WHL HEADLINES

TONIGHT’S WHL MATCH-UPS – Dion Phaneuf (pictured) and the Red Deer Rebels (24-16-4-4) visit the Calgary Hitmen (24-17-6-2) in one of six Western Hockey League contests on Wednesday night.
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rThe Rebels, who are tied with Calgary for third in the Central division, beat the Hitmen 3-2 last night in Red Deer thanks to Phaneuf’s third-period power play tally. The Rebels are 10-13-2 on the road this season.
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rThe Hitmen – tied with the Rebels for third in the division – are 2-2 in their last four games, including last night’s defeat in Red Deer. Calgary is riding a four-game win streak on home ice.
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rIt’s the seventh of 10 meetings between the division rivals. The series stands at 3-2-1 in favor of the Hitmen through the first six encounters.
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rElsewhere tonight, the Kamloops Blazers (18-25-3-2) welcome the Vancouver Giants (25-20-1-2) in a B.C. division battle.
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rThe Blazers, who occupy fifth in the division, are coming off Sunday’s 6-0 trouncing of Prince George that snapped a five-game winless skid. The Blazers are 13-11-1 on home ice this season.
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rThe Giants, who sit third in the B.C. division, are coming off Sunday’s 5-2 loss to Portland and have dropped three straight contests. Vancouver has won only one of their last five road contests.
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rIt’s the fifth meeting of the season between the teams. Vancouver is a perfect 4-0 versus the Blazers this season.
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rThe Kelowna Rockets (28-10-9-2) host the Everett Silvertips (21-18-6-2) tonight.
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rThe Rockets, who top the B.C. division and sit first overall, are coming off a 4-0 win over Kamloops on Saturday and have won five of their last six games. The Rockets haven’t lost at home in their last 16 games, dating back to a 3-0 blanking by Prince George on October 29th.
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rThe Silvertips, who occupy second in the U.S. division, are coming off a 4-2 loss to Kootenay on Saturday and have only won one of their last seven games. The ‘Tips are 9-12-3 on the road this season.
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rIt’s the third meeting of the season between the clubs. Everett is unbeaten versus Kelowna this season, with a win and a tie through the first two meetings.
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rThe Brandon Wheat Kings (24-16-5-1) continue their tour through the Central division as they visit the Lethbridge Hurricanes (25-12-10-1) tonight.
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rThe Wheat Kings, who sit second in the East division, were beaten 5-1 in Medicine Hat last night and are 6-4 in their last 10 games. Eric Fehr notched his league-leading 40th goal of the season in last night’s loss.
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rThe Hurricanes, who are tied with Medicine Hat atop the Central division, were beaten 4-3 in Brandon on Saturday and are winless in their last four outings. The ‘Canes are 13-6-5 at home this season.
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rIt’s the third meeting of the season between the teams. Each team has won once in the previous two encounters.
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rThe Moose Jaw Warriors (6-34-7-1) welcome the Saskatoon Blades (27-14-5-4) in an all-East division match-up tonight.
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rThe Warriors, currently fifth in the division, are coming off Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Raiders and are winless in their last 12 games. The Warriors have allowed a league-high 209 goals-against this season.
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rThe Blades, who top the East division, are coming off Saturday’s 2-1 win over Red Deer and have won three of their last five outings. The Blades are 14-10-3 on the road this season.
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rIt’s the sixth meeting of the season between the Blades and Warriors. Saskatoon has won all five previous meetings this season.
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rIn other action tonight, the Seattle Thunderbirds (32-13-0-1) host the Tri-City Americans (16-21-5-2) in a U.S. division showdown.
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rThe T-Birds, who sit comfortably atop the division, beat Spokane 4-2 last night and have won seven of their last 10 games. Seattle has allowed a league-low 79 goals-against this season.
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rThe Americans, who sit fifth in the U.S. division, are coming off Sunday’s 5-2 loss to Kootenay and have only managed two wins in their last 10 outings. The Ams are 7-9-3 on the road this season.
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rIt’s the eighth meeting of the season between the division rivals. Seattle has won all seven previous meetings versus Tri-City this season.
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rWHL UPCOMING T.V BROADCASTS
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rSHAW
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rFriday, January 28
rPrince George @ Calgary
r7:00 p.m., Alberta and B.C. regions
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rSunday, January 30
rRegina @ Swift Current
r7:00 p.m., Saskatchewan and Manitoba regions
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rRogers Sportsnet
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rWednesday, February 16
rRed Deer @ Vancouver
r7:00 p.m. PT (West, Pacific)
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rWednesday, February 23
rTri-City @ Vancouver
r7:00 p.m. PT (West, Pacific)
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