WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

MTS Centre Set to Host WHL Playoffs

Published on March 25, 2012 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Winnipeg, MB. -- The Brandon Wheat Kings and Calgary hitmen have arrived in Winnipeg and will take to the ice at MTS Centre Sunday night for game three of their Western Hockey League Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.

The teams split the first two games in Calgary and since this best of seven opening round playoff series is a 2-3-2 format, games three, four and five will be played in Winnipeg. The Wheat Kings are playing all of their first round playoff home games at MTS Centre because of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair occupying the Keystone Centre.

This marks the second straight year and fourth time in the past eight years that Brandon has been forced out of Westman Place because of the annual event.

Entering Sunday night's game, the Wheat Kings are 10-4-0 lifetime at MTS Centre. However, they're 3-3 in six playoff games.

After getting a well balanced attack - with eleven of their skaters collecting at least a point - in a 6-2 victory over the Hitmen in Thursday's series opener, the Wheat Kings were outshot, outplayed and outscored 4-0 in game two.

Brandon's top line of Mark Stone, Michael Ferland and Brenden Walker was held in check in game two but Wheat Kings' assistant coach Darren Ritchie is confident that they can and will bounce back in game three. " Those guys are used to playing against the other team's top D all the time. I think those guys have a lot of pride, they'll want to be better themselves," Ritchie told CKLQ's Bruce Luebke on Friday night. "I think if you ask them, they'd say they could be better so I expect those guys to be better on Sunday."

During the regular season, Brandon was 1-3-0 against the Hitmen and the line of Walker-Stone-Ferland combined for five goals and 14 points.

Two WHL graduates and current members of the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets will be in attendance Sunday, to perform the ceremonial opening face-off. Jets' captain and former Hitmen Andrew Ladd will be joined by ex-Wheat King right-winger Eric Fehr.

Game time Sunday night is 6pm and with Spring Break upon us Brandon general manager Kelly McCrimmon is hopeful of a good turnout at the gate.

"The Sunday game fits into our schedule great," McCrimmon told Brandon Sun Sports Editor James Shewaga earlier this week. "It's an earlier start and fans can travel in and travel out and with the weather we're having, there's no travel concerns ... We have all three games in Winnipeg during spring break, so that certainly appeals to Brandon fans. And then from a travel standpoint, we will bus to Calgary a maximum of two times as opposed to a maximum of three times in a traditional 2-2-1-1-1 series."

Tickets to game three Sunday, game four Tuesday and game five Thursday are on sale at all ticketmaster locations, online at ticketmaster.ca or by calling Toll Free 1-855-985-5000.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 25, 2012


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