PHOTO BY SCOTT VANKOUGHNETT
Brandon, Man. — There’s no such thing as a nothing game.
Even with a semi-final date set between the Calgary Hitmen and Brandon Wheat Kings, each team realizes there is a lot to play for tonight.
“We both know we’re playing Friday,” Hitmen goalie Martin Jones said. “We want to make sure we don’t have any bad habits and make sure we don’t get sloppy. We want to play them hard and let them know that it’s going to be a tough couple of games.”
There is a lot of history between the two teams as they both play in the Eastern Conference of the WHL.
This game will mark the tenth time they have faced each other this year alone. Brandon won the season series 3-1, while Calgary defeated the Wheat Kings 4-1 in the Conference finals.
Jones knows that the game will be tough, even with the success they had against them in the playoffs.
“We know who their top guys are and how they like to play,” he said. “It’s not going to be easy. We need to bring our best. There’s no room for bad games.”
Having not played for two nights, Wheat Kings captain Brayden Schenn feels that they can use this game as a tune up for Friday night’s tilt.
“We had three weeks off and we’ve only played two games [at the Memorial Cup],” he said. “We’re trying to get better. Obviously the game itself doesn’t mean anything but to the team it does. We have two cracks at Calgary and we’re looking for two wins.”
Coach Kelly McCrimmon believes that it shouldn’t be hard to motivate his team.
“We need to keep getting better over the course of the week,” he said. “It’s really important we don’t take a step backwards. To get where we need to go we need to get better and better because it’s going to take big efforts from here on in to be successful.”
Schenn said that they’ve been chomping at the bit to get another shot at the Hitmen.
“Them beating us in the playoffs leaves a bitter taste in your mouth,” he said. “It’s important for us to come out with a good start and we’re definitely looking for redemption on them.”
Hitmen forward Tyler Shattock knows that Brandon will be firing on all cylinders.
“There’s still some hard feelings from our series earlier so I don’t expect anything less from both teams,” he said. “Everyone wants to put in a good showing.”
Jones echoed his teammates’ sentiments.
“We’ve had a bit of a rivalry. It’s going to be an intense game and a lot of fun to play in.”
While Jones is the confirmed starter for Calgary, Coach McCrimmon would not release his starter. It is expected that Jacob De Serres will get the nod.
Puck drop is 7pm (8pm EST) from Westman Place.
Topics: Brandon Wheat Kings, Brayden Schenn, Calgary Hitmen, CHL, Eastern Conference, Kelly McCrimmon, Martin Jones, Memorial Cup 2010, Tyler Shattock, WHL
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