Blades rise past Raiders

Late season clash lives up to rivalry’s reputation

Brad Goethals, right, celebrates his winning goal with Nolan Maier.

    It was a game that had a little bit of everything.

    On Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre, the Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders renewed their traditional rivalry in one of the most important late WHL regular season clashes held between the two clubs in years.
    The encounter drew one of the biggest crowds of the season to see a Blades game at the SaskTel Centre as 4,444 spectators turned out including a healthy contingent of Raiders followers from Prince Albert.

    For the first 40 minutes, the Raiders lived up to their traditional rough and tumble image that included a mixture of some skill. The visitors seemed intent on hitting everything in sight, and they built a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission.

    The Raiders broke a 2-2 draw late in the second period on a picturesque power-play goal as forwards Cole Fonstad and Kody McDonald combined to set up Jordy Stallard on a tick-tack-toe backdoor scoring play to go ahead 3-2.

The Blades and Raiders engaged in some rough stuff on Saturday night.

    The tally was Stallard’s second goal of the contest as he scored his first goal earlier on in the second frame.

    In the third, the Blades hit another gear and rolled off four straight goals to post a 6-3 victory. The Raiders stopped hitting and were on their heels for the entire frame.

    At the 9:15 mark of the third, the Blades tied things up at 3-3, when centre Logan Christensen scored on what seemed like a harmless shot from a bad angle. Just 73 seconds later, 19-year-old centre Brad Goethals potted his first of two goals on the night to put the hosts up 4-3.

    Momentum continued to be entrenched on the Blades side from that point. With 4:23 to play in the third, right-winger Max Gerlach centred a pass from behind the Prince Albert net to overage left-winger Braylon Shmyr, who was position in front of the Raiders goal. Shmyr wired home a shot to the top right corner of the Prince Albert net to put the Blades up 5-3.

Logan Christensen started the Blades surge in the third.

    Goethals finished the surge scoring into an empty net with 2.7 seconds to play to post a two-goal night.

    With the win, the Blades moved into sole possession of the second wildcard spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 27-26-2-1 record to sit two points up on the 22-22-9-2 Raiders. The Raiders have a game in hand on the Blades.

    The sixth clash of the 2017-18 campaign between the Blades and Raiders had many different talking points. The biggest was the finish in the third period, which saw the Blades prevail for the fourth time in the six head-to-head meetings.

    After the Raiders had been in control over the first 40 minutes, it had to be surprising for those in attendance to see the Blades storm to victory like they did in the third period. The finish was the lasting impression most would have taken away from the contest.

    The action in the third contrasted with what took place in the first 40 minutes. In the first two periods, the Raiders did a good job of getting the puck deep in the Blades zone.

Jordy Stallard celebrates scoring for the Raiders.

    The visitors established a physical forecheck and often had the hosts pinned in their own zone.

    The Blades threw some hits too, but the Raiders were the more aggressive team physically.

    Saskatoon still managed to take a 2-1 into the first intermission on singles from Michael Farren and Josh Paterson. Star right-winger Parker Kelly had the reply for Prince Albert.

    With 1:33 to play in the first, Kelly played a role in one of the moments from the contest that would be remembered for all the wrong reasons. He drove Blades rookie centre Kirby Dach from behind into the boards in the right corner of the Prince Albert zone.

    Kelly was given a major penalty for checking from behind and a game misconduct. The infraction will be automatically reviewed by the WHL league office for a possible suspension.

Braylon Shmyr scored for the Blades on Saturday.

    Dach left the game and didn’t return for either the second or third periods.

    Kelly’s hit started a scrum that featured a one-on-one fight between McDonald and Blades import defenceman Mark Rubinchik. That fight ended with McDonald tossing Rubinchik to the ground.

    The game featured some strong goaltending as well. Nolan Maier turned away 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Ian Scott turned away 24 of 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders.

    The Raiders now return home to face the Swift Current Broncos (39-13-3-1) on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The Blades take on the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats (29-23-5) on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    With how intriguing the Blades clash with the Raiders was on Saturday, fans on both sides have to be hoping that a lot will still be on the line when the two teams close their respective regular season schedules playing each other on back-to-back nights on March 16 in Prince Albert and March 17 in Saskatoon.

Stadnyk, Lawrence spark Huskies’ romp

John Lawrence, left, scored twice for the Huskies.

    Carson Stadnyk and John Lawrence ensured the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team had little drama in closing their U Sports regular season schedule with a win.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, Stadnyk and Lawrence each scored twice to power the Huskies to a 7-2 victory over the Mount Royal University Cougars. Stadnyk scored the game’s first two goals in the first period and Lawrence tallied late in the first frame and early in the second period to stake the Huskies out to a 4-0 lead.

    The host’s edge grew to 6-0 in the second on singles coming from Collin Shirley and Kohl Bauml.

Before the second ended, Austin Adamson and David Stephens netted singles for the Cougars to cut the Huskies lead to 6-2.

    Alex Forsberg rounded out the game’s scoring with a single for the Huskies in the third.

Carson Stadnyk, right, had a two-goal night for the Huskies.

    Taran Kozun turned away 26 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Wyatt Hoflin turned away 26 shots to take the setback in the Cougars net.

    The Huskies, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, improved to 20-7-1 to sit second in the Canada West Conference. The Dogs have won 20-or-more regular season games for the third straight year.

    The Cougars fell to 12-14-2 with the loss to finish sixth in Canada West. The Cougars will travel to Winnipeg, Man., to face the University of Manitoba Bisons in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final playoff series, which starts with Game 1 this coming Friday.

    The Huskies have a bye to host a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series, which will be held Feb. 22 to 24 at Rutherford at times to be announced.

Huskies gets second on Vance’s ninth shutout

Jessica Vance picked up her ninth shutout.

    Playing in their biggest regular season game since 2014, the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team seized the moment.

    On Saturday night at the Flames Community Arena in Calgary, the Huskies went into their final game of their U Sports regular season schedule knowing they would lock up second place in the Canada West Conference with a win and earn a bye to host a best-of-three conference semifinal series. They proceeded the blank the host Mount Royal University Cougars 3-0.

    The win allowed the Huskies to improve to 19-7-2 to lock up second place in Canada West. Their win total was also regular season team record.

    U of S last finished second in Canada West in the 2013-14 campaign posting an 18-4-6 mark. They went on to win the Canada West title and a bronze medal at the U Sports national championship tournament.

    This season, they earned their second place finish compiling 58 points in the Canada West standings. In the Canada West women’s hockey standings, teams earn three points for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra time losses. The Huskies earned their 58 points on 18 regulation wins, one extra time win and two extra time losses.

    The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (19-5-4), who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, finished third in Canada West with 56 points in the standings built off 14 regulation wins, five extra time wins and four extra time setbacks.

    The defending U Sports national champion U of Alberta Pandas (19-5-4), who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, finished fourth in Canada West with 55 points in the standings coming off 13 regulation wins, six extra time wins and four extra time setbacks.

    In Saturday’s clash with the Cougars, fifth-year winger Kori Herner set up fifth-year centre Kennedy Harris for a goal in the first period to give the Huskies a 1-0 edge.

Kori Herner had a goal and an assist for the Huskies on Saturday.

    Herner potted an unassisted tally at the 13:25 mark of the third to give the Huskies a 2-0 edge. Feisty centre Brooklyn Haubrich scored an empty-net goal for the Huskies inside of the final minute of the third with star captain Kaitlin Willoughby picking up an assist.

    Sophomore netminder Jessica Vance turned away 20 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Huskies. Vance had nine shutouts during the regular season which ties former Pandas netminder Stacey McCullough for the second most shutouts ever recorded in one Canada West regular season. McCullough posted nine shutouts in the 2000-01 campaign.

    Lindsey Post, who is another former Pandas netminder, holds the Canada West record for most shutouts in one regular season at 10 recorded in the 2014-15 campaign.

    In 2017-18, 54 of the 112 regular season games played in the Canada West Conference for women’s hockey ended in shutouts, and the Huskies posted 12 total shutouts as a team in the campaign.
    The Huskies equaled the Canada West team record for most shutouts in one regular season at 12 matching the mark set by the Pandas in 2008-09.

    The Cougars fell to 10-17-1 with the loss to finish sixth in Canada West. They will travel to Vancouver, B.C., to face the Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series with Game 1 beginning this coming Friday.

    The Huskies will host a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series from Feb. 23 to 25 at the Rutherford Rink at times to be announced.

Stars’ Shirley vaults to 10^th in SFMAAAHL career scoring

Grace Shirley scored four goals for the Stars on Saturday.

    Grace Shirley delivered a performance for the ages for the Saskatoon Stars and vaulted into 10^th place on the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League’s career regular season scoring list as a result.

    On Saturday at the Agriplace Arena, the 16-year-old centre posted four goals and an assist to lead the Stars to an 11-2 victory over the Regina Rebels. The four goals were the most tallies Shirley has scored in any game this season.

    Thanks to that effort, Shirley now has 68 goals and 46 assists for 114 points in 79 career SFMAAAHL regular season games. She passed Delaney Frey, who played for the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings and the Rebels from 2010 to 2015, for 10^th on the SFMAAAHL’s career regular season scoring list. Frey now sits 11^th in SFMAAAHL career regular season scoring with 59 goals and 54 assists for 113 points coming in 119 career regular season games.

    In the 2017-18 campaign, Shirley has 28 goals and 16 assists in 20 regular season games. Her 28 goals equals the Stars team record for most goals in a season set by Sara Greschner in the 2010-11 campaign. Greschner, who later played for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, had 28 goals and 12 assists in 28 regular season games in the 2010-11 season for the Stars.

    The Stars received a hat trick from Joelle Fiala on Saturday in their win over the Rebels, while Jordyn Gerlitz, Anna Leschyshyn, Mackenna Parker and Kaitlin Jockims all had singles.

    Leschyshyn had three assists to go along with her goal. She sits 13^th on the career SFMAAAHL regular season scoring list with 52 goals and 56 assists for 108 points in 84 career regular season games.

Joelle Fiala had a hat trick for the Stars on Saturday.

    Parker had two assists to go along with her goal. The Stars captain became the second player in the history of the SFMAAAHL to surpass 150 points in career regular season scoring. She has 76 goals and 76 assists in 101 career regular season games.

    In the current campaign, Parker leads the SFMAAAHL in scoring with 27 goals and 27 assists appearing in 20 regular season games.

    Shirley and Parker helped Canada win a bronze medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Under-18 Women’s World Championship that wrapped up Jan. 13 in Dmitrov, Russia.

Jenna Merk and Ally Kostenuik netted singles for the Rebels.

    Jordan Ivanco stopped 14 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Chantel Weller turned away 14-of-20 shots playing the first two periods taking the setback in goal for the Rebels. Sadie Hastings turned away 3-of-8 shots playing the third period in relief for Regina.

    With the win, the Stars improve to 21-3-1 to remain first overall in the SFMAAAHL with a one-point standings edge over the defending league champion Prince Albert Northern Bears (20-4-1). In the SFMAAAHL, three points are awarded in the standings for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra time setbacks.

    The Stars have 61 points in the standings coming off 18 regulation wins, three extra time wins and one extra time setback. The Bears have 60 points in the standings coming off 19 regulation wins, one extra time win and one extra time setback. Both teams have three games remaining on their respective regular season schedules.

    The Rebels sit third in the SFMAAAHL at 16-7-3, but they won’t be able to catch either the Stars or the Bears in the standings.

    The Stars, who are riding a seven-game winning streak, and Rebels will go at it again on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena.

    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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Blades hold off late Ice rally

Right-winger Michael Farren (#27) scored twice for the Blades in their win on Tuesday.

    The Saskatoon Blades likely didn’t want things to get that dramatic on the ice.

    On Tuesday night at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades put together one of their better outings. They appeared poised to cruise to victory holding a 4-1 lead on the visiting Kootenay Ice with three minutes to play in the third.

    The Ice proceeded to score two goals in a span of 52 seconds to cut the Blades edge to 4-3 with 1:54 to play in the third.

Chase Wouters sealed the Blades win with an empty-net goal.

    The drama came to an end when Blades centre Chase Wouters scored into an empty net just inside of the final 55 seconds of the third to cement a 5-3 victory for the host side in the WHL regular season clash played before 2,861 spectators.

    “I saw them score the first goal, and I was a little bit upset about that,” said Blades right-winger Michael Farren. “Then they got the second, and we all kind of knew right there we kind of have to flip the switch.

    “The game is not over until the last buzzer. We did that, and we ended up holding on to the win.”

    Had the Ice completed the comeback, it would have dampened the fact that Farren had arguably his best outing of the campaign. The 17-year-old Surrey, B.C., product scored twice to account for his first multipoint night of the season.

    At the 2:47 mark of the second, Farren potted the rebound from a Max Gerlach shot for a power-play goal to give the Blades a 1-0 lead. 

Blades LW Eric Florchuk, left, battles Ice C Peyton Krebs for the puck.

    After Ice captain Colton Kroeker scored to tie things up a 1-1, Farren deflected home a shot from Blades Russian import defenceman Mark Rubinchik to put the host side up 2-1 at the 7:33 mark of the second.

    Farren, who is in his second WHL season, scored both of his goals by driving to the net. He said he wasn’t overly consumed with doing that, but with the way the game played out, he ended up going hard to the Ice goal.

    “I think I just tried to play my game,” said Farren. “Luckily, it (success) happened to me, so I am pretty grateful for it. I think I should start going there more.”

    Last season, Farren turned some heads appearing in 63 games with the Blades as a 16-year-old rookie netting eight goals and 22 assists. The offensive numbers haven’t come as frequently this season as Farren has six goals and five assists in 45 appearances.

Max Gerlach had a goal for the Blades.

    In hopes of helping Farren find some confidence, Blades head coach Dean Brockman put the sophomore forward on a line centred by Kirby Dach along with Eric Florchuk on left wing. Brockman was pleased to see Farren pick up two solid tallies with that move.

    “He (Farren) had such a good year last year,” said Brockman. “He was having a tough year.

    “We are just trying to gain him some confidence as we are going down the stretch. Obviously, we talked to him a lot. We can’t play for him, so it was great to see him get a couple.”

    Before the second period ended, centre Brad Goethals scored a short-handed goal for the Blades tucking home the rebound from a shot taken by Dach.

    At the 5:12 mark of the third, 19-year-old right-winger Max Gerlach found himself on a breakaway and laser beamed a shot home to the top right corner of the Kootenay goal to put the Blades up 4-1.

    The Blades had such good control of the contest that they actively tried to set Farren up for a hat trick goal while working on a power-play chance that came shortly after the halfway point of the third.

    When everything seemed secure, the Ice comeback attempt took off. Kootenay right-winger Colton Veloso scored with 2:46 remaining in the third to cut the Blades lead to 4-2. Veloso proceeded to set up standout rookie centre Peyton Krebs for another Ice tally just 52 seconds later to cut the Blades lead to 4-3.

Josh Paterson, right, drives a shot on goal for the Blades.

    That set the stage for Wouters to ice the game.

    Nolan Maier turned away 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for Saskatoon.
    The Blades improved to 26-25-2-1 to sit two points up on the Prince Albert Raiders (21-20-9-2) in holding the second wildcard spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Raiders have two games in hand on the Blades.

    Matt Berlin, who turned 20-year-old in January, turned away 29-of-33 shots to take the setback in goal for the Ice, who sit third in the Central Division with a 23-27-3 record.
    The Ice were without 17-year-old rookie goalie Duncan McGovern, who was sitting out a one-game league imposed suspension for taking a match penalty in the Ice’s 5-3 loss at home to the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday.

The Blades celebrate their win on Tuesday.

    The Blades ended a two-game losing skid with their win on Tuesday. Brockman said his club’s performance was much better than in their last outing, when they traveled to Prince Albert last Friday and fell to the Raiders 5-2.

    “Our effort level was I think up from the last game in P.A. for sure,” said Brockman. “Certainly, there is a long ways to go. A win is a win, and we need wins.

    “We are just going to try and consume ourselves with us. I think that is the most important thing right now.”

    The Blades return to action on Friday, when they travel to Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings (29-19-3-2).

Back in the Express with Maier

Nolan Maier makes a glove stop for the Blades on Tuesday.

    I was back in the Saskatoon Express this week with a feature on Saskatoon Blades rookie sensation Nolan Maier.

    Maier, who turned 17-year-old on January 10, has had an outstanding first season playing goal for the Blades. In 29 regular season games, the Yorkton, Sask., product had posted a 17-10-1 record, a 3.24 goals against average, a .902 save percentage and two shutouts.

    He joined the Blades permanently on a full-time basis last Nov. 14 after playing for Team Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held jointly in Dawson Creek and Fort St.  John, B.C.
    The Express story on Maier can be found 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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Blades’ Dach will be Hebig’s wingman any time

Kirby Dach (#77) and Cameron Hebig (#9) skate to the bench after a goal.

    Kirby Dach will never say no to the chance to be Cameron Hebig’s wingman.

    On Tuesday, the 16-year-old Dach, who has played extensively at centre for the Saskatoon Blades, was moved to play right wing on a line centred by star overager Cameron Hebig with Brad Goethals filling in at left wing. That moved paid off in spades as that trio combined for four goals and five assists to power the Blades past the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-3 in a WHL regular season clash before 2,628 spectators at the SaskTel Centre.

    “It helps my game a lot,” said Dach, who had a goal and three assists in the win. “It helps me open up the ice, because they know if they give me the puck I am going to give them the puck right back.

Kirby Dach settles the puck down in the offensive zone.

    “That is something that I think I needed for a confidence boost was to play with those guys to start producing points.”

    Hebig had two goals and two assists on Tuesday, while Goethals had a single.

    Dach had some obvious chemistry with Hebig, and that was best shown on the club’s final goal of the night. With the Blades holding a 4-3 lead, Hebig gave the puck to Dach, and Dach dished to back to Hebig, who potted a huge goal to seal the final outcome with 4:35 to play in the third period.

    Blades head coach Dean Brockman put Hebig and Dach on a line together for the third period of Sunday’s 3-2 home ice victory over the Prince Albert Raiders to seal out that game. The bench boss kept those two together on Tuesday hoping the Blades would get an offensive spark, which they did receive.

Cameron Hebig speeds into the offensive zone for the Blades.

    “They know where to put the puck,” said Brockman. “Obviously, they are talented and very skilled. It makes it a very lethal combination.”

    The Blades jumped out to a quick start building a 3-0 lead by the 9:29 mark of the first period. Goethals scored Saskatoon’s first goal popping home a rebound from a wraparound attempt by Hebig.

    Hebig accounted for the Blades second goal and his first of the night, when he converted a setup pass in the slot from Dach during a power-play chance. The surge concluded when 18-year-old right-winger Josh Paterson netted his 10^th goal of the season.

    “I think we had some jump,” said Brockman, whose team is playing their third game over a nine day period. “Obviously, we had our legs.

Hurricanes goalie Stuart Skinner watches Kirby Dach score for the Blades.

    “We stressed a quick start, because we knew we were going to fade. Just with all the games that we’ve had, we needed to jump all over them.”

    Standout 16-year-old rookie centre Dylan Cozens got the Hurricanes on the board scoring at the 2:52 mark of the second period to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 3-1.

    At the 9:35 mark of the second, the Blades jumped in front 4-1 on a spectacular power-play goal from Dach. Dach got in alone in close against Hurricanes star netminder Stuart Skinner, put a toe drag move on the puck stopper and tucked the puck into an empty cage.

    The tally was Dach’s fourth goal of the campaign, and Brockman said the Blades coaches have been encouraging the young rookie to not always look for the pass in the offensive zone.

Dylan Cozens had a goal for the Hurricanes.

    “We’ve been trying to get him to shoot a little more all the time,” said Brockman. “He has to put himself in good spots as well.

    “He is starting to figure that out. He is starting to figure out where teams are going to be consistently. He is finding the holes and good for him.”

    The Hurricanes didn’t go away. Before the second period ended, Hurricanes 17-year-old sophomore defenceman Calen Addison wired home a midrange shot to cut the Blades lead to 4-2.

    At the 3:57 mark of the third, Hurricanes left-winger Jake Elmer knocked home a loose puck in the crease of the Saskatoon goal to further cut the host side’s edge to 4-3. That was as close as the visitors got to evening things up.
    Shortly after Hebig put the hosts up 5-3, Blades Russian import defenceman Mark Rubinchik and Hurricanes left-winger Jordy Bellerive engaged in a short but spirited fight. 

    Nolan Maier, Saskatoon’s hot 16-year-old goalie, turned away 28 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades (13-16-2-1). Skinner turned away 36 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hurricanes (14-14-2).

    Blades import defenceman Libor Hajek, who departs Wednesday morning to join the training camp for the Czech Republic’s world junior team, has been impressed by Dach and Maier.

    “Kirby (Dach) scored a nice goal and had a nice pass,” said Hajek, who had an assist and was a plus-two in the plus-minus department in Tuesday’s win. “He helped us lot. Nolan (Maier) in the net was amazing again.

Cameron Hebig (#9) of the Blades is denied a personal third goal of the night.

    “That is future for Blades for sure. They are amazing players. It is nice to watch them.”

    Dach said his game is helped by the fact he has a veteran like Hebig to emulate.

    “He (Hebig) is a great player and a tremendous person off the ice,” said Dach. “He has helped me so much this year just grow and learn about the league and how to hold myself on the ice and how to act off the ice as well in front of the media.

    “He is a great mentor for me to learn from.”

    The Blades return to action on Friday, when they travel to Regina to face the Memorial Cup hosting Pats at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

    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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Rookie Maier steals show for Blades once again

16-year-old netminder makes 34 stops in 3-2 win over Raiders

Blades netminder Nolan Maier makes one of his 34 saves on Sunday.

    Nolan Maier had cautious expectations venturing into his first full season of junior hockey as a 16-year-old rookie.

    Starting 10 straight WHL regular season games for the Saskatoon Blades wasn’t part of those expectations. With Blades veteran 19-year-old goalie Ryan Kubic out day-to-day with a knee injury, Maier made his 10^th straight start playing goal for the club on Sunday at the SaskTel Centre in the team’s annual “Teddy Bear Toss” game.

    The Yorkton, Sask., product turned away 34 shots to help the Blades pull out a 3-2 victory against their archrivals, the Prince Albert Raiders, before 4,023 spectators. Maier, who has made 12 appearances for the Blades, seems to keep raising his level of play with each game of experience he adds.

Blades goalie Nolan Maier turns away pressure from the Raiders.

    “Playing in pre-season, I didn’t feel like I played to my potential, and I wasn’t comfortable there,” said Maier. “Now, I am playing these games, and having my confidence up, I feel really good about my game.

    “I know I can play at this level.”

    Maier came up with big saves for the Blades early and often.

    In the first period, he denied Raiders star overage centre Jordy Stallard on a couple of big chances. First, Maier stoned Stallard in close and then the puck stopper made a smart save on a flip shot from the Raiders forward.

    With the Blades holding a 3-2 edge in the third, Maier had to come up with a big bailout stop. A Saskatoon defenceman gave the puck away in his own zone to Raiders 17-year-old rookie left-winger Nikita Krivokrasov.

Blades goalie Nolan Maier turns away a shots during a net scramble.

    Krivokrasov had a breakaway on the Blades goal, but he was robbed by Maier’s glove hand.

    “He (Maier) has done really well,” said Blades star overage centre Cameron Hebig. “He has been battling hard for us.

    “Coming in as a 16-year-old, he prepares well, and he carries himself well. It is nice to have a goalie like that who cares and wants to win for us and battles hard for us.”

    Sunday’s contest was a back-and-forth one. At the 4:58 mark of the first period, Hebig tucked home the “Teddy Bear Toss” goal popping home a feed that came across the front of the Prince Albert net from linemate Braylon Shmyr.

Cameron Hebig, front row centre, scored the Blades teddy bear goal.

    “I think everyone was excited to get going, especially with the teddy bear toss,” said Maier, whose team improved to 12-16-2-1. “We wanted to do it for our fans.

    “It felt really good coming out of the first period (up) 1-0.”

    The Raiders pulled even at 1-1 at the 3:48 mark of the second, when Stallard roofed a power-play goal top corner on Maier.

    The Blades jumped back in front 2-1 almost three minutes later, when Czech defenceman Libor Hajek sprung right-winger Brad Goethals on a breakaway with a stretch pass.
    Goethals’ first shot was stopped by Raiders netminder Ian Scott, but the Saskatoon forward knocked home the rebound to give the host side the lead.

Overage centre Cameron Hebig jets into the offensive zone for the Blades.

    Prince Albert forced a 2-2 tie heading into the second intermission, when Raiders captain Curtis Miske knocked home a greasy goal by the left side of the Saskatoon net during a net scramble situation.

    The Blades went ahead for good at the 5:04 mark of the third, when 18-year-old left-winger Alec Zawatsky roofed home his third of the season to put the hosts up 3-2.

    Scott turned away 21 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders (12-12-5-2).

    The Blades pulled to within four points of the Raiders in the standings for the second wildcard playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    “It was a really gutsy effort on our half,” said Blades head coach Dean Brockman. “Guys found a way to get it done.

Overage centre Jordy Stallard had the Raiders first goal.

    “It certainly wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. This is the team we are trying to catch, so that was big for us.”

    Brockman said he has been pleased with how Maier has come on. The netminder started the regular season in the junior A ranks with his hometown Yorkton Terriers and joined the Blades on a full-time basis on Nov. 14 after playing for Team Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held jointly in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, B.C.

    “He is a super kid,” said Brockman. “I would have never have guessed that he could start 10 in a row and play the way he did today.

    “I can’t say enough about him. He gives us a chance to win, and that is all I can ask.”

    So far this season, Maier, who stands 6-feet and weighs 168 pounds, has appeared in 12 games posting a 4-6-1 record, a 3.78 goals against average, a .894 save percentage and one shutout.

Alec Zawatsky scored the winning goal for the Blades on Sunday.

    Maier said he didn’t really think about the fact he was making his 10^th straight start and just focuses on his next upcoming game.

    “I didn’t think I would be getting much of a shot I’ve got at the very start like I am now,” said Maier. “In saying that, I feel great with the opportunity Dean (Brockman) gave me.

    “It sucks that Ryan (Kubic) is hurt, but I am just trying to make the most of my opportunity now.”

    Brockman said he might not fully realize how amazing Maier’s start has been, when you consider the netminder is still a 16-year-old rookie. The bench boss said you can tell Maier is getting more used to the WHL game.

    “Obviously, he is going to improve and get better,” said Brockman. “I think it is just more comfortability.

    “He just has a composure about himself, and he’s got that will to win, and that is what I love about him.”

    The Blades return to action on Tuesday, when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes (14-13-2) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Raiders also resume their schedule on Tuesday, when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos (22-7-2).

Hanna delivers kick butt talk before “Girls Rock Game”

Claire Hanna give a girl empowerment talk on Saturday.

    Former Canadian national women’s volleyball team player and Global sports reporter Claire Hanna captivated an audience that filled two lower bowl sections at the SaskTel Centre.

    Hanna deliver a girls empowerment talk before the Saskatoon Blades “Girls Rock Game” on Saturday. Hanna gave her speech before the host Blades fell to the visiting Kamloops Blazers 4-1.

    During her address that was taken in by a number of young girls, Hanna told how the first sport she took up was badminton before switching over to volleyball. She talked about what it was like to overcome the disappointment of being cut by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s volleyball team.

    Hanna told the story of how she switched positions from middle to libero and returned to the team’s active roster to become part of three straight U Sports national championship victories from 2008 to 2010.

A number of young girls listened in on Claire Hanna’s speech on Saturday.

    She also talked about the power of speaking up and told how she confronted the decision makers at the UBC student newspaper after they buried the story of her volleyball team’s national championship win in 2008. Hanna went into detail of how that encounter ended up with unexpected positive results in helping the student newspaper with sports coverage.

    Besides discussing her university days, Hanna talked about her time playing for Canada and transitioning to her career in media. Hanna did a tremendous job in delivering an uplifting message, and it should have made the little girls in the audience feel good about what they can do in their respective futures.

    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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Blades deliver stirring tribute to Gordon, Broncos leave with opening night win

Chris and Bruce Gordon embrace during a Blades pre-game ceremony.

    The Saskatoon Blades gave a spectacular night to former captain Bruce Gordon and brought a work ethic that was a fitting tribute to the retired 28-year member of the Saskatoon Police Service.

    The work ethic on the ice wasn’t enough to deliver a victory on the opening night of the WHL regular season. The visiting Swift Current Broncos displayed their battle toughness from last season’s playoff run, where they went to a deciding Game 7 in a second round series before bowing out to the Regina Pats.

    Swift Current entered the second period of Friday’s clash training 2-1 and rolled off four straight goals – including two into an empty net – to come away with a 5-2 victory.

    Broncos 17-year-old left-wing Riley Stotts netted the equalizer at the 3:43 mark of the third converting a pass from star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen that came across the face of the Saskatoon net to force a 2-2 tie. At the 12:21 mark, Broncos right-winger Kaden Elder slipped a pass from the deep right corner of the Saskatoon zone to overage centre Conner Chaulk in front of the net. Chaulk promptly buried what turned out to be the winning goal giving the Broncos a 3-2 lead.

Bruce Gordon shakes hands with current Blades captain Evan Fiala.

    Swift Current captain Glenn Gawdin and Russian defenceman Artyom Minulin each scored empty-net goals to complete the Broncos third period surge.

    The Broncos prevented the Blades from putting a sweet cap on what was a special night, but the night was still special for the host side despite the final outcome of the contest.

    A total of 7,460 spectators came to the SaskTel Centre, and it was pretty apparent they came to pass along a thank-you to Gordon, who is battling terminal Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. When it came time to start the 25-minute pre-game tribute to Gordon, pretty much everyone was in their seats.

    Gordon came to the Blades in a trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers early in the 1980-81 campaign, and the grinding winger became the club’s captain in 1981-82, which would be his final campaign in the major junior ranks.

Bruce Gordon drops the puck for the ceremonial faceoff.

    He moved on to build a distinguished career with the Saskatoon Police Service starting out on regular patrol, becoming a detective sergeant in the sex crimes unit and then to major crimes. Gordon became well-known for cracking cases that appeared to be unsolvable.

    At age 50, he retired from policing to study law at the University of Saskatchewan with the goal to become a defence lawyer. Gordon graduated from law school last spring, but on June 8, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. On June 29, a special ceremony was held at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Saskatoon to call the 54-year-old to the bar.

Chris Gordon, left, speaks to the crowd at the SaskTel Centre.

    This ceremony is traditionally held in autumn, but an exception was made in Gordon’s case to hold the ceremony earlier due to his cancer diagnosis.

    Gordon was never the most talented player on the ice, but he stood out due to his hard work, determination and his ability to step in and protect his teammates. In 112 regular season games with the Blades, Gordon collected 17 goals, 53 assists and 552 penalty minutes.

    Winnipeg Jets play-by-play voice Dennis Beyak was the Blades assistant general manager during Gordon’s years, and he returned to Saskatoon emcee the pre-game ceremony. A total of eight former teammates paraded out to centre ice wearing the Blades tradition Pac-Man logo and blue and gold colour scheme the team returned to on a full-time basis this season.

The Blades push home a greasy goal to go up 2-1.

    Also on hand was former Blades coach and general manager Daryl Lubiniecki and former Blades owner Jack Brodsky.

    Once all the alums were introduced, Gordon made his way on to the ice along with his wife, Chris, son, James, and daughter, Jillian Bodnar. When Gordon appeared, the crowd immediately rose to their feet to deliver a warm standing ovation.

    Former teammate Brian Skrudland, who went on to have a lengthy playing career in the NHL, and Saskatoon Police inspector Patrick Nogier, who was a former WHL goalie with the Kamloops Blazers and Broncos, both delivered heartfelt speeches.

    After Skrudland and Nogier were done speaking and a rousing ovation went up from the crowd, Chris Gordon came up to the podium to deliver a thank you to the crowd on behalf of the family. Originally, the plan for the tribute ceremony was to allow the members of Gordon’s family to enjoy the festivities without having to speak to the crowd.

Tyler Steenbergen set up the goal that sparked a Broncos’ rally.

    Due to the warm emotional atmosphere, Chris went on to thank the crowd for making that night special, and she told everyone to live life to the fullest.

    The pre-game ceremony concluded with Brodsky and current Blades owner Mike Priestner presenting the Gordon family with a framed jersey, a “Be Like Bruce” banner was unveiled in the rafters of the SaskTel Centre, and Bruce dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff. Bruce actually felt well enough that he and his family remained at the game until about the midway point of the second period, which turned out to be one of his longest outings in public in recent days.

    On the ice, the current day Blades took the cue. They controlled much of the first period and exited the frame with a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from right-winger Caleb Fantillo, who scored on a knuckleball shot.

    After Gawdin scored 58 seconds into the second period to tie things up at 1-1, Blades 19-year-old right-winger Brad Goethals batted the puck into the Broncos goal off a greasy battle in front of the net to put the hosts up 2-1. That set the stage for the Broncos rally in the third period.

Conner Chaulk celebrates his winning goal for the Broncos.

    Joel Hofer turned away 23 shots to earn the win in goal for the Broncos.
    Ryan Kubic stopped 27-of-30 shots to take the loss in the Blades net.

    The Broncos return to action on Wednesday, when they travel to Regina to take on the Pats (7 p.m. local time, Brandt Centre).
    The Blades are off until Friday, Sept. 29, when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    While the Broncos came away with the win on Friday night, the Blades can feel proud they delivered a special night to a former captain in Bruce Gordon, who will forever be a community hero in Saskatoon.

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