Monday, November 20, 2000

Calgary - The Bank of Montreal MasterCard - Western Hockey League Player of the Week is forward Martin Erat of the Saskatoon Blades. Erat earned player of the week honours by recording five goals and five assists in four games. Erat helped lead the Blades to a 3-1 record for the week.

On Wednesday, November 15th, Erat scored two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. On Friday, November 17th, Erat recorded three assists in a 4-3 loss to the Raiders in Prince Albert.

On Saturday, November 18th, Erat scored both goals in a 2-1 win against the visiting Kootenay Ice. On Sunday, November 19th, Erat recorded a goal and an assist in a 5-2 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans.

The 19 year old from Trebic, Czech Republic, leads the Blades in scoring with 16 goals and 40 points in 23 games played. Erat was selected by the Nashville Predators in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Honourable mention goes to Nick Pannoni of the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Please visit the Western Hockey League website at www.whl.ca and click on "Bank of Montreal MasterCard" to support your favorite team. Apply today!