WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheat Kings Look to Preserve Lead in Final Days of East Division Race

Published on April 23, 2021 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


With only three games left to play in the Western Hockey League season, the Brandon Wheat Kings are right where they want to be heading into their final push.

After winning their fifth-straight matchup on Wednesday over the Swift Current Broncos, the Wheat Kings lead the rest of the East Division with 34 points, three points ahead of the Winnipeg ICE and Saskatoon Blades with just three games to play. With the three teams neck-and-neck for most of the 2020-21 season, WHL fans won't be surprised to see the rivalry come down to the final days.

East Division Standings Top 3

Team Games

Played Wins Losses OT

Losses Shootout

Losses Points

Brandon Wheat Kings 21 16 3 2 0 34

Winnipeg ICE 21 15 5 1 0 31

Saskatoon Blades 21 14 4 2 1 31

The Blades appear to be a little banged up, losing their Thursday night matchup to the 4th-place Prince Albert Raiders without some key pieces in their lineup. The Raiders took advantage of the Blades' team-leading goal scorer Tristen Robins, 2021 NHL Draft prospect Colton Dach and defensive stalwart Aidan De La Gorgendiere sitting out, shutting them out 4-0 and ultimately keeping Brandon's division lead to three points. The Blades now have a Friday night matchup with the ICE to get back into the win column, the winner receiving sole possession of second place in the standings.

The ICE dodged a close call against the Moose Jaw Warriors in their last game, eventually coming away with a win in overtime. The Ice are 8-2 in their last 10 games, including a win over the Blades and two losses to Brandon. The Wheat Kings beat the ICE all four times they faced each other this season, the fourth and final game decided by a late, game-tying goal in regulation by Wheat King Ridly Greig and an overtime winner from Braden Schneider on Sunday, April 18th.

The Wheat Kings will hope their two opponents stay away from overtime tonight as the third and extra point could prove to be important, should the Wheat Kings drop one of their last three games.

East Division Leaders Remaining Games

Friday, April 23 - Blades vs ICE

Saturday, April 24 - Wheat Kings vs Prince Albert Raiders

Sunday, April 25 - Wheat Kings vs Regina Pats

Monday, April 26 - ICE vs Prince Albert Raiders

Monday, April 26 - Blades vs Moose Jaw Warriors

Tuesday, April 27 - ICE vs Regina Pats

Wednesday, April 28 - Wheat Kings vs Blades

Of their remaining three opponents, the Wheat Kings have gone 2-1 against the Raiders so far this season, 2-0-1 against the Pats and 1-2 against the Blades. They've outscored the Raiders 13 - 8 on the season but in his post-game media on Wednesday, Wheat Kings head coach Don MacGillivray says his team doesn't take the Raiders lightly. A strong and healthy rivalry still exists between the two and Prince Albert has looked to enjoy playing spoiler for all top three teams this season. The Raiders also have had the upper hand for the past 5 seasons going 12-6-3-0 against the Wheat Kings since 2016.

Check out the Brandon Wheat Kings Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 23, 2021


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