WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Brandon Wheat Kings Game Notes

Published on March 24, 2007 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Source: Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


3/24/2007: Prince Albert Raiders @ Brandon 19:30, Keystone Centre

PLAYOFF GAME NOTES: The WHEAT KINGS will be hoping to grab a 2-0 lead in their best of seven opening round Western Hockey League playoff series with the visiting PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS Saturday night...BRANDON drew first blood with a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory in the series opener Friday night...DANIEL BARTEK'S second goal of the game at the 5:11 mark of overtime was the difference...The goal spoiled a RAIDER comeback that had seen PRINCE ALBERT send the game into overtime on RYAN McDONALD'S goal with just over a minute re maining in regulation time...ANDREW CLARK and NATHAN GREEN also scored for the WHEAT KINGS, who outshot PRINCE ALBERT 40-21...Following tonight's game, the series will shift to PRINCE ALBERT for games three, four and five scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday nights...BRANDON was 1-4 with the man advantage in game one, while killing off four of five minor penalties...During their run to the WHL Finals two years ago, the WHEAT KINGS played 24 games. However, only two went to overtime.

SEASON GAME NOTES: BRANDON is fresh off its second Eastern Division pennant in three years and their fourth in the past six seasons...Tenth Eastern Division title since joining the Western Hockey League in 1967...BRANDON finished atop the division with a record of 41-20-3-8, good for 93 points - good for third place in the Conference (behind MEDICINE HAT and KOOTENAY) and sixth in the WHL...This year marked the fourteenth time in franchise history that the WHEAT KINGS have won 40 or more games...BRANDON has also qualified for post-season play in fourteen of its last 15 seasons...BRANDON was 27-4-1-4 on home ice, good for 59 points  211; third best in the WHL - behind only EVERETT and MEDICINE HAT with 63 and 60 points respectively...On the road, the WHEATS were 14-16-2-4...BRANDON won ten of its last 12 regular season games (10-1-1-0)...and was 8-1-1 in its last ten games...BRANDON was 5-1-1-0 in the month of March...In games against the Eastern Division this season, the WHEATS were 23-10-3-6...1-3-8 in overtime and 4-8 in Shootouts.

THE NUMBERS GAME: Including the regular season, the WHEAT KINGS have now won 11 straight games on home ice...BRANDON hasn't lost at the Keystone Centre since dropping a 3-1 decision to the visiting SASKATOON BLADES on Feb. 6th...WHEAT KINGS scored 258 goals (3.58/game - 3rd in the WHL) while giving up 214 (2.97/game - 8th in the WHL)...As for Special Teams, BRANDON'S powerplay was second best in the League at 21.2% (97-457) while its penalty killing ranked 12th in the WHL (82.3%)...BRANDON established a Single Season Franchise Attendance record this season with a total of 1 48,761 (4,132 fans / game).

VS. PRINCE ALBERT: This marks the third time in four years that BRANDON has met the RAIDERS in the WHL playoffs...It took seven games but the WHEAT KINGS defeated PRINCE ALBERT in the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals...A year earlier, BRANDON upset the RAIDERS in round one...This is the sixth time that these two teams have hooked up in post-season play, with the WHEAT KINGS winning four straight series...In 29 playoff games, BRANDON is 18-11 vs. PRINCE ALBERT...During the 2006-07 regular season, BRANDON was 5-3-0 vs. the RAIDERS...MARK DERLAGO (7-5-12) and DUSTIN KOHN (1-11-12) led BRANDON in scoring while netminder TYLER PLANTE compiled a 4-1-0-0 record and a 2.56 goals against average in five appearances.

ACTIVE PLAYOFF TOTALS: The WHEAT KINGS entered the post-season with 292 career playoff games of experience...The leaders are JEFF TOPILKO, CODEY BURKI and TYLER PLANTE with 53, 39 and 31 games respectively...BURKI (6-10-16) is BRANDON'S active leader in playoff scoring...PLANTE has a lifetime playoff record of 16-15, a goals against average of 2.94.

WHO'S BEEN HOT? CODEY BURKI has points in 6 straight games (5-8-13) and has a point in 9 of his last 10 (7-11-18)...MARK DERLAGO scored 12 goals in his last fifteen regular season games...ROB KLINKHAMMER was 10-20-30 in 27 games since being obtained from the PORTLAND WINTER HAWKS in January... JEFF TOPILKO had points in 13 of his last 16 games (12-12-24)...TYLER DITTMER has points in 7 of the last 8 games that he played in (2-8-10)...Rookie JAY FEHR had points in 6 of 7 (1-7-8)...Defenceman DARYL BOYLE entered the series riding a 6-game point scoring streak (3-7-10)...DUSTIN KOHN has points in 5 of his last 6 (0-7-7).

DID YOU KNOW? DARYL BOYLE has played in 178 consecutive regular season games and recently played his 200th career game in the WHL...JEFF TOPILKO'S last game was the 279th of his career, moving him into a tie with ERIC FEHR for 11th place on the club's all time list...Three members of the WHEAT KINGS finished in the WHL's Top 20 in scoring - CODEY BURKI was 5th, MARK DERLAGO 10th and ROB KLINKHAMMER 17th with 85, 81 and 73 points respectively...DERLAGO, who is a Finalist for WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player, led the WHL with 46 goals including 24 powerplay (tied for 1st )...Only 3,244 fans attended Friday's series opener.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 24, 2007


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