CHL’s Top Offences go Head-to-Head in Red Deer

Two of the Canadian Hockey League’s elite offensive clubs go head-to-head tonight in Red Deer on Day 4 of the MasterCard Memorial Cup.

The WHL champion Brandon Wheat Kings and OHL champion London Knights tied for the CHL lead with 319 goals for this past season, and now it’s time to pit them against each other.

Brandon’s quick transition game and mobile back end meets London’s dominant line and strong supporting cast at the ENMAX Centrium, a game sure to draw junior hockey enthusiasts from far and wide.

The Wheat Kings enter action off a 5-3 loss to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Saturday. Kelly McCrimmon’s club will be tasked with stopping a London Knights squad that comes into tonight’s contest on a 14-game winning streak.

“We need to play better tonight than we did in our first game,” he said. “We had an encouraging end to Saturday’s game and it was good for our guys to have a good push. I think we got a feel for what it’s going to take to win in this tournament.”

BRANDON WHEAT KINGS PRE-GAME COMMENTS:

London stars Mitch Marner and Christian Dvorak each enter tonight’s game riding 17-game point streaks, collecting five and four points respectively in a 6-2 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Friday.

Finding a way to silence London’s big line is a quandary many teams have faced throughout the season.

“I don’t know that anybody has been able to do that,” McCrimmon noted. “I mean you have to try and limit their opportunities. The power play is a useful weapon for them so that ties into our discipline. I’m sure everybody says they want to shut those guys down before they play them, but that’s easier said than done.”

The Knights were equally complimentary of their Brandon opponent, who carried the WHL’s fourth-ranked power play throughout the regular season.

“They’ve got a great power play and a good team,” said Mitch Marner, who had the opportunity to watch some of Brandon’s game on Saturday. “We have to stay out of the box.”

“They’ve got some good puck-moving defencemen and a lot of skill up front,” added Knights head coach Dale Hunter. “It’s going to come down to who can execute tonight.”

This marks the first ever meeting between the Knights and Wheat Kings, two clubs with extensive histories playing in their fifth MasterCard Memorial Cup in the modern era that began in 1972 when the event took on a tournament format.

LONDON KNIGHTS PRE-GAME COMMENTS:

Both clubs received their share of individual awards this past season, with London’s Marner earning OHL regular season and playoff MVP honours and goaltenders Tyler Parsons and Brendan Burke posting the OHL’s lowest goals-against average.

Brandon’s Ivan Provorov was named the WHL Defenceman of the Year and also led the league with a plus-64 plus/minus rating. Sophomore sensation Nolan Patrick was the WHL’s Playoff MVP and 18-year-old centreman Tanner Kaspick was the WHL Scholastic Player of the Year.

Two star-studded clubs square off tonight on Sportsnet as the Knights look to become the first team with a 2-0 record while the Wheat Kings search for a much-needed win when the puck drops at 6:00pm MT/8:00pm ET.