Sports stats



WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheat Kings Hope to Recapture Magic of Previous Homestand

January 5, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


It was the kind of stretch that can (and did) take a team from hovering near the playoff line to the upper half of the conference standings. Now the Brandon Wheat Kings are hoping to duplicate their December efforts on another homestand, beginning on Saturday night.

After winning seven of a possible eight games at home in December (and eight of nine overall) the Wheat Kings return home after a short stint in Saskatchewan. They'll play six consecutive games at Westoba Place, now knowing full well just what home ice advantage can really do for them.

"We've just come off a big homestand in December, then a couple of games on the road and now we have another six-game homestand here," said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. "These are opportunities we need to take advantage of. We should feel good about playing in our own barn."

As the homestand begins, the Wheat Kings will need a bit of a reset following a tough 4-0 loss to the Saskatoon Blades. All the scoring in that game was done on special teams, so that will be an area of focus for the Wheat Kings, along with generating better chances.

"I thought we were a little sluggish and on our heels a little bit, and in turn didn't generate a lot," Murray said. "We only had ten scoring chances, which is below where we want to be, we want to be having 15 scoring chances per game. The good news is, we didn't give up a ton but at the same time, we've got to be ready to score."

Leading off the homestand is the first match with the Vancouver Giants since October of 2022 and the first game against them at Westoba Place since October of 2019. Murray and his assistants will be hard at work combing through video to learn more about Saturday's foe.

"Del (Pedrick) and Mark (Derlago) do a great job of prepping us for the opponents," he said. "We'll get through that prior to our games and learn a little more about them, but the same message as before, when teams come in from other conferences for one game you want to worry about your own game and your own tendencies. If you do that, that's a good start."

Once the Wheat Kings are done with the Giants, they welcome another BC-based opponent as the Victoria Royals come to town. With that, the schedule shifts purely to eastern foes and the Wheat Kings can begin to battle for playoff positioning in earnest.

Check out the Brandon Wheat Kings Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from January 5, 2024


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.

Other Recent Brandon Wheat Kings Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central