Focus on hockey, and not the impending Christmas break, will be key this weekend as the Saskatoon Blades and Brandon Wheat Kings open a home-and-home series Friday night at SaskTel Centre.

It’s the mid-point game of the 2018-19 W-H-L regular-season schedule for the Bridge City Bunch. And, while it’s hard to believe, they will face East Division-rival Brandon for the first of six meetings. The Blue and Gold are 20-10-3 for the season, good for second place in the East Division, while Brandon is fourth…nine points back of the Blades…with a 14-9-6 record. The broadcast on 98-COOL starts at 6 Friday night with the Sardinia Family Restaurant pre-game show and the play-by-play at 7. The 11-day Christmas break in between games starts following Saturday’s re-match in Western Manitoba.