Blades persevere 4-1 past Bedard, Pats in Game 7

Saskatoon claims series deciding contest in front of sellout

The Blades celebrate a third period goal from Vaughn Watterodt (#18).

The Saskatoon Blades finally got past a formidable foe in Connor Bedard and his gritty Regina Pats.

On Monday playing before a sellout and SaskTel Centre CHL post-season record crowd of 14,768 spectators, the Blades gutted their way through 39 scoreless minutes before downing the visiting Pats 4-1 in a series deciding Game 7 in their WHL first round playoff series. The win allowed the Blades to take the best-of-seven set 4-3.

“It was amazing,” said Blades gritty veteran right-winger Vaughn Watterodt, who had a goal and was a plus-two in the plus-minus department for the Blades on Monday. “We have a real special group of guys.

Vaughn Watterodt had a goal for the Blades on Monday.

“I’m really proud of the boys. This is only one step. It was fun.

“It was a great series. It was a big learning lesson for us. I’m just really proud of the boys and how we persevered.”

The Blades entered the series as favourites having finished fourth overall in the WHL standings with a 48-15-4-1 record and were rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Pats finished sixth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 34-30-3-1 mark. Still, Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock said his squad believed they could take the series.

Drew Sim (#33) makes one of his 36 saves in goal for the Pats.

“We expected to win as anybody should and would,” said Paddock. “We came so close.

“I think it makes it harder right now, because you were right there.”

Saskatoon advances to face the Red Deer Rebels in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Rebels finished fifth overall in the WHL regular season standings and topped the Central Division with a 43-19-3-3 record. They eliminated the Calgary Hitmen in five games in a best-of-seven first round series.

Connor Bedard (#98) is pinned by Aidan De La Gorgendiere.

Following the first round of the playoffs, home ice advantage and seeding is determined just by standings points. As a result, the Blades, who were second in the East Division, will have home ice advantage against the Rebels. Game 1 of that series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Before focusing on Red Deer, Blades head coach Brennan Sonne marveled at all the twist and turns his squad experienced in the seven-game series victory over the Pats.

“It was a crazy series,” said Sonne. “That was the craziest series I had ever been a part of going down 2-0 at home, two overtime games after that, three total overtime games, right down to Game 7, one goal lead with two minutes left or whatever it was.

Part of the sellout crowd of 14,768 cheer on the Blades.

“That was as entertaining and as crazy as it gets.”

As for Monday’s Game 7 battle between the Blades and Pats, the two sides went through a feeling out process to start the contest as the shots on goal were tied 1-1 after the first 5:30 of the opening frame. After that point in time, the two clubs went back up and down the ice for the rest of the stanza.

The Pats best scoring chance came shortly after the midway point of the frame off a rush by Bedard, who is the Pats 17-year-old phenom centre. Bedard seemingly skated through three Blades players to get in alone on Saskatoon netminder Austin Elliott.

Egor Sidorov (#19) shields the puck in the offensive zone.

The Pats captain tried to shoot between the legs of Elliott, but Elliott stoned the North Vancouver, B.C., product to huge cheers from the SaskTel Centre faithful. Right after that chance, the Blades went back the other way, and Saskatoon star centre Trevor Wong was stoned in close by Pats netminder Drew Sim.

After the first period concluded, the game remained scoreless with the Blades holding a 15-9 edge in shots on goal thanks to the play of Elliott and Sim.

The Blades controlled play for most of the second. Early in the frame, Wong wired a shot on the Regina net but the puck hit the crossbar and post and stayed out.

Jake Chiasson scored the winning goal for the Blades.

The Pats proceeded to have a huge chance to go in front first. Bedard jetted down the right wing of the Saskatoon zone below the icing line. He centered a pass to linemate Tanner Howe, who was alone at the left side of the Blades goal.

Howe was stopped in close by Elliott, but a net scramble ensued. It seemed everyone on the ice converged on the crease and crashed into the Pats goal before the officials blew the play down. The officials went to a video review to confirm no goal was scored.

The Blades finally broke through on the scoreboard with 13.3 seconds left in the second on a goal from an unassuming source. Holding the puck by the right boards in the Regina zone, Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky smartly drifted the puck towards the Pats net, and it was deflected home by Saskatoon utility player Spencer Shugrue to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

The Pats were unable to score on this mad scramble in the second.

“It was a very important goal,” said Sonne. “It was a very import time, especially based on that period.

“It was really important that we got something out of all that work. That is how we’re build. That is who we are.”

At the 7:56 mark of the third, the Blades extended their lead to 2-0, when star left-winger Jake Chiasson got in close to the left side of the Regina net and snapped home a shot for his second tally of the post-season.

The Pats didn’t go away. With 6:10 remaining in the third, Bedard fired a point shot at the Saskatoon net creating a scramble. Pats star import offensive-defenceman Stanislav Svozil was able to bat home the puck during the scramble to cut the Blades lead to 2-1.

Spencer Shugrue, left, celebrates scoring for the Blades.

Bedard picked up an assist on Svozil’s tally for his final point of the WHL post-season. In the seven game series, Bedard recorded 10 goals, 10 assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department. The North Vancouver, B.C., product was in on 20 of the Pats 26 goals in the series.

“He (Bedard)probably did more than I thought he would do,” said Paddock. “What he has done all year is outrageous.

“To have 19 points in six games in playoffs like who does that? In the last 10 days or so, I’ve had more people from the league just sort of side conversations they had never seen anything like it what he is able to do. I had an NHL scout say to me after the game on Saturday like he has so much determination to get it done.

Connor Bedard had an assist for the Pats.

“If you want to rate the determination on a scale of 10 like everything else, he is 11. It has been great to have a front row seat to see him for this season.”

With 2:10 remaining in the third, Watterodt rushed in to the left side of the Regina net and snapped home a key insurance goal to give the host side a 3-1. Wong added an empty-net goal just 21 seconds later to round out the 4-1 final.

During the final 30 seconds of the contest, Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere held the puck behind his own net passing it back and forth a couple of times to Chiasson. The Pats didn’t rush the Blades players allowing the remaining time to expire.

Trevor Wong had a goal for the Blades on Monday.

As the final 30 seconds ticked away, the crowd at the SaskTel Centre rose to their feet to salute the Blades on the series win.

“It was unreal to just be able to celebrate with the boys and just listen to how loud the building was,” said Watterodt. “It was amazing.”

Elliott stopped 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Sim turned away 36-of-39 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats.

Looking back over the seven-game series with the Pats, Watterodt thinks his team’s overall depth allowed his squad to pull things out at the end and advance in the post-season.

The Blades celebrate their seven games series victory over the Pats.

“I think all our lines played great this series,” said Watterodt. “Everyone contributed.

“That just shows the type of team we are and how we need to play moving forward.”

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