Wheat Kings depart for key road trip

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/01/2012 (5221 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Since home ice isn’t doing much for them, perhaps the Brandon Wheat Kings can get their mojo back on the road.

After five straight home losses, and only one win in their last seven games overall, the Wheat Kings begin a whirlwind tour through the Western Hockey League’s Central Division that starts tonight (7:30, CKLQ) against the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, B.C.

For a team that is clinging to the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at 23-22-1-2, this trip could prove to be a turning point or a disaster for the eighth-place Wheat Kings, who will play three games against teams ahead of them in the standings before finishing against the ninth-place Red Deer Rebels. Red Deer sits just four points back of Brandon with two games in hand.

“This next week, (with) four games in five nights, we need to get some points here,” Wheat Kings forward Jens Meilleur said. “Every game is a playoff game now. We’ve been falling in the standings and we need to start moving north.”

The Wheat Kings were soundly beaten 7-3 by the Ice on Saturday night at Westman Place, falling behind 5-0 before the halfway point of the game.

The list of improvements that will be needed for tonight’s rematch out west is a long one.

“A little bit of everything, we can’t just say one thing (needs to improve),” Wheat Kings head coach Cory Clouston said. “We’ve got to be better in all areas.”

Following tonight’s game in Cranbrook the Wheat Kings face the Calgary Hitmen tomorrow before getting their lone day off on Thursday. They visit the conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday, then wrap up their trip Saturday night against the Rebels.

With what’s at stake this week, Clouston said the club needs to be at its best at all times.

“It’s very important, we need to realize the urgency that we put ourselves into,” he said. “We’ve got to come out with a good 60-minute effort and just take it game by game.”

Veteran Wheat Kings forward Brenden Walker said the players’ attitudes will be as important as anything.

“We’ve just gotta get back as a team and not just bicker at one guy,” he said. “It’s a tough situation and we’ve just gotta get back as a team.”

ONE-TIMERS: Wheat Kings G Corbin Boes (hand) and D Eric Roy (shoulder), now both listed as day-to-day, practised Monday in Cranbrook and are expected to play this week. Wheat Kings LW Dominick Favreau (undisclosed injury) is on the road trip but did not skate Monday, while C Tyrel Seaman (concussion) remains back home in Choiceland, Sask., and is out indefinitely … The Prince Albert Raiders have announced that RW Kellan Tochkin, 20, is expected to be out 4-5 months after suffering a broken wrist, essentially ending the overager’s WHL career … Edmonton Oil Kings C Michael St. Croix is the WHL player of the week after scoring six times and racking up 10 points and a +7 plus/minus rating while helping lead the Oil Kings to three straight victories.

» rhenders@brandonsun.com