The WHEAT KINGS will be looking to snap a 2-game losing skid Friday night when they play game three of their 4-game Alberta road trip – in RED DEER – against the REBELS…After winning two of three games against the two top teams in the Eastern Conference during last week’s 3-game home stand, the WHEATS have dropped the first two games of this weeklong excursion, losing 5-1 to the TIGERS in MEDICINE HAT on Tuesday and 8-2 to the Central Division leading LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES on Wednesday…Former PRINCE GEORGE COUGAR JONATHAN FILEWICH scored four goals to pace the ‘CANES, who built up a 6-0 second period lead en route to avenging last Saturday’s 4-3 loss in BRANDON…STEVEN LATER and SAMI SANDELL replied for the WHEAT KINGS, who remain nine points behind the Eastern Division leading SASKATOON BLADES, who fell 6-4 to MOOSE JAW on Wednesday…The WHEAT KINGS enter tonight’s game with a record of 24-17-5-1, good for 54 points…BRANDON still enjoys four games in hand on the BLADES…BRANDON is 5-5-0 in it’s last ten games…At home, the WHEATS are 15-6-1-1 while on the road, they’re 9-11-4 and they currently have the second best overtime record in the WHL at 6-1-5 this season…Only the VANCOUVER GIANTS have a better winning percentage in overtime this year…BRANDON’S road trip concludes Sunday afternoon in CALGARY against the HITMEN.

FEHR REGAINS SCORING LEAD: WASHINGTON CAPITALS’ first round draft choice ERIC FEHR has regained the Western Hockey League scoring lead after collecting a goal and four points in his last three games…Going into Friday’s game, the 19-year old Winkler product has 64 points – two up on GILBERT BRULE of VANCOUVER and COLTON YELLOW HORN of LETHBRIDGE…He’s managed to score twenty-one goals and 37 points in his last 26 games and is on pace to reach the 50-goal plateau for the second straight season. The last one to do that was KELLY GLOWA, who scored 59 in ’81-82 before firing 71 goals the following year.

WHOSE BEEN HOT? Two other WHEAT KING veterans – RYAN STONE (18-41-59) and TIM KONSORADA (17-35-52) are fourth and eighth respectively in the league scoring race…Former MJHL all star STEVEN LATER has moved past CAM BARKER and is now fourth in scoring among defenceman with 39 points…TYLER PLANTE leads all WHL rookie ‘tenders with three shutouts, a 2.74 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.

MILESTONES: PHOENIX COYOTES’ draft pick LANCE MONYCH has moved to within six games of becoming only the sixth WHEAT KING to play in 300 career games for BRANDON. Current assistant coach DWAYNE GYLYWOYCHUK is the franchise leader with 323…Having played 287 career games, captain TIM KONSORADA has moved past KELLY SMART and into sole possession of eighth place on the club’s all time list…Right-winger ERIC FEHR, who recently played in his 250th career WHL game, tied the WHL record set by former REGINA PAT FRANK KOVACS in 1990-91 with four overtime game winning goals earlier this month…Finnish forward SAMI SANDELL notched his first ever WHL goal in Wednesday’s loss to the HURRICANES.

DID YOU KNOW: BRANDON’S powerplay continues to lead the WHL (22.6%)…ERIC FEHR leads the WHL with 19 powerplay tallies…Penalty killing, the WHEAT KINGS have slipped to 12th in the league with an 82.9% efficiency…BRANDON has two players – STEVE LATER (145) and JON WEBB (135) among the league leaders in penalty minutes…After winning just one regular season game against the REBELS over the course of the last three seasons, BRANDON is 3-0-0 vs. RED DEER this year. ERIC FEHR has five goals and 6 points in three games against BRENT SUTTER’S team…Sunday’s game in CALGARY will be the first of three against the HITMEN in six days…The two teams will play Wednesday in WINNIPEG before facing off Friday night at the Keystone.