WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

First Place Showdown Is Set

Published on March 2, 2010 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Brandon, MB. -- Less than two weeks remain in the 2009-10 Western Hockey League regular season and it looks as though the battle for top spot in the Eastern Division will go right down to the line.

The Brandon Wheat Kings continue a pivotal 5-game home stand Wednesday night, hoping to take advantage of home ice to beat the visiting Saskatoon Blades and regain first place. The Wheat Kings enter the game trailing the front running Blades by one point, with six games remaining, including four at Westman Communications Group Place.

To make matters even more interesting, the second place Wheat Kings have moved to within one point of top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Central Division leading Calgary Hitmen are currently tied with Saskatoon with 93 points each.

EASTERN CONFERENCE RACE

1) Calgary Hitmen* X 45-17-1-2, 93pts, 7 games remaining

2) Saskatoon Blades* X 43-15-3-4, 93pts, 7 games remaining

3) Brandon Wheat Kings X 44-18-1-3, 92pts, 6 games remaining

Winners of seven of their last 9 games, the Wheat Kings enter Wednesday's game with a record of 44-17-1-3

Up front, the Wheat Kings boast four of the WHL's top 20 scorers in Matt Calvert (40-43-83), Brayden Schenn (28-56-84), Aaron Lewadniuk (31-45-76) and Scott Glennie (28-47-75) and their blueline just got a big boost with the return of World Junior defenceman Travis Hamonic, who missed the past two months with a shoulder injury suffered during the tournament.

The Blades meanwhile have been led by the likes of Derek Hulak (29-46-75), Walker Wintoneak (23-45-68) and defenceman Stefan Elliott, who has 23 goals and 60 points which is third best among Western League blueliners.

Saskatoon enters the second to last week of the regular season having gone 6-3-0-1 in its last ten games and in giving up 198 goals this season, the Blades are third best in the Eastern Conference.

The Wheat Kings have known for 16 months that they will have a bye into the MasterCard Memorial Cup this May but like every other host team that has come before them, the players are anxious to prove that they belong in the tournament. The only way to do that is to go on an extended playoff run that ideally ends with a WHL championship.

"You want to win it all," said Schenn, the first round pick of the Los Angeles Kings last summer and also a member of Canada's silver medal winning World Junior team. "It wouldn't be the greatest feeling if you lost out early and went to the Memorial Cup. It would feel like it was the cheap way of getting there. We're looking to win the league just like every other team is."

Puck drop Wednesday is at seven and tickets are on sale now at the Keystone Centre box office, by calling 726-3555 or online at ticketmaster.ca

And speaking of tickets, Wheat Kings' Season Ticket Holders are reminded that the deadline to renew their 2010 Playoff packages are this Friday night, March 5th at 7 p.m.

Brandon will close out this home stand on Friday with a game against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. The Wheat Kings will then travel to Prince Albert on Sunday.

Check out the Brandon Wheat Kings Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 2, 2010


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