WHL HEADLINES

MEDICINE HAT @ RED DEER TONIGHT ON SPORTSNET – Dion Phaneuf (pictured) and the Red Deer Rebels (32-23-4-4) welcome the Medicine Hat Tigers (37-20-4-2) in a key Central division match-up in one of seven Western Hockey League contests on Friday.
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rTonight’s battle between the Rebels and Tigers can be seen on Rogers Sportsnet in the West and Pacific Regions (7:00 p.m., MT).
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rThe Rebels, currently fourth in the division, have been idle since Saturday’s 6-4 win over Moose Jaw that snapped a three-game losing skid. The Rebels have been solid on home ice this season, boasting a 19-9-2 record at the Centrium. Phaneuf (20g-25a) ranks sixth in the league in scoring among defencemen with 45 points in only 46 games. The 19-year-old blueliner was also named the CHL’s best player by Prospects magazine for the second straight year.
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rThe Tigers, who currently sit second in the Central division, were beaten 2-1 in Calgary on Wednesday and are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. The Tigers are 16-13-2 away from Medicine Hat this season and own the league’s third-best power play on the road. Defenceman Kris Russell leads all WHL rearguards with 24 goals this season. Russell also ranks third in the league with 10 game-winning goals this season.
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rIt’s the fifth of six meetings between the division rivals this season. Medicine Hat has a 2-1-1 edge in the season series through the first four encounters.
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rElsewhere tonight, the Brandon Wheat Kings (39-19-5-1) will try to extend their 13-game winning streak tonight as they host the Swift Current Broncos (19-35-6-3).
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rThe Wheat Kings, who lead the East division, are coming off Wednesday’s 8-0 pounding of the Saskatoon Blades and have not lost since February 4th. Steven Later (12g-42a) ranks third in the league among defencemen with 54 points this season.
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rThe Broncos, who are fifth in the Central division, are coming off Wednesday’s 4-0 loss to Lethbridge and have dropped six straight contests. The Broncos are 7-20-3 on the road this season and have dropped six straight away from Swift Current.
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rIt’s the fifth meeting of the season between the Broncos and Wheat Kings. Swift Current is undefeated versus Brandon this season, with a 3-0-1 record through the first four meetings.
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rThe Kootenay Ice (41-15-6-2) host the Kamloops Blazers (24-32-7-2) tonight in a B.C. division match-up.
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rThe Ice, who trail Kelowna by three points for the B.C. division lead, have been idle since Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Rockets and have suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since the beginning of December. Nigel Dawes, the team’s leading scorer, is carrying a 12-game point streak into tonight’s contest.
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rThe Blazers, who currently occupy fourth in the B.C. division, are coming off Wednesday’s 1-1 tie versus Tri-Cities and are 4-5-1 in their last 10 outings. The Blazers’ penalty-killing unit has struggled away from Kamloops this season, allowing a league-high 50 power play goals on the road.
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rIt’s the fourth and final meeting of the season between the teams. The series is deadlocked at 1-1-1 through the first three encounters.
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rThe Lethbridge Hurricanes (36-15-12-1) put a nine-game winning streak on the line tonight as they visit the Moose Jaw Warriors (12-42-10-1).
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rThe Hurricanes, who top the Central division and Eastern conference, are coming off Wednesday’s 4-0 shutout over Swift Current and have lost only twice since the end of January. Four of the ‘Canes’ nine wins on their current streak have come in overtime.
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rThe Warriors, who currently occupy fourth in the East division, are coming off Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat to the Raiders and are winless in their last six outings. The Warriors are 8-19-5 at home this season.
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rIt’s the fourth and final meeting of the season between the Warriors and ‘Canes this season. Lethbridge has won all three previous meetings between the teams this season.
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rThe Prince George Cougars (23-37-3-1) welcome the Spokane Chiefs (22-31-8-2) tonight in the first of back-to-back meetings between the teams.
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rThe Cougars, who trail Kamloops by seven points for fourth in the B.C. division, have been idle since Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by the Blazers and have manages just two wins in their last 10 games. The Cougars are 15-13-2 in Prince George this season.
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rThe Chiefs, who trail Tri-Cities by two points for fourth in the U.S. division, are coming off Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat to Kelowna and have dropped four of their last five games. Chad Klassen (26g-35a) leads the Chiefs in scoring with 61 points this season.
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rIt’s the third of four meetings between the teams this season. Prince George leads the series 1-0-1 through the first two encounters – both in Spokane. The teams meet up again tomorrow night in P.G.
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rThe Saskatoon Blades (34-21-5-6) host the Regina Pats (11-44-3-6) tonight in an East division battle.
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rThe Blades, who sit second in the East division – five points behind Brandon, are coming off Wednesday’s 8-0 defeat to the Wheat Kings and have dropped three straight contests. The Blades are 16-15-3 on the road this season.
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rThe Pats, who sit fifth in the East division, fell 3-1 to the Raiders on Tuesday for their 16th straight loss. The Pats have managed just one win in 2005 – a 3-2 victory over the Blades back on January 8th.
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rIt’s the eighth of nine meetings between the teams this season. Saskatoon has a 4-3 edge in the series through the first seven encounters.
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rIn other action on Friday, the Portland Winter Hawks (28-25-5-4) visit the Vancouver Giants (30-27-3-4).
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rThe Winter Hawks, who currently trail Everett by three points for second in the U.S. division, last saw action in Saturday’s 1-1 tie versus Seattle and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 outings. Netminder Blake Grenier is 1-0-1 in his last two starts and has allowed just one goal on 55 shots in that span.
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rThe Giants, who sit third in the B.C. division, are coming off Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to Seattle and have dropped three straight contests. The Giants are 21-11-0 on home ice this season.
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rIt’s the sixth and final meeting of the season between the Hawks and Giants. Portland leads the series 4-1 through the first five meetings.
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rSCORING CHANGE ANNOUNCED
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r-The Brandon Wheat Kings’ 5th goal in Wednesday’s game versus Saskatoon (March 2) has been credited to #15 Teegan Moore. The goal, a shorthanded marker, had originally been credited to #16 Eric Fehr. With the adjustment, Fehr, who is still credited with an assist on the play, now has a league-leading goal total of 52.
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rWHL UPCOMING T.V BROADCASTS
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rSHAW
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rSaturday, March 5
rKelowna @ Vancouver
r7:00 p.m., British Columbia region
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rSunday, March 6
rBrandon @ Moose Jaw
r7:00 p.m., Saskatchewan and Manitoba regions
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rWednesday, March 9
rCalgary @ Kelowna
r7:00 p.m., British Columbia and Alberta regions
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