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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Lots on the Line for Wheat Kings in Season Series Finale with Raiders

March 15, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


As of this moment, the Brandon Wheat Kings don't yet know whether tomorrow night's game against the Prince Albert Raiders could secure them a spot in the playoffs. Whether it can or not, however, they've got motivation in spades for their lone game of the weekend.

Before the Friday night slate of games begins, the Wheat Kings and Raiders are separated by just two points in the standings. This will also be the eighth and final meeting of the season between the two teams, which has given them plenty of time to build up a rivalry.

"I expect a really strong effort from our group," said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. "We played on Tuesday, we don't play tonight, so it's one game this weekend and we've got to be ready to pour it all in tomorrow night."

And then, of course, there's the chance of a playoff spot being up for grabs. If the Calgary Hitmen lose tonight's game against the Edmonton Oil Kings (who are suddenly hot at 6-3-1 in their last ten) then the Wheat Kings could punch their ticket to the postseason with a victory.

"You want to get that 'x' beside your team name in the standings," Murray said. "But for us, we have to focus on playing well and earning our results rather than waiting around on other teams to falter. That's not a really solid game plan, so we've got to be ready to go."

This will be the fourth meeting of the season between the two teams in Brandon, and while the Wheat Kings won the first two, the most recent matchup at Westoba Place stung them. They earned a 1-0 lead with 3:50 to go in the third period but surrendered the tying and go-ahead goal in a matter of less than three minutes to give up both points.

"We probably do have an 'x' beside our names in the standings if we close that game out," Murray said. "They kind of stole one from us. It wasn't our best effort, we didn't generate a whole lot, but in saying that we were up 1-0 with under 4:00 to go in the game, you've got to close that out. So that was disappointing and hopefully it's a little motivating for us going into tomorrow night's game."

Murray added that several players, including forwards Nicholas Johnson, Joby Baumuller, and Rylen Roersma missed several or all those games against the Raiders during the stretch where they faced Prince Albert four times in a month, so those players will be eager to get back into the equation.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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