McQueen Named Compass Credit Union Wheat King Of Month For January
January was an up-and-down month for the Brandon Wheat Kings, full of highs like dramatic overtime wins, lows like difficult road trips, and big changes through the January 10 trade deadline. Through it all, as he has been for much of the season, Roger McQueen was a source of consistent offense.
McQueen led the way offensively for the Wheat Kings in January with 9 points in 10 games, and has been named the Wheat Kings of the Month for Compass Credit Union. McQueen is the team’s second leading scorer on the season, and has continued to battle for the team scoring lead with Rylen Roersma.
The best outing of the month for McQueen came on home ice, on January 9, when the Wheat Kings hosted the Victoria Royals. That game required some late heroics to tie the score before the Wheat Kings ultimately prevailed 3-2 in overtime. McQueen had an assist on all three Wheat Kings goals.
The next game, against Swift Current, McQueen added a goal and put in his candidate for assist of the year. He dragged the puck between his legs to avoid a check, then fed a pass perfectly to Hayden Wheddon at the side of the net for the tap in.
In his final performance of the month, against the Edmonton Oil Kings, McQueen showed off his speed and power on the same play. Shielding the puck as he broke in up the left side of the zone, he drove the net hard and beat Kolby Hay to the far post.
“Roger started off really strong and he’s really carried it on throughout the season,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “He’s one of those guys that, as a 17-yer-old, they might not get that responsibility but on our team he carries a big responsibility for us, and he’s delivered.”
McQueen and the Wheat Kings face another tough test in their next game as they travel to Moose Jaw to face a surging Warrior’s squad. Then they’ll be back on home ice, facing a Calgary Hitmen team that’s right on the cusp of the playoff picture and playing desperate hockey. Both games will begin at 7:00 Central Time.
