WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Brandon Wheat Kings Game Notes

Published on March 30, 2007 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


3/31/2007: Brandon Wheat Kings @ Brandon 19:30, Keystone Centre

PLAYOFF GAME NOTES: The WHEAT KINGS look to secure a berth in the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference Semi-Finals Saturday night when they play the RAIDERS in PRINCE ALBERT in game five of their best of seven opening round series...After dropping game three on Wednesday night, the WHEAT KINGS built up a 5-0 second period lead en route to a 7-3 victory in game four on Thursday, giving BRANDON a 3-1 series lead...ROB KLINKHAMMER and MARK DERLAGO scored two goals each for the WHEAT KINGS, who scored four powerplay goals en route to the winJAY FEHR, JURAJ SIMEK and DARYL BOYLE also scored for the WHEATIES, who received a 34 save performance from netminder TYLER PL ANTE...Two of the powerplay goals came after RAIDER'S MIKE GAUTHIER was assessed a 5-minute major for running PLANTE...Should a sixth game be necessary, it would be played Tuesday night back in BRANDON...BRANDON has outscored the RAIDERS 14-10 in the series, outshooting PRINCE ALBERT 166-112...BRANDON is 5-23 with the man advantage...Defenceman DUSTIN KOHN (0-6-6) and ROB KLINKHAMMER (2-3-5) lead the WHEAT KINGS in playoff scoring while captain MARK DERLAGO has four goals in 4 games...BRANDON'S last playoff series win came in 2005 when th WHEAT KINGS defeated PRINCE ALBERT in the WHL's Eastern Conference Championship Final.

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 - 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 regular season 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: Thursday's win snapped a 3-game winless (0-2-0-1) streak on the road for the WHEAT KINGS, who last won on the road on March 2nd in SASKATOON...BRANDON has won 12 straight games on home ice...WHEAT KINGS were the third highest scoring team in the WHL this season (258 or 3.58/game)...Defensively, BRANDON surrendered 214 (2.97/ game) - 8th in the WHL...BRANDON'S powerplay was second in the League at 21.2%...BRANDON set a Single Season Attendance record this past year (148,761) or 4,132 fans per home 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 32 playoff games, BRANDON is 20-12 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, 42 and 34 games respectively...BURKI (6-12-18) is BRANDON'S active leader in playoff scoring; DUSTIN KOHN is next at 0-15-15...PLANTE has a lifetime playoff record of 18-16, a goals against average of 2.83...PLANTE has also moved to within three games of equaling ROBERT McVICAR'S career playoff record of 37 appearances.

DID YOUR KNOW? ROB KLINKHAMMER scored 7 game winning goals during the regular season and his first ever playoff goal on Thursday proved to be the decisive goal in game four...MARK DERLAGO had 12 goals during his final 15 regular season games and 46 to lead the WHL. Including the playoffs, the BRANDON captain has 50 goals this year...Including the regular season, DARYL BOYLE has points in 8 of his last 10 games (4-9-13)...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...JAY FEHR'S third period powerplay goal w as his first ever WHL playoff goal...JURAJ SIMEK, who returned to the BRANDON lineup in game three, scored his first ever playoff goal and assist in Thursday's win...BRANDON'S all time Playoff Leaders include LANCE MONYCH (77 games), BRIAN PROPP, RAY ALLISON (36 goals), PROPP, TIM KONSORADA (41 assists), PROPP (77 points), DARREN VAN OENE (182 penalty minutes).

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 30, 2007


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