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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

WHL Playoff Race Heating Up

March 8, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Brandon, MB. - The Brandon Wheat Kings enter the second to last weekend of the 2017-18 Western Hockey League regular season with a great deal at stake.

The Wheat Kings, who are coming off Tuesday night's impressive 6-0 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes, will be hosting Swift Current on Friday in what will be the first of three games in three nights this weekend.

Brandon currently occupies the first Wild Card spot in the WHL's Eastern Conference with a record of 35-26-3-2. The Wheat Kings are three points back of third place Regina in the Eastern Division and four ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders, who hold down the eighth and final playoff spot with just over a week remaining.

Meanwhile the Saskatoon Blades remain alive in this year's playoff race as they trail the Raiders by four and the Wheat Kings by eight with six games to play.

If the Blades, who edged the Edmonton Oil Kings 6-5 Tuesday night, win all six of their remaining games they would end the season with a total of 79 points. Because Brandon has 75, the Wheat Kings' magic number is five points, with every win or extra time loss as well as Saskatoon losses knocking points off that total.

Following Friday's game, the Wheat Kings will head to Saskatchewan for back to back games in Saskatoon and Moose Jaw on Saturday and Sunday nights respectively.

Brandon center Ty Lewis, who became the first of two Wheat Kings to reach the 40-goal plateau in Tuesday's win over the Hurricanes, says the team seems to be back on track in time for the final week of regular season play.

"Pucks are kind of bouncing the right way," he told Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun this week. "I think our team game has really stepped up lately and I think we're kind of finding our way here towards the end of the season."

Joining Lewis as a 40-goal man on Tuesday night was Carolina Hurricanes' prospect Stelio Mattheos.

Lewis and Mattheos are currently among the WHL's scoring leaders with 93 and 83 points respectively.

Mattheos meanwhile is second in the league with nine game winning goals, netminder Logan Thompson leads the WHL with 1,749 saves this season and blueliner Chase Hartje is among the league scoring leaders among rookie defenceman with three goals and 24 points.

Brandon will close out the regular season with three games next week - two at home and one on the road. After hosting the Blades on Tuesday (Rain Check Night), Brandon will take on Moose Jaw in a home and home weekend series. Next Saturday's game at Westoba Place will be the annual Awards Night, with hardware to be handed out before, during and immediately following the game.

Tickets to all three of Brandon's remaining home games are on sale now at the Keystone Centre box office, by calling (204) 726-3555 or online at keystonecentre.ca.

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