BRANDON, MANITOBA – Tonight there will be no love lost between the host Brandon Wheat Kings and WHL Champions Calgary Hitmen.
The Hitmen who have been warmly received throughout the MasterCard Memorial Cup will not be warmly received tonight at Westman Communications Place when they play the Wheat Kings to determine who advances to Sunday’s final against the Ontario Hockey League champions Windsor Spitfires.
Wheat Kings fans left no stone unturned in a fruitless efforts to get the Hitmen off their game in the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference final. There is no reason to expect tonight to be any different and the Hitmen expect no less. Hitmen coach Mike Williamson got into the act when he was asked about being the team Wheat Kings fans love to hate.
“It’s Mutual,” Williamson said. “It’s a great building. It’s a good atmosphere. When we came here early in the season I think everyone knew that these were two of the kingpins in the league. It’s a good rivalry.”
The WHL champion Hitment just went 1-3 against the Wheaties during the regular season, but come playoff time the Hitmen were able to knock off the Wheat Kings. Goaltender Martin Jones was the story in that series but what to expect from him tonight is anyones guess. He has been streaky all tournament with a 5-4 win over Moncton and a 6-2 to loss to Windsor. “I have felt good at times and yes there was some sloppy goals but I just have to prepare the same way and make sure there are no mental lapses,” Jones said.
Brandon is likely to be supported by over 5000+ mostly-yellow-clad fans who are watching the biggest Wheat King game in Brandon in many of our lifetimes (so far). Crowd support through the high and low points of the game will be critical to giving the Wheaties the “7th man” that can often serve as an advantage in an elimination game.
Calgary’s Brandon Kozun is ready to return and will be in the Hitmen lineup tonight. Cody Sylvester, who missed Wednesday’s game, will also be back. Co-captain Ian Schultz suffered an injury on Wednesday but it won’t be bad enough to keep him out of this game.
As far as Wheat King injuries, there is no official word on Scott Glennie out of Brandon but Dallas Stars’ Les Jackson has said that Glennie “should” be ready to go tonight.
SIDE NOTE
Tune into PHN on Twitter tonight and follow a live blog of the game.
Contact Andruw.Bourgeois@prohockeynews.com
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