Gameday Preview: Brandon Wheat Kings @ Medicine Hat Tigers and more

DUBNetwork Game of the Night: Brandon Wheat Kings (26-19-2-2) @ Medicine Hat Tigers (32-14-1-1) 730 PM MST 

WHL fans should expect an excellent tilt tonight at the Canalta Centre in Medicine Hat. Both teams are coming off victories on Friday and are in the thick of the playoff race in their respective divisions. 

After Friday’s victory over Calgary, Brandon has racked up a 7-2-1-0 record in their last 10 games and closed the gap in the East Division’s playoff race. Despite a slow start to the season, the Wheat Kings remain just three points back of Winnipeg and five back of the division-leading Raiders. 

(Photo credit – wheatkings.com) Luka Burzan notched another goal for Brandon.

While Brandon lacks a bonafide top scorer, head coach Dave Lowry has relied on a wealth of depth. Luka Burzan and Ben McCartney lead Brandon offensively with 51 points apiece. Ridley Greig and defenceman Braden Schneider have had great seasons for Brandon and had the opportunity to showcase their skill at the Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Hamilton recently. 

One could easily correlate the Wheat Kings’ recent success with the emergence of Vegas Golden Knights’ property Jiri Patera. The Czech Republic native has posted four shutouts in his last 11 games and allowed 26 goals in his last 12. His numbers may not exactly be mind-boggling when compared to the league’s best but they do indicate a steady improvement throughout the course of the season. 

Jiri Patera and Conor Gutenberg – Photo By: Candice Ward

No doubt, Patera will have to be sharp when he and the Wheat Kings make a trip to Medicine Hat where the WHL’s highest-scoring offence will be waiting. With 210 goals in 48 games — an average of 4.38 per game — the Tigers’ offence is as dangerous as ever, as is captain James Hamblin. With 77 points, Hamblin leads the league in scoring and has tied his career-best point total set last season. Brett Kemp leads the second wave with 59 points while Ryan Chyzowski’s 50 are good for third on the team. 

Saturday’s contest will also feature a battle of the special teams. One of the contributing factors to the Tigers’ high-scoring offence is what they can do with the extra man. Medicine Hat has converted on 25.9 percent of their powerplay opportunities this season, second only to Everett in the WHL. Chyzowski’s 12 powerplay goals are good for second in the league while Kemp and rookie Cole Sillinger have combined for 14 on the man-advantage. 

Ryan Chyzowski (Photo: Portland Winterhawks/Keith Dwiggins)

Brandon is no slouch either. The Wheat Kings have allowed just 30 goals on the opposition’s 199 powerplay opportunities. With an 84.9 percent success rate, Bradon ranks fourth-best in the league when it comes to killing penalties. 

In other WHL action:

Red Deer Rebels (17-25-2-3) @ Calgary Hitmen (26-16-4-1) 7 PM CST

Thanks to three goals in a 7:04 stretch of the third period, the Rebels fended off the ICE in a 6-5 barnburner on Friday. Rebels’ rookie Jace Isley led the way with two goals and an assist while Winnipeg’s Peyton Krebs recorded four assists in the loss. Despite throwing 37 shots on net, the Hitmen couldn’t solve Brandon’s Jiri Patera who recorded his fifth shutout in 30 games. Calgary will be looking to regain their five-point lead over Saskatoon in the playoff race with a win over Red Deer tonight.

Victoria Royals (25-18-4-1) @ Moose Jaw Warriors (12-31-2-0) 7 PM CST

Victoria suffered another disappointing defeat on their Eastern road trip on Friday. The Regina Pats outlasted the Royals and were rewarded with a 5-4 victory in the shootout while Victoria claimed its second point in its first five games of the trip. This will be the first matchup since the two teams agreed on a deadline day blockbuster that saw multiple players trade places. As Shane Farkas remains out, it’s expected that Adam Evanoff will get the start for Victoria against his old club who were shutout the previous night.

Prince Albert Raiders (26-14-5-4) @ Swift Current Broncos (10-33-1-3) 7 PM CST

Prince Albert’s 4-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night could fall under the “statement win” category. Led by two goals from Brayden Watts, the Raiders dusted off the Hurricanes and leaped the Winnipeg ICE for first place in the East Division. Swift Current went toe-to-toe with the league’s best offence through 40 minutes in Medicine Hat on Friday. The Tigers pulled away in the end with a three-goal outburst in the final frame; the Broncos will be in tough once again when they host the Raiders. 

Seattle Thunderbirds (19-22-3-2) @ Portland Winterhawks (35-7-2-3) 6 PM PST

Portland’s incredible 21-game point streak finally came to an end with a 4-3 loss to the Silvertips on Friday night. The Winterhawks will be looking to start another streak while Seattle seeks to track down the Giants for the first Wildcard playoff spot. After Vancouver’s win last night, Seattle remains two points back but a 5-3-1-1 in their last 10 suggests they’re not going down without a fight.

Winnipeg ICE (29-18-1-0) @ Edmonton Oil Kings (33-8-6-3) 7 PM MST

With a 7-1-1-1 record in their last 10 and 75 points on the season, the Oil Kings are a cut above their Eastern Conference adversaries. Riley Sawchuk and Jake Neighbours lead the way offensively while Sebastian Cossa has put the league on notice in his rookie campaign. Cossa has posted an 18-3-2-1 record along with three shutouts in his first 27 games in the WHL. Winnipeg’s three-point lead over Brandon in the standings will be challenged by the Oil Kings’ high powered offence and resilient goaltending.

Vancouver Giants (21-20-3-2) @ Kamloops Blazers (32-12-3-1) 7 PM PST

Connor Zary’s shot that soared off the crossbar in overtime served as an example of how close the season series has been despite the Blazers winning the previous four games. Bowen Byram, Eric Florchuk and Tristen Nielsen combined for nine points on the night while the two teams combined for four power play goals on 14 opportunities. The Giants will be looking to sweep the home-and-home series and catch up to Kelowna where the Rockets are third in the B.C. Division. 

Tri-City Americans (14-27-4-1) @ Prince George Cougars (14-25-3-4) 7 PM PST

Prince George took round one of the doubleheader with a convincing 5-1 win on Friday night. The Cougars went 2/4 on the man-advantage and received goals from five different players while Taylor Gauthier shut down the Americans’ attack. Tri-City will need to find a way to crack the 18-year old goaltender if they want to leave Prince George with points in hand. 

Kelowna Rockets (23-22-1-2) @ Spokane Chiefs (26-17-4-1) 705 PM PST

After suffering a 4-2 loss to the Blazers just days earlier, the Chiefs exacted their revenge by blowing the doors off Kelowna on Friday to the tune of a 7-3 win. Unsurprisingly, Spokane’s leading scorer Adam Beckman carried the Chiefs with one goal and three assists, helping Spokane chase Rockets’ starter Roman Basran early. Kelowna — still without captain Nolan Foote — had three assists from Vegas Golden Knights’ prospect Kaedan Korczak. The two squads will now cross the border for a game in Spokane to finish off the doubleheader.