UNITY — An opportunity afforded to the West Central Wheat Kings that was not available since 2019, due to the pandemic, is the opportunity for league and provincial playoffs this season.
The top eight teams in each division of the Sask. AA U18 division hockey league will qualify for playoffs in a best of five series. Round one is set to start Feb. 14. Round two will begin Feb. 26. Teams that advance into round three will start March 14, with league and provincial final beginning March 28 with a proposed completion date of April 13.
The December schedule for the Wheat Kings has been a busy one. A two-win weekend opened December with the team defeating North East Dec. 4 and Prince Albert Vulcans on Dec. 5. In a weekday game, Dec. 8, the Wheat Kings were downed by the Saskatoon Riverkings by a score of 7-3. The team split their games losing to North East on Dec. 11, then beating the Humboldt Broncos in overtime on Dec. 12.
The first half of the regular season will wrap up with an away game facing the Saskatoon Icehawks on Dec. 18 then hosting the Martensville Marauders on Dec. 19 at home.
Coach Pat Sperle said, “We played Dec. 12 with five kids out due to suspension and injury so that makes it tough on all the players. Currently sitting in sixth place so we are happy with that.”
The Wheaties are middle of the pack in the standings, sitting in sixth place of a 12-team center four division, having played 23 games, and winning 11 of those.
Hunter Sperle sits in the middle of the pack for scoring leaders, netting 23 goals and 11 assists in the 22 games he has played.
Both Leighton Partington and Austin Shepherd were issued two-game suspensions from their Dec. 11 match-up, leaving two of the WK top scorers out of the lineup for a short time.
After a brief Christmas break, the Wheat Kings return to the ice on a weekday game, Jan. 5, against the North West Stars.
The team looks to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot in the second half of their season, with eight games left on the regular season schedule.
