Icy roads force WHL game’s postponement

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This article was published 16/12/2022 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some winter weather and bad driving conditions came between the Brandon Wheat Kings and their scheduled game with the Winnipeg Ice on Friday evening.

The teams jointly announced on social media around five o’clock that their Western Hockey League game at Westoba Place had to be postponed. A makeup date is still being decided.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said the first sign of trouble came when he received a call from Winnipeg around 2:30 in the afternoon.

“They were coming down (Trans-Canada Highway) No. 1 and there was an accident that closed it down,” Murray said. “They diverted to Highway 2 and started there but they said the roads were untravellable. They were sliding around. They ended up re-routing back to No. 1 when Highway 1 got opened up and it was the same thing.”

The decision to postpone the game ended one issue but quickly started another. Murray said there was a lot of work to do after the decision was made, but it was a busy day.

“It was a hectic hour for sure,” Murray said. “After the initial conversation, they hit the road and looked like they were going to get here around 6 or 6:30, which probably would have pushed the game back. I think the league rule is that the game starts exactly an hour after they get to the arena. If they’re here at 6:30, you start at 7:30.

“That was the plan and then they got driving and the bus driver didn’t feel it was safe to continue, and in the big picture you have to look out for everyone’s safety.

“Then we had to make the announcements and get a hold of all our game day staff and let our fans know obviously. In a perfect world it would have been better to do it earlier in the day, but when we found out we were proactive and got it out there as quickly as we could.”

The final decision was made around 4 and had to be shared with the league first.

The teams have started to examine dates for the makeup game, but in a busy second half for both clubs, it won’t be easy.

“There are a couple of dates we kind of have highlighted,” Murray said. “They’re never ideal for anybody probably in these situations but there are a couple of dates where we could try to sneak it in.”

Murray told his team when he found out, although he expects that in the tiny hockey world that some of the Wheat Kings and Ice players were already in contact with each other and the Brandon guys may have already known the game was off.

They went for a 45-minute skate instead, leaving the ice around 6:30.

“It’s going to be a quick turnaround (today),” Murray said. “A lot of guys didn’t skate this morning so I think it’s important to get them on the ice and get a little sweat on and then you’re back in game mode tomorrow. We had our meetings and video this morning and we’ll do that again (this) morning and get back into it.”

Brandon (12-16-3-0) and Winnipeg (25-4-0-0) are scheduled to close out the first half of their seasons tonight at Wayne Fleming Arena at 7:05 p.m.

The Wheat Kings return to Brandon on Boxing Day, with a practice in the evening. Their first game of the second half of the season is at the Brandt Centre on Dec. 28 when they visit the Regina Pats.

Brandon’s first home game after Christmas is on Dec. 31 when the Moose Jaw Warriors visit at 5 p.m.

ICINGS: Joby Baumuller made his Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League debut on Friday with the Notre Dame Jr. A Hounds in a 6-3 loss to the Weyburn Red Wings. Baumuller, who picked up an assist, will be the fifth 2007-born player to skate in the SJHL this season.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

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