Wednesday 4 March 2020

Hitmen delay Blades’ playoff clinch party

Focht gets goal, assist in 4-3 Calgary victory

Carson Focht jets up ice on a goal-scoring rush.
    Carson Focht and the Calgary Hitmen sank the Saskatoon Blades post-season clinching party for at least a couple of nights.
    The veteran centre was happy his side found a way to gut out a 4-3 victory in a WHL regular season contest on Wednesday night before 3,063 spectators at the SaskTel Centre over the host Blades. Calgary’s victory came one night after being on the receiving end of an 8-3 drubbing at the hands of the defending WHL champion Raiders in Prince Albert.
    With Hitmen and Blades locked in a 2-2 tie on Wednesday, Focht scored a key turning point goal at the 5:52 mark of the third period. The fifth round NHL Entry Draft selection of the Vancouver Canucks blew down the left wing and wired a close in shot short side over the shoulder of Blades star netminder Nolan Maier.
    Just over three minutes later, the Hitmen extended their edge to 4-2, when overage defenceman Dakota Krebs wired home a shot from the point.
The Hitmen celebrate a goal from Carson Focht.
    While it seemed the visitors appeared to be in complete control, Blades Slovakian import right-winger Martin Fasko-Rudas banged home a gritty goal from the front of the Hitmen net to cut the visitor’s lead to 4-3 with 72 seconds remaining in the third.
    The Hitmen gutted out some nervous moments from that point including mucking up a defensive zone faceoff in the final seconds to hold on for the win.
    “I think these are games that we want to be in,” said Focht, who had an assist to go along with his goal. “At this point in the season, I think it is a good test every night to see where our group is at.
    “I think tonight really showed that we can play a full 60 minutes. We believe that this is a winning team. We’ve had some ups and downs throughout the season, but we’re definitely a really resilient group.
Carson Focht had a goal and an assist on Wednesday.
    “We show that on a daily basis, so I have a lot of faith in all those guys in that room.”
    The win allowed the Hitmen, who have a playoff spot secured, to improve to 35-22-4-1.
    The Blades fell to 31-24-2-3, and they still need to pick up one more point in the standings to clinch the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.
    Wednesday’s game got off to a bit of scary start, when Blades right-winger Zach Huber hit Hitmen centre Riley Fiddler-Schultz into the curved part of the glass near the Blades bench just 1:38 into the first period.
    Fiddler-Schultz went down and the athletic trainers for both teams immediate jumped on to the ice to help the Calgary forward. Fiddler-Schultz was moving all his extremities and was helped off the ice by a stretcher.
    Huber came over to check on Fiddler-Schultz and all the Hitmen came off their bench to wish their teammate well.
    “You definitely never want to see a guy get injured like that,” said Focht. “It is just a hockey play.
    “It wasn’t dirty, but you just hate to see a guy go down like that. I thought we really rallied for him, and we had him in our minds thinking that we want to get this done for him tonight.”
Blades D Nolan Kneen hits Hitmen captain Mark Kastelic.
    The Blades proceeded to jump ahead 1-0 scoring at the 2:56 mark of the opening frame, when 16-year-old rookie centre Jayden Wiens collected the rebound of a point shot taken from overage defenceman Nolan Kneen and popped home his second of the campaign.
    The hosts nearly extended their edge a short time later, but a drive by 18-year-old centre Tristen Robins was knocked wide of the Calgary goal by Hitmen netminder Brayden Peters.
    The Hitmen proceeded to get some traction, when left-winger Cael Zimmerman backhanded home the rebound of one of his own shots from point blank range past Maier. That tally evened the score a 1-1 at the 6:55 mark of the opening frame.
    Focht picked up his assist on Zimmerman’s goal.
Dakota Krebs scored a goal for the Hitmen.
    The Hitmen took a 2-1 lead with 3:03 remaining in the second period on a power-play tally from captain Mark Kastelic. After Maier stopped a point shot from Hitmen star offensive defenceman Jeff Woo, the puck sat loose in front of him in the crease.
    Kastelic poked the puck through Maier’s legs and into the goal.
    The Blades evened the score at 2-2 with 1:24 remaining in the second. Right-winger Caiden Daley received a long bank stretch pass off the boards from import Czech defenceman Radek Kucerik, and Daley got in alone, cut across the front of the Hitmen net and tucked home the equalizer.
    Focht admitted his third period goal was fun to score.
    “I just picked up loose puck back in my zone and just ended up skating it all the way up,” said Focht. “I saw the defender was a little flat footed, so I tried to make a move on him and then just tried to beat the goalie.”
Hitmen RW Kyle Olson, centre, stops a shot in the final seconds of the third.
    After his team built a 4-2 advantage only to see the Blades cut the gap to 4-3 with 72 seconds remaining in the third, Focht was pleased his squad sealed the win from that point.
    “I’m not too sure how that third one went in, but it did,” said the Regina, Sask., product. “I thought we did a good job of responding and just really locking it down in those final minutes.”
    Maier turned away 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades. Peters stopped 29 shots to get the win in net for the Hitmen.
    Focht is hoping his team can have a long playoff run. On his family side of things, his younger sister, Lauren, recently became the all-time leading scorer for the Regina Rebels female midget AAA team.
The Hitmen celebrate their win on Wednesday.
    The Rebels have the makings to be one of those teams that could appear in the championship game of the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament in late April in Prince Albert, Sask. Carson said his mom keeps him well informed of how Lauren is doing and that the siblings are pulling for each other to do well.
    “Obviously, both of us want to play as long as we can this year, and I think we are on good teams to do that,” said Carson Focht. “It is definitely not a rivalry between us, but it is good that her team is doing well.”
    The Blades return to action on Friday when they host the Regina Pats (21-33-4-2) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.
    The Hitmen are back at it on Friday when they travel to Medicine Hat to take on the Tigers (38-19-2-1).

Ayres set to appear at Blades Suits Up game


    The Saskatoon Blades will be bringing in now famous NHL emergency backup goaltender David Ayres for their WHL Suits Up to Promote Organ Donation on Friday.
    Ayres became famous on February 22 for having to enter an NHL regular season game to play goal for the Carolina Hurricanes against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. After the Hurricanes starting and backup goalies were injured, the 42-year-old Ayres fulfilled his role as the emergency backup entering the contest in the second period with the visitors holding a 3-1 edge.
    He allowed goals on the first two shots he faced and turned away the next eight shots in a 6-3 victory for the Hurricanes. With that result, Ayres became the first emergency backup goaltender to earn an NHL win.
    At age 42 years and 194 days, he became the oldest goaltender to win his NHL regular season debut.
    He is the operations manager for the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Ont., and is best known for being a Zamboni driver.
    Ayres had a kidney transplant in 2004, which has allowed him to live his life to the fullest.
    At the Blades Suits Up game, Ayres will be dropping the puck for the ceremonial faceoff, and he will be signing autographs during the first intermission.
    For the Suits Up game, the Blades will be wearing special Hockey Night in Canada themed jerseys and the coaches will be wearing old school baby blue Hockey Night in Canada blazers. The jerseys and blazers will be auctioned off in a blind auction.
    All the proceeds raised from Friday’s game will be donated to Saskatoon’s Kidney Foundation Branch.
    The Blades will host the Regina Pats in their suits up game on Friday set for 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Blades to honour Molleken on March 21

    When the Saskatoon Blades close their regular season schedule on March 21, they will honour one of the all-time greatest to hold the roles of head coach and general manager in the history of the franchise.
    Before the Blades host their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders on March 21 at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre, they will honour former long time head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken. Molleken’s name will be added to the Builders Banner and raised to the rafters of the SaskTel Centre.
    Molleken will be on hand for a special pre-game ceremony at ice level that will reflect on some of the great memories and moments from his time in Saskatoon. The 63-year-old will be joined by his family, former staff members, former players and friends.
    Molleken’s first stint with the Blades ran from 1991-92 to 1994-95 where he served as the team’s head coach. He guided the Blades to the WHL Championship series in 1992 and 1994. In both those appearances, the Blades fell in a series-deciding Game 7 to the Kamloops Blazers, who advanced on to win the Memorial Cup as CHL champions.
    Molleken departed to the professional ranks and served as head coach of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks in the 1999-2000 campaign.
    He returned to the Blades for the start of the 2004-05 campaign becoming the team’s head coach and general manager. He held the head coach role until the end of the 2012-13 campaign and stayed on as the general manager for the 2013-14 season.
    After leaving the Blades, Molleken served as head coach of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants for most of the 2015-16 campaign.
    Molleken is the Blades all-time leader in head coaching victories at 539 and winning percentage at .591.
    I did a story on Molleken when he returned to Saskatoon as the Giants head coach on October 4, 2015. That piece can be found by clicking right here.

     If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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