There will be some emotional moments for the Brandon Wheat Kings this week, from the final regular season game on home ice to the last regular season games in the careers of their three 20-year-olds. There is more to this week’s duo of duels than sentiment, however.
With their ticket to the playoffs officially punched, the Wheat Kings want to go into the postseason on a high note and with good habits established. They have two games this week to firm up both of those things, starting on Thursday, against the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“We want to get into that playoff mode where every shift matters,” said assistant coach Mark Derlago. “Little details, things like getting pucks deep and getting pucks to the net and taking care of our end and the blue lines.”
That game against Moose Jaw, the regular season home finale, will be all about the 20-year-olds. Forwards Brett Hyland and Jayden Wiens and defenseman Jackson DeSouza will have the spotlight, though they know they’ll have a chance to see their faithful fans at least twice more in their careers.
“It’s definitely something you remember as a 20-year-old when you’re moving on out of the league,” Derlago said. “But I think these guys want to play a lot more home games here. So I think they’re taking it game by game right now and they definitely want to go on a lengthy playoff run.”
Winning these last two games would be huge for the Wheat Kings not so much because of seeding (they’ll have a tough matchup no matter who they draw) but in terms of momentum. In addition, the game against Moose Jaw could be a first-round preview, so they have added incentive to beat the Warriors and earn a split in the season series on Thursday night.
“It’s a team we’ve seen a lot this year and had some success against,” Derlago said. “If it’s going to be a first round matchup, you probably want to take some momentum going into the first round, and that starts on Thursday.”
Following the home closer against Moose Jaw, the Wheat Kings wrap up their regular season on the road against the Regina Pats, who will be looking to play spoiler as they have been officially eliminated from playoff contention.
(Article courtesy of the Brandon Wheat Kings)
