WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheaties to begin West coast trek

Published on October 27, 2004 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Prince George, B.C. -- A grueling 7-game in eleven night Western Hockey League road trip is whats in store for the Brandon Wheat Kings and its set to begin tonight against the Cougars in Prince George.

Coming off Sunday night's dramatic 4-3 come from behind victroy over the visiting Kootenay Ice, the Wheat Kings begin the trek sitting alone in second place in the WHL's Eastern Division with a 6-3-0-1 record. However, seven of the club's first ten games have been played on home ice, which means the next two weeks will be a big test for a club that is currently six points behind the front running Saskatoon Blades.

The Cougars meanwhile are fourth in the Western Conference's B.C. Division with a 4-7-1-1 mark. In the only game played between these two teams last season, Brandon was a 7-5 winner at the Keystone Centre - a game that featured former Cougar captain Chris Falloon in his final WHL game in his home province of Manitoba.

The Wheat Kings have been at both their best and worst in recent west coast excursions.

Brandon actually made two trips west last year, neither of which were successful. In late October, the Wheat Kings went 0-4-1 during a 5-game swing through the B.C. and Central Divisions while in February, they posted an 0-3-2 mark during a 5-game tour of the United States. During the 2002-03 campaign however, Brandon was unbeaten in what turned out to be it's best west coast trip in franchise history.

"I've always felt that there's a lot of significance to the trip," Wheat Kings' coach and general manager Kelly McCrimmon told James Shewaga of the Brandon Sun recently. "Obviously there's 14 available points, but even past that, I think you get a good feel for your chemistry and it's a real good team-building experience.

It's ironic that 48 hours ago these two teams agreed to a WHL deal that saw the Wheat Kings deal the rights to overage defenceman Andre Blanchette to the Cougars in exchange for a bantam draft choice. It's not known if the Camrose, Alberta product will be in the Prince George lineup for tonight's game.

Following tonight's game, Brandon will travel down the coast to meet the Giants in Vancouver on Friday before facing off against the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday night.

Brandons next home game is Thursday, November 11th against the defending Western Conference Champion Everett Silvertips.

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 27, 2004


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