March 30 Preview: Raiders vs Wheat Kings at 5 PM
March 30, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release
The Wheat King (6-2-1-0) are enjoying a three game win streak after beating the Moose Jaw Warriors, Winnipeg ICE and Swift Current Broncos last week, and they'll look to extend it tonight when they take on the Prince Albert Warriors (3-4-1-1) at 5 PM.
With the #SubwayWHLHub schedule now 1/3 over, the Wheat Kings sit in second place among the seven East Division teams and the Raiders in fifth.
Last time they met
When they last met on March 16th, Prince Albert got the best of the Wheat Kings 5-3 in a game that had a bounty of penalty minutes for either side. The Wheat Kings made six trips to the penalty box and Prince Albert served five, both teams capitalizing twice on the power play. Ben McCartney led all Brandon scorers with a goal and an assist while the Raiders' Michael Horron earned the game's first star with one goal and two assists.
Depth Scoring
In the Wheat Kings' 5-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos on Sunday, they got goals from veterans Marcus Sekundiak, Riley Ginnell and Chad Nychuk for the first time this season. The Wheat Kings now have 16 of their 22 skaters with at least 1 goal this season and nine with at least 2 or more. Most teams in the East Division have begun their seasons with scoring from only a handful of players but Brandon has a very balanced scoresheet, featuring the most scorers of any team in the Hub. In his post game media availability on Sunday, head coach Don MacGillivray said it was nice to see veteran players like Sekundiak and Ginnell get on the scoresheet after doing so much "heavy lifting" for the team so far this season. Tuesday will be Sekundiak's 200th career game played in the WHL.
The New Guys
With eight rookies on this year's team, the Wheat Kings have seen a very positive influx of youth in their scoring as well. Natie Danielson (2G-3A-5PTS), Logen Hammett (1G) and Rylen Roersma (1G) all recorded their first Western Hockey League goals last week while Brett Hyland (1G-2A-3PTS) scored his first in the Wheat Kings' second game of the season against the Winnipeg ICE. Whether on the scoresheet or not, Brandon's young players have shown they are up to the task of logging minutes at the major junior level already, just eight games into the season. Two of Danielson's goals and two of his assists have come on the power play while Roersma continues to shine as a valuable asset on the penalty kill unit. Brandon's been short handed an average of 5.1 times per game with a kill percentage of 76.1%.
Prince Albert Raiders Last 5 Games
Mar 21 - Prince Albert Raiders 2 - 3 Winnipeg ICE (OT)
Mar 22 - Swift Current Broncos 5 - 2 Prince Albert Raiders
Mar 25 - Regina Pats 5 - 3 Prince Albert Raiders
Mar 27 - Prince Albert Raiders 5 - 2 Moose Jaw Warriors
Mar 29 - Saskatoon Blades 4 - 0 Prince Albert Raiders
The Raiders have been bitten by the injury bug. After losing their star defenceman and Montreal Canadiens first-round draft pick Kaiden Guhle at the beginning of the season, they started last night's game without the services of forward Spencer Moe and goaltender Max Paddock. During the game, San Jose Sharks prospect forward Ozzy Wiesblatt was forced to leave after a dangerous hit by Blades' captain Chase Wouters left him injured. The telltale bumps and bruises of a WHL season have begun to find teams in the East Division "hubble" and the Raiders have been no exception.
The puck drops at 5PM Manitoba time tonight and can be watched via the WHL Live streaming package at www.watch.chl.ca. Because the Wheat Kings are tonight's "home" team, Wheat Kings play-by-play announcer Branden Crowe will be the voice calling the game on the stream. Fans can also hear Branden Crowe call the game on the radio at Q Country 91.5 FM or 880 on the AM dial.
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Western Hockey League Stories from March 30, 2021
- Wheat Kings Dominate Raiders in 7-1 Final - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Shorthanded Raiders Fall to Wheat Kings - Prince Albert Raiders
- Ernst Out Indefinitely - Kelowna Rockets
- Chiefs Add Forward Mitchell Kohner on Loan - Spokane Chiefs
- Winning Formula - Winnipeg Ice
- Raiders Sign Dallyn Peekeekoot to WHL Standard Player Agreement - Prince Albert Raiders
- WHL Announces Suspension of Activities for Kelowna Rockets - WHL
- March 30 Preview: Raiders vs Wheat Kings at 5 PM - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Cougars Earn First Victory in the Hub - Prince George Cougars
- Broncos Drop Wild 9-4 Game to Regina - Swift Current Broncos
- Royals Clawed by Cougars - Victoria Royals
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