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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Oil Kings and Raiders Visit for Double Header Weekend at Westoba Place

February 21, 2020 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Friday, February 21 - Edmonton Oil Kings vs Brandon Wheat Kings

7:30 PM - Westoba Place

The Wheat Kings host a pair of Western Hockey League division leaders this weekend when the Edmonton Oil Kings come to Westoba Place on Friday and the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.

Having already earned themselves a playoff berth, the Oil Kings sit comfortably atop the WHL's Eastern Conference with 85 points, 10 points ahead of the second-place Lethbridge Hurricanes. This will be the fourth and final game of the season between Brandon and Edmonton, the first three games resulting in two wins in regulation for the Oil Kings and a shootout win for the Wheat Kings.

Friday will also be an interesting contest of special teams as Edmonton features the strongest penalty kill in the WHL at an 88.3% clip. The Wheat Kings' is ranked third with 85.3% - just .4% behind the second-place Portland Winterhawks.

Friday is also Winnipeg Blue Bomber Night at Westoba Place, with members of the 2019 Grey Cup Champions, Stanley Bryant and Pat Neufeld in attendance for the ceremonial faceoff. They'll be bringing the Grey Cup trophy with them and will be available for an autograph session during the first intermission of the game in the Keystone's front foyer near the west entrance of the rink.

The Wheat Kings will also wear special Blue Bomber themed jerseys that have been pre sold to local corporate sponsors in support of local charity, Westman Dreams for Kids. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for one last Bomber themed jersey at a kiosk next to Fan Services on the concourse of Westoba Place.

Saturday, February 22 - Prince Albert Raiders vs Brandon Wheat Kings 7:30 PM - Westoba Place

While Edmonton has the certainty of a strong position in the postseason, there is still a great deal of sorting to be done in the Wheat Kings' East Division. After holding first place in the East for the majority of the 2019-20 season, the Raiders have found themselves neck-and-neck with the Winnipeg ICE for the top spot as of late. As of February 20th, the East Division standings are as follows:

WHL EAST DIVISION

Team GP W L OTL SOL Points

1 Prince Albert Raiders 56 31 16 5 4 71

2 Winnipeg Ice 56 34 21 1 0 69

3 Brandon Wheat Kings 55 30 20 3 2 65

WHL EASTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD

Calgary Hitmen 55 32 18 4 1 69

Saskatoon Blades 55 28 22 2 3 61

Including this Saturday's game at Westoba Place, the Wheat Kings will play the Raiders three more times this season, the Calgary Hitmen once and a home and home series with the Winnipeg ICE to finish their season.

With such a tight race at the top, games against the Raiders and ICE will be paramount to keeping pace within the Division for the Wheat Kings to gain home ice advantage should they make the 2020 WHL playoffs.

The Wheat Kings are 1-2 so far this season against the Raiders who still feature a number of players that helped them win the 2018-19 WHL Championship.

Centreman, Aliaksei Protas ('01) leads the Raiders with 70 points this season (28g, 48a), the seventh most in the WHL.

The Raiders also feature Brandon-product, Max Paddock in net who was acquired by the Raiders at this year's WHL trade deadline. Paddock is sporting a .914 Save % and 2.74 GAA this season, and for the second time in three weeks was named the WHL Eli Wilson Goaltending Goaltender of the Week.

No stranger to Paddock who spent the bulk of his WHL career in Regina, Brandon's starting netminder, Jiri Patera will enter this weekend's slate of games fully rested after backup Ethan Kruger was in net for the Wheat Kings' last game in Regina on Monday.

Patera has been excellent down the stretch for the Wheat Kings. Prior to Monday's game in Regina, he had played the full 60 minutes of every game since January 18th and ranks 6th in the entire Canadian Hockey League with a .921 save percentage for goalies with 30+ games played.

Saturday will also be another Kids Saturday at Westoba Place with $5 children's tickets for kids under 12, $5 specials on concessions and a free McDonald's Happy Meal voucher for every kids ticket purchased from the Keystone Centre box office window. Jumparoo Brandon will also be setting up an inflatable bouncy castle for kids at the west end of the Keystone centre concourse and Paw Patrol's Chase, Skye, Rubble and Marshall will be in attendance.

Tickets for both Friday and Saturday's games can be purchased through the Keystone Centre by calling 204-726-5555 or visiting www.keystonecentre.com/tickets.

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2020


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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