second to last road game of the season Saturday night...BRANDON is coming off a 2-game sweep of the PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS at the Keystone Centre, winning 4-3 Friday night...The win extended BRANDON'S season high win streak to 9 games and officially clinched the WHEAT KINGS third place in the Eastern Conference...Last weekend, the WHEAT KINGS clinched the division title - their second in three years and fourth in the past six...WHEATS enter tonight's game having gone 2-0-0-1 in their last three games away from home...BRANDON is currently 40-19-2-8, good for 90 points (26-4-1-4 at home and 14-15-1-4 on the road)...Since joining the Western Canada Hockey League in 1967, the WHEAT KINGS have won the division ten times and finished with 40 or more victories on fourteen occasions...BRANDON has collected at least a point in 12 straight games (11-0-0-1)...They're 9-0-0-1 in their last ten...unbeaten in March (4-0-0) after going 9-2-0-1 in February...22-9-2-6 against Eastern Division rivals...5-2-8 in Overtime and 4-8 in Shootouts...WHEAT KINGS close out the regular season next weekend with a home and home series with REGINA...WHEATS have qualified for post-season play for the 14th time in the past fifteen years.

VS. SWIFT CURRENT: This is the eighth and final meeting of the season between the WHEAT KINGS and BRONCOS...BRANDON is 4-2-1-0...At the Civic Centre, the WHEATS are 1-2-0 and have been outscored 13-12...BRANDON is 8-5-2 in SWIFT CURRENT over the course of the past five seasons...MARK DERLAGO (5-4-9) and JURAJ SIMEK (3-5-8) lead the WHEATS in scoring against the BRONCOS this year...Goalkeeper TYLER PLANTE is 3-1-1- with a 2.76 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.

LAST GAME: The WHEAT KINGS jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead and led 4-1 through forty minutes of play...RAIDERS scored two unanswered third period goals to pull to within one...Netminder TYLER PLANTE picked up his 29th win of the season as PRINCE ALBERT outshot the WHEATS 26-21...CODEY BURKI with two, DANIEL BARTEK and DARYL BOYLE scored for the WHEAT KINGS, who went 2-4 with the man advantage.

PLANTE EARNS SHOPPERS MALL HONOUR: 19-year old netminder TYLER PLANTE has been chosen, by western Manitoba hockey fans, the WHEAT KINGS' PLAYER OF THE YEAR for 2006-07...A second round draft choice of the NHL's FLORIDA PANTHERS, PLANTE has played in 52 of BRANDON'S 69 games this season, compiling a 2.66 goals against average and a .913 save pct...As well, he is the franchise leader in career shutouts (12) and goals against average (2.85) and second in games (162) and minutes played (9404).

WHO'S BEEN HOT? Before being shutout Friday night vs. PRINCE ALBERT, 20-year old veteran JEFF TOPILKO had scored points in 12 of 13 (12-11-23) and 16 of 18 (14-14-28). 'TIPS shared the club scoring lead in February, scoring 7 goals and 15 points...Since his acquisition from PORTLAND at January's WHL trade deadline, ROB KLINKHAMMER is 9-19-28 in 25 games and he's 6-16-22 in his last 13 games...Captain MARK DERLAGO has 8 goals in his last 12 games...CODEY BURKI has points in 5 of his last 6 games (5-5-10) and 7 of his last 9 (7-5-12)...Rookie JAY FEHR has points in 4 of his last 5 (0-5-5)...Defencemen DARYL BOYLE and DUSTIN KOHN have points in their last three games. During that time BOYLE is 2-2-4 while KOHN is 0-3-3.

MILESTONES: MARK DERLAGO recently surpassed the 150-point plateau in his WHL career...DUSTIN KOHN played the 250th game of his career on Wednesday...RYAN REAVES played in his 200th career game last Saturday vs. MOOSE JAW...JEFF TOPILKO has played in 277 career games, 12th on the team's all time list and 2 shy of ERIC FEHR...Wednesday's crowd of 5,927 (second largest in franchise history), established a new Single Season Attendance record (138,644), breaking the old record set in 2002-03...WHEATIES are averaging 4,098 fans per home game.

DID YOU KNOW? Three members of the Wheat Kings are in the WHL's Top 20 in scoring - CODEY BURKI is 6th, MARK DERLAGO is 11th and ROB KLINKHAMMER is 16th with 79,74 and 71 points respectively...MARK DERLAGO leads the league with 42 goals and is third in the WHL with 21 powerplay tallies...Netminder TYLER PLANTE has moved into the league's top ten with a 2.66 goals against average. He's 3rd in saves (1435)...DUSTIN KOHN leads the club with a +24...ROB KLINKHAMMER has 7 game winning goals this year...DANIEL BARTEK is second among rookies with 3 shorthanded goals...BRANDON has won nine straight games on home ice (last loss was to SASKATOON on Feb . 6th)...BRANDON'S powerplay (20.3%) is third in the WHL while its penalty killing is 13th (82.3%)...WHEAT KINGS honoured members of the BU mens basketball BOBCATS during Friday's game. The CATS are off to the CIS Nationals in Halifax next weekend...Tickets are on sale now for BRANDON'S first two playoff home games, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 23rd and 24th at the Keystone Centre...The 2007 WHEAT KINGS' Awards Banquet is scheduled for Sunday, March 18th in the Royal Oak Inn and Suites. Call 726-3535 for ticket information.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 10, 2007


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