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Triton
03-25-2005, 01:04 PM
After winning twenty-one of their final 24 regular
season games to clinch their third Western Hockey League Eastern
Division pennant in four years, the Brandon Wheat Kings continue final
preparations for their best of seven opening round playoff series with the
Moose Jaw Warriors, scheduled to begin Friday night at the Keystone
Centre.

After trailing Saskatoon for most of the season, the Wheat Kings
overtook the Blades during the final week of February and never looked back
as they went on to post an impressive 45-21-5-1 record, good for 96
points - 57 ahead of the fourth place Warriors, who finished the regular
season with a 14-47-10-1 mark.

The Wheat Kings will be putting an eleven game home ice winning streak
on the line Friday night. Brandon hasn't lost on home ice since
dropping a 5-3 decision to the Calgary Hitmen on February 4th. Brandon was
26-7-1-1 at home this year while the Warriors compiled a 4-27-5 record on
the road.

During the 9-game season series between the two teams, Brandon won
eight times and tied the other, outscoring the Warriors 41-19 in the
process. All stars Eric Fehr and Ryan Stone, who finished 1-2 in the WHL
scoring race this year, led the Wheat Kings in scoring against Moose Jaw.
While Fehr finished with eleven goals and 18 points, Stone had 15 points
including five goals. Goalkeeper Tyler Plante, who is expected to get
the starting assignment in Friday's series opener, compiled a perfect
6-0 record, a .940 save percentage and a sparkling 1.50 goals against
average against Moose Jaw. Plante was recently chosen the WHL's Eastern
Conference nominee for Rookie of the Year honours after leading all
freshmen 'tenders in victories (34), shutouts (6), goals against average
(2.58) and save percentage (.907).

As for the Warriors, 17-year old left-winger Kenndal McArdle, who was
expected to be a first round draft choice in this June's NHL entry draft
- at least until it was cancelled on Thursday morning - led Moose Jaw
in scoring during this year's season series. In nine games against the
Wheat Kings, he had five goals and six points. Of Moose Jaw's two
netminders, sophomore Joey Perricone posted the best numbers against Brandon
- a 3.20 goals against average and an .887 save percentage in four
appearances.

This series will mark the fifth time in WHL history that Brandon and
Moose Jaw have squared off in post-season play. However, the first time
was 1968 when the old Moose Jaw Canucks defeated the Wheat Kings four
games to three, with one game ending up in an overtime tie. The last time
that these two teams met was two years ago when the Wheat Kings
defeated the Warriors in the seventh and deciding game of the Eastern
Conference semi-finals, before a standing room only crowd at the Keystone.

Brandon's overall playoff record vs. Moose Jaw is 11-7-1.

Thirteen of Brandon's 24 players have previous playoff experience
including 19-year old defenceman Riley Day. A former member of the AAA
midget Wheat Kings, Day was a member of last year's WHL championship team in
Medicine Hat. Brandon's active playoff leaders include Tim Konsorada
(39 points), Ryan Stone (83 penalty minutes) and Lance Monych (14 goals
and 53 games). A five year Wheat King veteran, Monych closed out the
regular season riding a career high 15-game point scoring streak.

With game two of this series set for Winnipeg's MTS Centre on Sunday
afternoon due to the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair and games three, four and
five scheduled for Moose Jaw's Civic Centre next week, Friday night's
series opener may be western Manitoba's hockey fans only opportunity to
see opening round playoff action. Should a sixth or seventh game be
necessary, they will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 5th and 6th
at the Keystone Centre.