WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheat Kings on the Road

Published on April 6, 2012 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Edmonton, AB. - For the first time in over a week, the Brandon Wheat Kings will take to the ice tonight to play the Oil Kings in Edmonton in game one of their Western Hockey League Eastern Conference Semi-Final.

The Wheat Kings, who have advanced to the second round of post-season play for the eighth time in the past eleven years, haven't played a game since last Thursday when they defeated the Calgary Hitmen 3-2 in overtime to clinch their first round series in five games.

The Oil Kings meanwhile have also been idle since last week when they completed a four game sweep of the defending Champion Kootenay Ice.

Game two of the best of seven affair goes Saturday night, before the series shifts to Brandon's Westman Place for games three and four on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

In the Oil Kings, Brandon is facing a club that captured the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy this past season for compiling a league leading 50-15-3-4 record. The Oil Kings also scored the most goals (310) and gave up the fewest (189) in the Eastern Conference.

Brandon defenceman Brodie Melnychuk, who is making his fifth straight appearance in post season play this spring, says the Wheat Kings understand what they are up against.

"We're playing the best team in the league, standings-wise, coming up here so we're going to have to bring our A game," the 20-year old Melnychuk told CKLQ's Bruce Luebke on Thursday. "We've worked for everything we've got to this point so it'll be a good series."

Edmonton won three of four regular season games between these two teams and are in the second round of post-season play for the first time since rejoining the WHL in 2007.

While the Wheat Kings are certainly no stranger to the playoffs, they are looking forward to returning to Brandon and playing their first post-season game at Westman Place since the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup. In addition to playing three first round playoff home games against Medicine Hat at MTS Centre last year, the Wheat Kings were forced to play this year's opening round series home games in Winnipeg.

In addition to that, when they take to the ice for game three on Tuesday, the Wheat Kings will be playing their first game at "home" in twenty-four days. Brandon hasn't played at Westman Place since its regular season finale against Regina on March 17th.

As of Thursday afternoon, less than 2,300 tickets had been sold for Tuesday's game. The Keystone Centre box office, which is closed for Good Friday today and Easter Sunday, will re-open at 9am Saturday and will be selling tickets until 4pm.

Fans can also order online at ticketmaster.ca or by calling 726-3555.

The Wheat Kings, who averaged well over 4,100 fans per home game during the regular season, finished the regular season by winning eight of their final 11 games (8-1-0-2) on home ice to overtake both Kootenay and Regina and finish sixth in the WHL's Eastern Conference with a record of 39-28-1-4.

Tonight's series opener at Rexall Place in Edmonton is an 8pm CST time, with the pre-game show on 880 CKLQ scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 6, 2012


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