Rebels’ Bains nears WHL scoring title with four-point night

Red Deer runs over Hitmen 8-3 at Scotiabank Saddledome

Arshdeep Bains leads the WHL in scoring.

Arshdeep Bains almost has the Bob Clarke Trophy in his grasp.

On Wednesday, the Red Deer Rebels overage left-winger collected two goals and two assists to power his squad to an 8-3 WHL regular season victory over the host Calgary Hitmen before 4,323 onlookers at the Scotiabank Saddledome. With that effort, Bains now seemingly has an insurmountable lead when it comes to being awarded the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL’s regular season scoring champion.

Appearing in all the Rebels 67 games to date, Bains has 110 points coming off 42 goals and a league high 68 assists. He leads linemate in 19-year-old centre Ben King by seven points for top spot in the scoring race.

King, who sits second in the WHL scoring race, has also appeared in all of the Rebels 67 games to date piling up 103 points coming off a league high 52 goals and 51 assists. He scored twice in Red Deer’s win over Calgary on Wednesday.

Kamloops Blazers third-year centre Logan Stankoven sits third in the WHL scoring race posting 102 points coming off 44 goals and 58 assists appearing in 57 games.

The last member of the Rebels to win the WHL scoring title was centre Justin Mapletoft back in the 2000-01 campaign, when Red Deer won the WHL title and the Memorial Cup as CHL champions. That season, Mapletoft piled up 120 points coming off 43 goals and 77 assists appearing in 70 regular season games for the Rebels.

The Rebels have one game remaining on their regular season schedule, while the Blazers have two games remaining on their regular season slate.

Against the Hitmen on Wednesday, the Rebels led 2-0 after the first period, held a 4-2 advantage after the second frame and pulled away to post the 8-3 final in the third.

Dallon Melin scored twice for the Rebels, while Jace Weir and Kai Uchacz netted singles.

Zac Funk scored twice for the Hitmen, who received a single from Blake Stevenson.

Chase Coward stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Brayden Peters started and took the setback in goal for the Hitmen turning away 28-of-34 shots sent his way before being pulled at the 7:30 mark of the third period.

Ethan Buenaventura played the rest of the way in relief stopping one-of-three shots sent his way.

The Rebels improved to 45-18-2-2 with the win and are locked into finishing third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. Red Deer closes its regular season schedule on Saturday hosting the Edmonton Oil Kings (7 p.m. local time, Peavey Mart Centrium).

Arshdeep Bains has 42 goals and 68 assists this season.

The Hitmen, who have lost three straight, fell to 25-34-6-2 to remain ninth overall in the Eastern Conference. Calgary trails the 26-34-5-2 Swift Current Broncos by one point for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

The Hitmen close their regular season schedule on Sunday when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes (2 p.m. local time, Scotiabank Saddledome). When Calgary hits the ice for that contest, they could potentially already be eliminated from playoff contention.

The Broncos close their regular season schedule on Friday when they host the 26-35-4-1 Prince Albert Raiders (7 p.m., Innovation Credit Union i-Plex). If the Broncos win that contest, they will eliminate both the Hitmen and Raiders from playoff contention.

The Raiders, who are 11^th overall in the Eastern Conference two standings points back of the Broncos, have two games remaining on their regular season schedule. After playing the Broncos in Swift Current on Friday, the Raiders return home to close their regular season schedule against the Brandon Wheat Kings (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

If the Raiders win both their remaining regular season games, they will eliminate the Hitmen and Broncos from playoff contention.

The 26-34-3-2 Regina Pats sit 10^th overall in the Eastern Conference two points back of the Broncos. Regina closes its regular season schedule playing three games in three days.

The Pats take on the Winnipeg Ice, who have locked up first overall in the WHL with a 51-10-3-2 record, on both Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre in Regina. Those two contests were originally scheduled for Thursday and Friday night in Winnipeg, but they were rescheduled and shifted to Regina due to severe bad weather in southern Manitoba.

The Ice close their regular season schedule with those two contests and will be treated as the home team in those games including having the last line change.

After the two head-to-head contests with Winnipeg, the Pats close their regular season schedule on Sunday hosting their archrivals the Moose Jaw Warriors (4 p.m., Brandt Centre). The Warriors sit fourth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 37-23-3-3 record after downing the Wheat Kings in Brandon 5-2 on Tuesday.

The Saskatoon Blades, who sit fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 37-26-3-1 record, could potentially pass the Warriors for fourth in the conference and have home ice advantage for a best-of-seven first round WHL playoff series.

The Blades close their regular season schedule on Friday hosting the 35-26-3-2 Wheat Kings (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre). If the Blades win that contest and the Warriors lose their final two regular season games in regulation, Saskatoon would take fourth place in the conference.

The Warriors travel to Lethbridge on Friday to face the Hurricanes (7 p.m. local time, Enmax Centre). Moose closes its regular season against the Pats on Sunday.

Ben Kings has 52 goals and 51 assists this season.

Moose Jaw just needs one standings point in its final two outings to lock up fourth in the conference.

The Wheat Kings would leap from sixth to fifth overall in the Eastern Conference if they win their final two regular season games.

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

-------

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.

Crnkovic busts drought, pushes Blades to 3-1 win

Kyle Crnkovic broke an 11-game goalless drought on Friday.

    Kyle Crnkovic felt like he slammed a monkey off of his back.

    The 17-year-old left-winger with the Saskatoon Blades was trying to end a goalless drought that spanned 11 games. The Chestermere, Alta., product was able to that by just going to the net on Friday night.

    With the Blades locked in a 1-1 tie early in the second period of a WHL regular season contest against the Red Deer Rebels and working on a power play, Crnkovic went to the front of the Red Deer goal and potted the rebound of a shot taken from Blades captain Chase Wouters to put the Saskatoon side up 2-1.

    Crnkovic’s goal turned out to be the winner as the Blades skated away with a 3-1 victory before 3,330 spectators at the SaskTel Centre.

    “It has been quite a few games that I haven’t been able to score, but it was finally nice to get one,” said Crnkovic. “It was a big goal in the hockey game, so it was awesome.”

The Blades celebrate a goal from Kyle Crnkovic on Friday.

    Playing on a line centred by Eric Florchuk with Tristen Robins manning the right wing, Crnkovic said he had been getting his chances but was having no luck around the opposing goal.

    “They haven’t been going in for me,” said Crnkovic, who has five goals and six assists appearing in all of the Blades 19 regular season games. “They’ve been scoring, which is good.

    “As long as we win games, that is all that really matters.”

    Blades head coach Mitch Love was pleased to see Crnkovic break through on the scoreboard. With Crnkovic being in the Blades top six forward group, Love said they are looking for offence from the young winger.

    The bench boss added his talented forward is still in his second year in the league and will still experience some growing pains.

Kyle Crnkovic has five goals and six assists in 19 games this season.

    “He is a guy we want to rely on offensively for our group,” said Love. “He is a young player.

    “He is still finding his way in this league. Last year, he was in a third and fourth line role and maybe he didn’t get a chance to play against some of those older players or older veteran D in the league. Now, he is getting that, and it is hard.”

    Love said Crnkovic is learning the importance of driving to the net, even when he doesn’t have the puck, and that tactic will result in dividends.

    “You have to get to the inside of the rink,” said Love. “You have to go to the net.

    “I think that was evident there on the power-play goal. Wouters just throws it there, and he (Crnkovic) beats their D to the net, and the next thing you know it goes in the back of the net. That is no coincidence.”

Rebels G Byron Fancy (#35) turns away Blades LW Riley McKay (#39).

    Friday’s clash was a competitive one with the Rebels. The Blades broke through on the scoreboard first, when import defenceman Radek Kucerik floated home his first career WHL goal with a shot from the point at the 8:03 mark of the opening frame.

    The Rebels evened things up at 1-1 with 5:21 remaining in the first period on a smart play by 17-year-old left-winger Dallon Mellin. Mellin followed linemate Jace Isley to the Saskatoon goal and potted the rebound from Isley’s shot for the equalizer.

    Inside of the final minute of the opening frame, Rebels right-winger Arshdeep Bains was denied on two big chances to put his side ahead. 

Eric Florchuk scored the Blades third goal on Friday.

    First, he entered the Saskatoon zone coming down the left wing, cut across the front of the Blades goal, but his shot was denied by the glove hand of Blades star netminder Nolan Maier.

    Just seconds after that chance, Bains drove a shot on goal from the front of the Saskatoon net, but Maier caught the puck in his mid section to deny the chance.

    “I like their game over there,” said Love. “They’re always competitive.

    “They are engaged in the hockey game. I felt like after we scored our first goal we sat back, and they elevated their game. We weren’t ready to match that.

    “We talked about that in intermission where we needed to get to be in this hockey game and stay in this hockey game all night.”

    The Blades came out with more jump in the second with Crnkovic netting his power-play goal at the 3:06 mark of the frame.

Nolan Maier made 28 saves in goal for the Blades on Friday.

    Just under four minutes later, Florchuk wired home a power-play goal from the left corner boards of the offensive zone to the top right corner of the Red Deer goal to give the host side a two-goal edge.

    Maier said the power-goals his club scored early in the second helped turn the game around.

    “I think it was huge,” said Maier. “I think just getting that first goal really kind of helps us and kind of strives our confidence towards the whole game.

    “I think those are really big for us obviously.”

    The Rebels pushed back in the third, but Maier slammed the door in the Blades goal making a number of key saves down the stretch. One of the biggest came inside the final three minutes of the frame, when Maier robbed Rebels overage centre Brett Davis on a chance from the front of the Saskatoon net.
    Maier finished the contest making 28 saves to help the Blades improve to 10-7-1-1.

The Blades celebrate their win on Friday night.

    “He (Maier) is obviously the backbone for us,” said Crnkovic. “Every game he gives us a chance to win.

    “We don’t have to worry with him in net.”

    Byron Fancy turned away 20 shots taking the setback in goal for the Rebels (5-11-0-2).

    The Blades don’t have much time to enjoy Friday’s win.

    They return to action on Saturday, when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Rebels travel to Prince Albert on Saturday to face the defending WHL champion Raiders at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    “They (the Wheat Kings) are always competitive,” said Maier. “They always give us a little bit of problems.

    “I think if we just kind of play our game and kind of work and compete for the full game then it will be a positive outcome.”

Bisons’ gamble classic coach Dobie showing guts

Bisons HC Brian Dobie always plays for the win.

    You have to love the courage of head coach Brian Dobie, even though his University of Manitoba Bisons football team failed to make the Canada West Conference title game due to an unsuccessful gamble.

    Last Saturday, Dobie’s Bisons were in Calgary, Alta., taking on the University of Calgary Dinos in a Canada West semifinal contest. The Dinos led 47-40, and the Bisons were down to throwing a Hail Mary attempt from the host side’s 50 yard line as the clock hit zero in the fourth quarter.

    Bisons quarterback Des Catellier threw the hail mary downfield looking for a miracle finish. About five players jumped up for the ball, and they ended up knocking it into the hands of Bisons receiver Trysten Dyce.

    Dyce caught the ball at the Dinos seven yard line and dashed into the end zone for a Bisons touchdown to cut the host side’s lead to 47-46.

    Instead of kicking a one-point convert to force overtime, Dobie elected to have his team go for a two-point convert and the win. The Bisons had already scored 30 points in the fourth quarter.

    On the two-point conversion attempt, Catellier threw a quick slant to Dyce. Dyce had his hands on the ball right at the goal line, but he couldn’t secure the catch.

    The ball squirted out of his hands and landed in the arms of Dinos defensive back Nick Statz. Statz ran the ball out of the end zone and went down to end the game.  

Trysten Dyce caught a 50-yard Hail Mary pass.

    With the 47-46 victory, the Dinos, who improved to 7-2 overall, advanced to host the Canada West Conference championship game – the Hardy Cup – this coming Saturday against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (6-3 overall).

    After the gamble that came up short, the Bisons concluded their season with a 4-5 overall record. Still, they would have had an upset win, if Dyce had been able to squeeze that two-point convert pass.

    The Bisons could have extended the game kicking a one-point convert and going to overtime. With that noted, it is more Dobie’s style to go for a two-point conversion and try to win the game in that situation.

    Dobie should be applauded for the aggressiveness and trying to get the win on one play instead of dragging the festivities out.

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

-------                                     

    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.