“Rock You Like A Hurricane”

Lethbridge blows away Saskatoon in third period

Joe Arntsen had a monster night for the Hurricanes.

Joe Arntsen turned a tight checking game into a route.

On Wednesday night, Arntsen’s Lethbridge Hurricanes were locked in a 0-0 tie heading into the third period of their WHL regular season clash with the visiting Saskatoon Blades. In the third, Arntsen posted two goals, one assist, a plus-five rating in the plus-minus department and took part in a fight to power the Hurricanes to a 6-1 victory before 2,742 spectators at the Enmax Centre.

Just 1:44 into the third, Arntsen potted his first tally of the night to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead. His defensive partner Logan McCutcheon scored 32 seconds later to increase the host side’s advantage to 2-0.

Right before the midway point of the third, Arntsen combined with left-winger Miguel Marques to set up centre Logan Wormald for his 12^th marker of the season to extend the Hurricanes lead to 3-0.

At the 10:51 mark of the third, Blades centre Jordan Keller shoveled home his first career WHL regular season goal from the front of the Lethbridge to cut the host’s lead to 3-1. Keller was playing his eighth career regular season contest with the Blades after being called up for the rest of the current campaign from the Yale Hockey Academy under-18 prep team.

That only temporarily stopped the avalanche of goals coming from the Hurricanes.

Just under three minutes later, Arntsen netted his second of the contest to increase Lethbridge’s advantage to 4-1.

With about five minutes to play in the third, the Blades pulled overage star netminder Nolan Maier for an extra attacker. Hurricanes sophomore defenceman Chase Pauls scored into the vacated Saskatoon net with 4:29 remaining in the third to give the hosts a 5-1 lead.

Hurricanes rookie right-winger Brayden Edwards added his squad’s final goal with just under a minute to play in the frame.

Between the goals by Pauls and Edwards, Arntsen took on Blades right-winger Vaughn Watterodt in a fight to obtain the Gordie Howe hat trick.

Veteran 19-year-old netminder Bryan Thomson stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Hurricanes. Left-wingers Justin Hall and Alex Thacker had three assists each for Lethbridge.

Justin Hall had three assists for the Hurricanes.

Maier turned away 31-of-36 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

The win was the third straight for the Hurricanes, who improved to 30-30-3-1 to sit seventh overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes need to win one of their last four regular season games or earn two more standings points to lock up a WHL playoff berth.

Their first opportunity to pull that off comes on Friday, when they travel to Red Deer to face the 43-17-2-2 Rebels (7 p.m. local time, Peavey Mart Centrium).

The Blades fell to 36-26-3-1 with the setback and made their hopes of getting home ice advantage for a first round playoff series very difficult. They remain fourth in the Eastern Conference one point behind the fourth place 36-23-3-2 Moose Jaw Warriors.

Saskatoon has two games left on its schedule, while Moose Jaw has four contests left to play. The fourth place team gets home ice advantage for a first round playoff series.

The Brandon Wheat Kings, who sit sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 33-25-3-2 record, are six points behind the Warriors and five points behind the Blades. Brandon has five games remaining on its regular season schedule.

Besides the jockeying in the standings, Maier shares the WHL’s career regular season goaltending wins record of 120 victories with Corey Hirsch and Tyson Sexsmith. The Yorkton, Sask., product was looking to take sole ownership of that record.

Hirsch picked up his 120 victories playing four seasons with the Kamloops Blazers from 1988 to 1992. Sexsmith collected his 120 wins over five seasons with the Vancouver Giants from 2005 to 2009. He also had one non-decision relief appearance for the Medicine Hat Tigers late in the 2004-05 campaign.

Saskatoon still has six regulars on the injury list. Defenceman and captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere is out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.

Overage star centre Tristen Robins, who is the Blades captain for the rest of the current season, is out day to day with an upper body injury and the same goes for veteran centre Josh Pillar and overage defenceman Rhett Rhinehart.

Rookie centre Lukas Hansen is week-to-week with an upper body injury, and utility player Spencer Shugrue is day to day with a lower body injury.

Alex Thacker had three assists for the Hurricanes.

The Blades return to action on Friday when they host their archrivals the 26-33-4-1 Prince Albert Raiders (7 p.m., SaskTel 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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Lisowsky’s milestone 30th marker delivers spectacular OT win to Blades

Brandon Lisowsky, right, enjoys his OT winner with Jayden Wiens.

Brandon Lisowsky continues to smash a personal goal and reached a milestone in memorable fashion.

On Wednesday night at the SaskTel Centre, Lisowsky’s Saskatoon Blades went to overtime in their WHL regular season contest against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes locked in a 3-3 tie. Late in the three-versus-three overtime frame, Lisowsky saw linemate Jayden Wiens steal the puck from a Hurricanes player near the Lethbridge blue-line.

As Wiens jetted down the left wing into the offensive zone, Lisowsky charged straight for the Lethbridge goal creating a two-on-one break. Wiens passed the puck to Lisowsky, who quickly potted the OT winner to give the Blades a 4-3 victory to the delight of the 2,426 spectators in attendance.

Brandon Lisowsky scored twice for the Blades on Wednesday.

The 17-year-old left-winger’s overtime tally was his 30^th goal of the season and second marker of the night.

“That was huge,” said Lisowsky, who has 30 goals and 22 assists appearing in all the Blades 53 regular season games to date. “My personal goal was 25 for the year.

“It is a good individual accomplishment, but we’re super excited to have that big two points and get ready for a big home and home against P.A. this weekend.”

The Blades will face their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders (22-28-2-1) in a home-and-home series this coming weekend. The two sides go at it on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert and close the series on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Jayden Wiens set up the OT winner for the Blades.

Before the Blades could focus on the Raiders, they had to take care of business against a Hurricanes team that game them a battle and wouldn’t go away.

For a short time in the third period, it appeared that Lisowsky’s first goal of the contest might turn out to be the winner.

The Blades and Hurricanes entered the third period locked in a 2-2 draw. Just 2:41 into the frame, Lisowsky blew down the left wing and snapped home his 29^th tally of the season to put the Blades ahead 3-2.

The lead didn’t last.

At the 6:07 mark of the third, the Hurricanes pulled even at 3-3 off a positive bounce goal. Import centre Liekit Reichle attempted a backhanded wraparound, and his shots deflected off the stick of Blades 20-year-old defenceman Rhett Rhinehart into the Saskatoon goal.

Brandon Lisowsky has 30 goals and 22 assists in 53 games.

The Hurricanes applied a tonne of pressure on the Blades in the third holding a 15-5 edge in shots on goal. The Blades got solid work from rookie netminder and local product Ethan Chadwick to get to the extra session.

The Blades regrouped in overtime resulting in Lisowsky’s winner in the extra session.

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne was pleased to see Lisowsky get his 30^th goal in memorable fashion as an overtime winner.

“He has had crazy chances,” said Sonne. “In my opinion, the last three games are probably his best of the season.

Ethan Chadwick made 29 saves for the Blades on Wednesday.

“He is playing really hard and really well. He is looking really fast. He has had a tonne of scoring chances, and only a few have gone in.

“I actually think he could have had more in the last three. He has just faced some good goalies. I’m really happy for him.”

Lisowsky gave credit to Wiens for allowing the overtime goal to happen by getting the steal and making the set up pass to create the overtime winner.

“He (Wiens) is such a hard worker,” said Lisowsky. “I love playing with him.

“With (Trevor) Wong out (with an upper body injury), he (Wiens) is a guy that has stepped up. I love playing with him, and he gets the puck on my stick. He battled on the board and kind of hit my feet (with his set up pass).

Chase Pauls scored the Hurricanes first goal on Wednesday.

“I kind of made a play to get it back on my stick and kind of bury the goal there.”

During the first 40 minutes, the Blades got on the board first scoring on the power play in the first period. Blades overage star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic had the puck by the right side boards in the offensive zone, and he passed to the puck to the front of the net to Wiens.

Wiens tapped the puck past Hurricanes netminder Jared Picklyk with 8:20 remaining in the opening frame.

The Hurricanes evened the score up a 1-1 with 2:59 remaining in the first, when defenceman Chase Pauls floated home an off-speed shot from the point through a screen into the Saskatoon goal.

With 89 seconds remaining in the first, the Blades went back out in front 2-1, when centre Josh Pillar snapped home a shot from the top right faceoff circle. The tally was Pillar’s first goal and point as a member of the Blades.

Josh Pillar scored his first goal as a member of the Blades.

The Blades picked up Pillar in a deal just before the WHL’s trade deadline on January 17. The Warman, Sask., product was dealing with an illness, and Wednesday’s contest was just his sixth game with the Saskatoon side.

The Hurricanes potted the only goal of the second period as associate player call up and local product Trey Wilke snapped home a midrange shot from the front of the Saskatoon net for his first career WHL goal. The 15-year-old Wilke was playing in his first career WHL contest having been called up from the Saskatoon Blazers under-18 AAA team.

Wilke has piled up 17 goals and 29 assists in 44 regular season games with the Blazers. The Hurricanes selected Wilke in the second round and 29^th overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

Hurricanes goalie Jared Picklyk tracks the puck in traffic.

The Blades outshot the Hurricanes 32-16 after 40 minutes.

“It was tough,” said Sonne. “We didn’t get the run support early.

“They are just right there, so one mistake and it is an even game. We faced a good goalie. They are a desperate team.

“We have to take some things that we can from this one, learn and turn the page, because we have P.A. coming up right way.”

Still, Lisowsky scored his two goals at key times in the third and in overtime to ensure the Blades got the win.

Chadwick stopped 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades (31-18-3-2). Picklyk turned away 37 shots to take the extra setback in net for the Hurricanes (23-26-3-1).

The Hurricanes get back at it on Friday when they venture down to Regina to take on the Pats (7 p.m., Brandt Centre).

The Blades celebrate their OT win on Wednesday.

The Blades now shift their focus to the Raiders, who have won three in a row.

“They (the Raiders) are playing good hockey right now,” said Sonne. “I was just watching them last night.

“(Raiders head coach) Marc Habscheid has them dialled in. We have to be really diligent to have success against them on Friday.”

Lisowsky said it is always easy for the Blades to get up for games with the Raiders.

“They are always games you get up for whether it is Art Hauser or back here at home,” said Lisowsky. “Fans come for both games for either team.

“They are games you get up for. Exciting games are always good games.”

WHL leading Oil Kings win 12^th straight, other notes

Justin Sourdif scored twice for the Oil Kings on Wednesday.

The Edmonton Oil Kings are trying to leave no doubts that they are one of the top teams in the WHL as well as the CHL.

On Wednesday, the Oil Kings won their 12^th straight game when they traveled to Medicine Hat and downed the host Tigers 7-3 before 1,837 spectators at Co-Op Place. The win improved the Oil Kings WHL leading record to 42-11-2-1, and their current 12-game winning streak is a franchise record.

Earlier in the day, the Oil Kings were rated first in the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings for a third straight week.

In the win over the Tigers, Justin Sourdif and Josh Williams both had two-goal nights for the Oil Kings, while Cole Miller, Hayden Wheddon and Jalen Luypen all netted singles. Oren Shtrom scored twice for the Tigers, while Logan Barlage had a single.

Oil Kings defenceman Logan Dowhaniuk and Tigers centre Oasiz Wiesblatt engaged in a second period fight.

Rookie Kolby Hay stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Oil Kings. Garin Bjorklund turned away 32 shots to take the setback in goal for the Tigers (10-39-3-1).

The Oil Kings last loss came back on February 4, when they dropped a 6-1 decision to the Blades in Saskatoon.

• Saskatoon Blades star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic and Red Deer Rebels overage right-winger Arshdeep Bains are tied for the lead in the WHL’s scoring race with 82 points. Crnkovic has his 82 points coming off 35 goals and 47 assists appearing in all of the Blades 53 regular season games. Bains has his 82 points coming off 30 goals and 52 assists skating in all of the Rebels 55 regular season games.
• Back during the first month of the current WHL season some people were wondering what was wrong with Regina Pats 16-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard as he was fighting to average a point a game. Bedard now has 34 goals and 35 assists for 69 points in 45 appearances this season for the Pats.
• I put together new content for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex’s Howe Happenings blog that went live on Wednesday. I put together a piece called “User groups pumped to use K+S Potash Canada Multi-sport Centre,” which can be found by clicking right here. That piece focuses on the newest main building being in action on the Complex grounds. I also put together a photo round up that 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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.