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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Raiders Weekend Preview

January 16, 2009 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Brandon, Manitoba -- In what could turn out to be an early preview of an opening round Western Hockey League playoff series, the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince Albert Raiders face off this weekend in a home and home series beginning Friday night at Westman Place.

Winners of nine of their last 11 games (9-0-2-0), the Wheat Kings enter the weekend sitting in second place in the WHL's Eastern Division and third in the Conference with a record of 26-13-3-1. Brandon is currently two points up on Medicine Hat and six behind the first place Saskatoon Blades, with a game in hand.

After a slow start to the season, the Raiders have been one of the better teams over the course of the last month and enter the weekend series, that concludes Saturday night in Prince Albert, with a record of 22-23-2-1, good for 47 points and a seventh place tie with Lethbridge in the Eastern Conference.

Prince Albert is 7-2-0-1 in its last ten games to move to within a point of the sixth place Kootenay Ice.

Friday night is only the second meeting of the season between these two Eastern Division rivals. Back on December 13th, the Wheat Kings came from behind to beat the Raiders 5-4 in overtime. 19-year old Jay Fehr scored once and set up two others to pace the winners in that game while Dustin Cameron and Brandon Herrod had a goal and an assist for Prince Albert.

Brandon's highly touted pair of Brayden Schenn and Scott Glennie will be in the lineup Friday after returning to the team on Thursday from the 2009 Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game in Oshawa, Ontario. Glennie currently leads the club in scoring with 22 goals and 54 points in 42 games. Schenn meanwhile is third on the team with eighteen goals and 48 points in 41 games.

20-year old Andrew Clark enters weekend play riding a 10-game point scoring streak - a stretch of games that began with last month's win against Prince Albert. During that time, the veteran center has ten goals and 17 points.

As for the Raiders, 20-year old Yorkton, Saskatchewan product Justin Bernhardt is enjoying a banner year and enters weekend play as the third highest scoring player in the WHL. In 48 games this season, the 5-year veteran has 24 goals and 66 points. Only Vancouver's Casey Pierro-Sabotel (22-50-72) and Brandon Kozun of Calgary (28-40-68) have more points this season.

Saturday's game in Prince Albert will be the first of three straight road games for the Wheat Kings, who will travel to Swift Current on Tuesday before battling the first place Blades in Saskatoon the following night.

Tickets to Friday night's game - Yellow Pages Group Night - at Westman Place are on sale now at the Keystone Centre box office, by calling 726-3555 or online at ticketmaster.ca.

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