WHL HEADLINES

TONIGHT’S WHL PLAYOFF MATCH-UP – The 2005 Western Hockey League playoffs kick off tonight as Mike Green (pictured) and the Saskatoon Blades host Jeremy Colliton and the Prince Albert Raiders in game 1 of their best-of-seven East division semi-final series.
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rThe Blades finished second in the East division with a 37-23-6-6 record in the regular season and are back in the playoffs after missing the post-season last year. Saskatoon boasts one of the league’s most potent attacks, having scored 234 goals this season – the second-most in the league. Green (14g-52a) led all WHL defencemen in scoring this season with 66 points.
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rThe Raiders finished third in the East division with a 31-32-5-4 record. Prince Albert struggled with injuries to key players this season and was forced to play much of their schedule without top scorers Colliton and Kyle Chipchura. The Raiders also struggled on the road this season, with an 11-22-3 record away from home.
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rThe Raiders and Blades met 10 times during the regular season, with Saskatoon winning the series 6-4. Prince Albert swept the Blades 4-0 in the 1995 conference semi-final in the last playoff encounter between the teams.
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rNot Dressed tonight:
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rPrince Albert – Kyle Chipchura and Mike Gauthier
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rSaskatoon – Deder Klassen, Chris Cloud, Joseph Cook, Ben Van Lare
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rTo download a copy of the Head-to-Head stats and Player stats for the 2005 Playoffs,
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rWHL FANTASY HOCKEY LEAGUE
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rDon’t forget to register for the WHL Fantasy Hockey Playoff Challenge. It’s your chance to get involved in the excitement of WHL playoff action and support the WHL Education Fund.
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rLog on and select your 12-player roster from any playoff-bound team and you could win prizes including a 42-inch plasma T.V.
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rJust click on the WHL FANTASY HOCKEY LEAGUE logo to find out more details or to register.
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