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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheaties prepare for game three

March 29, 2005 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Brandon, Manitoba -- The Eastern Division champion Brandon Wheat Kings will be hoping to match Prince Albert's Western Hockey League playoff success Wednesday when they travel to Moose Jaw to meet the Warriors in game three of their best of seven opening round series.

With games three, four and five scheduled for the Civic Centre in Moose Jaw, the Wheat Kings lead their Eastern Division semi-final series two games to nothing after outscoring the Warriors 12-4 in games one and two this past weekend.

The Raiders, who finished third in the Eastern Division standings this year, have pushed the Blades to the brink of elimination with Monday night's 3-2 win at Credit Union Place in Saskatoon. Prince Albert has a commanding 3-0 lead in that series.

Brandon enters game three Wednesday night, having won ten of eleven games against the Warriors this season.

The Wheat Kings, who won 21 of their final 24 regular season games to capture their third Eastern Division pennant in the past four years and ninth in franchise history, were 18-14-4 on the road this past season while the Warriors were 10-20-5-1 at the "Crushed Can".

After finishing atop the WHL scoring race this past season, veterans Eric Fehr and Ryan Stone have picked up in the playoffs right where they left off during the regular season. Fehr, the WHL's Player of the Week and Stone are currently tied atop the playoff scoring race with six points each while three others - Jeff Topilko (3-0-3), Lance Monych (2-1-3) and defenceman Steven Later (0-3-3) are next with three points each.

Both Fehr and Stone were chosen to the WHL's Eastern Conference First All Star Team this past season.

The play of special teams has been a major factor in this series so far. While Brandon has capitalized on six of 14 chances (42.9%), the Wheat Kings have managed shut down Moose Jaw on eight of its ten opportunities. Two of the Warriors three goals in game one on Friday night came with the man advantage.

Thirteen of Brandon's 24 players entered this year's post-season having had previous playoff experience including 19-year old defenceman Riley Day, who was a member of last year's WHL Championship team in Medicine Hat. Eight others meanwhile are making their WHL playoff debuts including imports Jakub Sindel and Sami Sandell, who missed game two after twisting an ankle in the series opener. Sandell is currently listed as day to day and is expected to be back in the Wheat Kings' lineup on Wednesday.

Another player that should play game three is 17-year old second year center Codey Burki, who was blindsided by Moose Jaw defenceman Jordan Henry midway through the third period of Sunday's 5-1 Brandon victory at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. Henry received a five minute major and an automatic game misconduct from referee Pat Smith and he is expected to hear from WHL Vice President Richard Doerksen later today about a possible suspension.

This opening round playoff series is a 2-3-2 format (with games six and seven if necessary scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, April 5th and 6th in Brandon) due to a scheduling conflict with the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

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