Blades handled Malysjev departure well - D-man has to do what is best for him

Emil Malysjev elected to leave the Blades to play closer to home.

    In his one season with the Saskatoon Blades, Emil Malysjev left you wanting to see more.

    That makes his departure from the team tough to see. After going unselected in the NHL Entry Draft that was held June 21 and 22 in Vancouver, B.C., Malysjev informed the Blades he was staying in his home country of Sweden to pursue career opportunities in the game there.

    As a result, he wouldn’t be returning for an 18-year-old sophomore campaign in the WHL.

    Malysjev had informed the Blades brass for a lengthy stretch after the team’s playoff run came to an end what his thought process was. The club started preparing for the fact the Malysjev wouldn’t be back.

    That included selecting two defencemen from the Czech Republic in the CHL Import Draft held via conference call on Thursday in 19-year-old Libor Zabransky and Radek Kucerik, who will turn 18-years-old in December.

Emil Malysjev was solid in his own zone.

    Zabransky has played in the WHL for the Kelowna Rockets, but after the Rockets released him on Jan. 12, he became available again for the Import Draft.

    In Malysjev’s case, the Blades did what was best for the player. He felt more comfortable staying home, and the team showed understanding and let him do what he thought was best for him.

    The majority of the players in the WHL are teenagers, and when all is said and done, about 90 per cent of them won’t skate in an NHL regular season game as a player.

    All players coming into the WHL will wrestle with the fact that one day they will no longer be active players in the game at a competitive level including the ones that go on to have NHL careers.

Emil Malysjev improved steadily throughout the 2018-19 season.

    You have to weigh if the experience you gain being away from home playing in the WHL is worth it. For every player, that evaluation will be different.

    For imports like Malysjev, you have to add in the fact he left his home country and family and friends behind to cross an ocean to play hockey in a new country and a new city. Import players have to work through learning and adjusting to a new culture and often a new language on top of figuring out what their new team expects from them.

    Malysjev was taking on all of that as a 17-year-old, but he did have an advantage in the fact he could speak English fluently.

    The blue-liner, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 190 pounds, was succeeding on all fronts.

Emil Malysjev could potentially make noise on the international stage.

    He improved greatly as the season progressed. Paired with overager Dawson Davidson, Malysjev appeared in 63 regular season games with the Blades posting three goals, 14 assists and a plus-13 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Malysjev skated in all 10 of the Blades post-season games scoring a goal and posting an even-rating.

    He was rated 192^nd among North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings.

    With Davidson and fellow overage defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus exhausting their major junior eligibility at the conclusion of the Blades run in the WHL playoffs, Malysjev was initially pegged at being a key returnee for the team.

Emil Malysjev was solid in his one full season with the Blades.

    However, that won’t be the case.

    With the improvement Malysjev showed last season, one had to wonder how much he would have improved had played with the Blades as an 18-year-old or even as a 19-year-old.

    Still, Malysjev might still find his way to the NHL or even a lengthy professional career playing in Sweden or somewhere in Europe. Some of the Blades might cross paths with Malysjev on the international stage.

    It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him possibly skating with Sweden’s world junior team some day.

    Malysjev is doing what his best for him. As a teenager, he is still growing on many levels, and now he will continue that growth near the support system of his family and friends.

    The Blades helped him take a big leap forward in the game during his season in Saskatoon. Now, they are helping him by letting him go home, which is what he had his heart set on doing.

Raiders’ Kelly receives sweet Senators award again

Parker Kelly was a repeat award winner at Senators development camp.

    Parker Kelly was rewarded for the second straight year for a strong showing at the development camp of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.

    On Friday, the Prince Albert Raiders power forward was presented the Jonathan Pitre Memorial Trophy as the hardest working player at the Senators development camp for a second straight year.

    The Camrose, Alta., product was a co-winner of the inaugural edition of the award last year with Brady Tkachuk.

    The award is named after Jonathan Pitre, who was also known as the “Butterfly Boy.” Pitre passed away in April of 2018 from recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, which is a rare genetic mutation that causes the skin to blister and fall off at the slightest touch.

Parker Kelly (#27) played a key part helping the Raiders win the WHL title.

    He bonded with many of the Senators players and was named an honourary scout for the team in 2014. Pitre raised more than $200,000 for research of the disease.

    Last season, Kelly had a big campaign for the Raiders setting career highs in goals (35), assists (32) and points (67) in 64 regular season games. He posted a plus-42 rating in the plus-minus department, which was also a career high.

    Kelly helped the Raiders win the WHL championship posting eight goals, nine assists and a plus-19 rating appearing in all of the team’s 23 games in the WHL playoffs.

Parker Kelly lifts the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    He is eligible to return to the Raiders as an overage player next season. Kelly signed an entry-level contract with the Senators in September of 2017 after a strong showing at their training camp that year, and it is highly likely he will play next season somewhere in the Senators system.

    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’ GM pumped on Dach’s status ahead of NHL Entry Draft

Kirby Dach was at the NHL Scouting Combine.

    Saskatoon Blades general manager Colin Priestner isn’t ruling out the possibility that his team could be without star centre Kirby Dach next season.

    Dach just finished participating in the NHL Scouting Combine that wrapped up on Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y. The 18-year-old Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product is pegged to be an early first round selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, which is set for June 21 and 22 in Vancouver, B.C.

    Last season, Dach, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 200 pounds, appeared in 62 regular season games with the Blades posting 25 goals and 48 assists for 73 points to go with a plus-15 rating in the plus-minus department. Dach added five goals and three assists in the Blades 10 post-season games.

    “It is exciting,” said Priestner. “I think Kirby (Dach) is going to go in the top five.

    “That is what I am hearing right now. You never know. We’re never really told exactly what teams are doing by any means.

    “I know there is a lot interest in the top five. Four, five or six is very interested. He is going to go somewhere in that range is my guess.”

    Back in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, the Blades selected Dach in the first round and second overall. Dach has backed up his early WHL Bantam Draft selection with his strong two-way play on the ice.
    In 133 career regular season games with the Blades, he has posted 38 goals and 91 assists to go with a plus-eight rating.

Kirby Dach is expected to be an early pick in the NHL Entry Draft.

    With that in mind, it is still difficult for 18-year-old players to crack into the NHL as freshly drafted rookies, because the bodies of those players still haven’t physically matured.

    Still, Priestner knows Dach will do whatever he can to be ready for an NHL shot.

    If Dach is returned to the Blades, he will have the chance to play with his younger brother, Colton. The Blades selected Colton in the first round and sixth overall in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, and he can join the team as a 16-year-old rookie in the upcoming campaign.

    Last season, Colton had 16 goals and 12 assists playing 32 regular season games with the Fort Saskatchewan Boston Pizza Rangers midget AAA team.

    “If he (Kirby Dach) makes the NHL next year, that is an outstanding achievement,” said Priestner. “If he doesn’t, he can play with his brother here.

    “It is fun to play with your brother for a year. They’ve never gotten to do that. I think that would be a great year for them.”

    Priestner said Kirby Dach went into the Scouting Combine at full health.

    Dach injured one of his legs in Game 5 of the Blades second round playoffs series with the Prince Albert Raiders after coming together with Raiders star right-winger Brett Leason. Dach missed about 10 minutes of the Blades loss in Game 5 and played hurt in Saskatoon’s season ending loss in Game 6.

    Dach had the option of joining Canada’s entry at the under-18 worlds after the Blades were eliminated from the WHL playoffs, but he decided to sit that out and heal up.

    “It (Dach’s injury)came at the worse time,” said Priestner. “He just got tangled up with (Brett) Leason.

Kirby Dach had a stellar campaign for the Blades in 2018-19.

    “Their feet hit each other. It was just an awkward play. It wasn’t dirty at all.

    “I think it was a wise move not to go to the world championships with a taped up leg.”
    With all that said, it would be a surprise if Dach wasn’t selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. He was listed third among North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting Rankings.

    If Dach is returned to the Blades, Priestner believe he will come back to Saskatoon sometime in October. The general manager expects his skilled centre will likely experience a lull before taking off in that scenario.

    “I think sometimes when an elite player gets drafted and gets sent back there is that letdown period,” said Priestner. “They usually get some games in the NHL.”

Blades overage situation still under evaluation

Nolan Kneen is a safe pick to return as an overager for the Blades.

    Saskatoon Blades are still evaluating the direction they will take with their overage players next season.

    The Blades had seven potential players to fill three overage spots, when they were eliminated from the WHL playoffs in a six-game second round series by the eventual league champion Prince Albert Raiders.

    On May 2, the Blades traded defenceman Reece Harsch to the Winnipeg Ice to cut the potential returning overage players to six.

    Priestner isn’t expecting import Norwegian left-winger Kristian Roykas-Marthisen to return to Saskatoon. Roykas-Marthisen is an NHL Entry Draft selection of the Washington Capitals, but he might elect to play in Europe next season.

    Priestner doesn’t expect netminder Dorrin Luding to be in the picture as 18-year-old Nolan Maier is the team’s starter.

    That brings the Blades down to four candidates for three spots in defenceman Nolan Kneen and forwards “Uncle” Gary Haden, Ryan Hughes and Riley McKay.

    “There is big competition there,” said Priestner. “Nolan Kneen is the only defenceman.

    “I think obviously he is going to be back. That kind of goes without saying after the year he had. We have three excellent forwards and all different.

    “We have an indication of the way we want to go, but I wouldn’t be surprised if four of them showed up to camp right now.”

    Last season, Hughes recorded 30 goals, 39 assists and a plus-13 rating in the plus-minus department in 61 regular season games split between the Portland Winterhawks and Blades.

    Haden posted 31 goals, 34 assists and a plus-19 rating in 64 regular season games split between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Blades.

    McKay appeared in all of the Blades 68 regular season games recording 12 goals, 15 assists, a plus-16 rating and a WHL leading 149 penalty minutes.

    Priestner is looking at his options via the trade route, but said the brain trust on his team needs to be sure of their plans.
    “We need to decide who we are keeping as well before we can trade anyone,” said Priestner. “I am not opposed to a little competition.

    “I want to see what they are like at camp and see how motivated that playoff made them. We’ve got guys that I want to see what kind of shape they come in and all that kind of stuff.”

    Priestner said he has engaged in some preliminary talks on the trade route but added things are still quiet on that front. Teams have until Oct. 10 to decide who their three overage players will be.

    “You sometimes can get a little more for those guys by Oct. 10^th than you can in May when everyone is at the cabin or on vacation,” said Priestner. “There is not a lot of urgency.

    “A team goes to camp and doesn’t like their scoring situation or doesn’t like their forwards, we’ve got three capable top six forwards out of those.”

Saskatoon plans to make two picks at CHL Import Draft

Emil Malysjev might not be back with the Blades next season.

    Saskatoon Blades are looking at making two selections in CHL Import Draft.

    The CHL Import Draft is expected to be held via a conference call on either June 26 or 27. The Blades aren’t expecting Norwegian left-winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen to return for his overage year.

    Blades general manager Colin Priestner has been in touch with the club’s Swedish defenceman in Emil Malysjev and found out the rearguard might sign a professional contract in his home country.

    Malysjev is slated to enter his 18-year-old. As a 17-year-old rookie, Malysjev, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 187 pounds, turned heads appearing in 63 regular season games recording three goals, 14 assists and a plus-13 rating in the plus-minus department.

    He was rated 192nd among North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings.

    “I think we’re at a point this year we want to probably get two guys that can help us right away,” said Priestner. “That is my focus right now.”

    Malysjev improved greatly as last season progressed and was expected to be a key returnee for the Blades next season.

    If Malysjev doesn’t return, the Blades will be without four out of their starting six defenceman from last season. Dawson Davidson and Brandon Schuldhaus both exhausted their major junior eligibility and Reece Harsch was traded to the Winnipeg Ice.

    Priestner said the Blades brain trust including associate general manager Steve Hildebrand and director of scouting Dan Tencer have work to do in that area, which could include addressing that situation at the Import Draft.

    “We have some good D returning, but did lose a few really good ones,” said Priestner. “I’m not sure we’re going to replace Dawson Davidson and (Brandon) Schuldhaus just tomorrow.

    “That was a real big strength of our team this year we’re a couple of those veteran D. It is my job now with our staff with Hilty (Steve Hildebrand) and Dan (Tencer) and our coaches to shore that defence up. It doesn’t always happen before camp.”

Alive on The Canadian Press wire with Roughriders’ LaBatte

Brendon Labatte is a Roughriders mainstay.

    I was alive nationwide on The Canadian Press wire this past week.

    The Canadian Press sent me down to Griffiths Stadium at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon to work Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp. 
    I put together a story on veteran offensive lineman Brendon LaBatte.

    Labatte is entering his 12^th full season in the CFL. His versatility is a key bonus to the Roughriders offensive line.

    He is one of the team’s leaders, and his play emphasizes the fact why Canadian offensive linemen are viewed as gold in the CFL.
    LaBatte, who is from Weyburn, Sask., was named the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman in 2013. He normally plays left guard, but has practiced at centre during training camp.

    The Canadian Press story on Labatte carried via the North Shore News can be found by clicking right here.

 Saskatchewan football community mourns passing of Filteau

 

Justin Filteau in action for the Hilltops in 2014.

  The football community in Saskatchewan is grieving the sudden passing of Justin Filteau.

    Filteau, who is a former star linebacker with the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and U Sports University of Saskatchewan Huskies, was one of three people killed in a light aircraft crash near Medicine Hat, Alta., late Saturday night.

    The 26-year-old was flying to Moose Jaw, Sask.

    He is was the linebackers coach for the WWCFL powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries and was planning to travel to Regina, Sask., on Sunday to meet the team and coach in their regular season game against the host Riot, who are the defending WWCFL champions.

    The Valkyries won that contest 22-7 and have dedicated the rest of their season in Filteau’s memory.

    Filteau was coaching in Saskatoon’s minor football system and was a coach for Saskatchewan’s under-16 provincial team.

    Born and raised in Moose Jaw, Filteau played for A.E. Peacock Collegiate’s high school football team. He suited for the Hilltops from 2010 to 2014 and was a member of four CJFL championship teams. He played for the Huskies from 2015 to 2017.

    Numerous tributes have been posted on various social media platforms for Filteau. Funeral arrangements are still pending.

Pedersen launches sports talk show on Monday

Final tests! Getting ready for live bullets Monday at 10:00 am MT on Facebook Live! Please join us for our maiden show, and audio only at https://t.co/6RCZ4mRLas. pic.twitter.com/Qh9BjjWv2g

— The Rod Pedersen Show (@RodPedersenShow) June 3, 2019

    Rod Pedersen is set to rock the sports talk establishment.

    On Monday, Pedersen, who is the famous former play-by-play voice of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and WHL’s Regina Pats, launches The Rod Pedersen Show. Pedersen is aiming to put together a morning sports talk show in the format that is sort of like The View.

    It will air five days a week from 10 a.m. to noon Saskatchewan time over multiple platforms like Facebook Live, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.

    The move is sure to catch the attention of mainstream outlets. The current two local sports talk shows that air over the radio waves in Saskatchewan in The Green Zone and The SportsCage usually go live after 3 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

    Pedersen will have a daily jump on those two shows with his show.

    During his time as the Roughriders play-by-play voice, Pedersen built a strong following from the team’s fanbase, while becoming infamous with the fans of other CFL clubs that loved to disagree with him.

    No matter how you feel about him, his show should be entertaining. If you want to check it out, it 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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Remarkable season breathes new life into Blades

The Blades give a final salute to the SaskTel Centre crowd on Sunday.

    Apathy had to be the biggest concern for the Saskatoon Blades at the start of their recently completed season.

    Way back on Sept. 20, 2018, I typed a column that said the Blades would make the WHL playoffs in 2018-19. I said I had a gut feeling the Blades would have a playoff spot locked up when March 2019 begins. You can even check that piece out by clicking right here.

    Having missed the playoffs for five straight seasons, I was expecting followers of the team to be so jaded they would fall down with laughter.

    Instead, that prediction was greeted mostly with silence, which might have been a more scary reaction. The playoff drought that included two heartbreaking near misses in 2016-17 and 2017-18 seemed to quell most enthusiasm for the team.

    It seemed people were waiting for the tangible result of a post-season playoff berth before showing any interest in the squad.

Kirby Dach is one of the Blades biggest stars.

    In 2017-18, the Blades posted a 35-33-3-1 record to fall three points shy of the Prince Albert Raiders (32-27-9-4) for the second and final wildcard berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

Saskatoon had the seventh most points in the 12-team Eastern Conference, which meant two teams with records worse than the ones the Blades had made the post-season.

    I thought the nucleus was in place for the team to make a leap upwards in the standings. The Blades made a bigger leap than I had imagined.

    Fast forward to this past Sunday at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades were eliminated from the post season dropping a 6-3 decision to their archrivals, the Raiders, in Game 6 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series before 10,521 spectators.

    Following the contest, the Blades received a salute from the crowd including a nod of respect from most of the large contingent of Raiders followers.

    Along the way the Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 45-15-8 record to qualify for the post-season for the first time since 2013, while picking up honourable mention status in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. They officially locked up a playoff berth on Feb. 23 with a 4-3 win after a tiebreaking shootout over the Kootenay Ice at the SaskTel Centre.

Nolan Maier ensured the Blades had solid play between the pipes.

    They swept the Moose Jaw Warriors, who were seventh overall in the WHL at 40-20-6-2, in the first round of the playoffs.

    The Blades bowed out to a Raiders team that topped the WHL standings at 54-10-2-2 and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    How crazy was this Blades season?

    Last Oct. 25, the Blades acquired a left-winger named Gary Haden, who was in his 19-year-old season, in a trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for forward Logan Christensen, who was also in his 19-year-old season. The deal at the time didn’t raise too many eyebrows as both had relatively average major junior careers to that point in time.

    Haden went on to become “Uncle” Gary in Saskatoon posting 30 goals, 32 assists and a plus-23 rating in 55 regular season games with the Blades. In his first nine games of the campaign with the Tigers, Haden posted one goal, two assists and was a minus-four.

    The Airdrie, Alta., product became a fan favourite and one of the Blades most well-known players.

Emil Malysjev made huge strides in his rookie season with the Blades.

    The “Uncle” Gary moniker was coined by Blades manager of communications and community relations Tyler Wawryk, who often comes up with nicknames or catch phrases to associate with Blades players.

    Alanna Priestner, who is the wife of Blades general manager Colin Priestner, helped use those nicknames and catch phrases to create novelty T-shirts for six of the team’s players in Haden, Kyle Crnkovic, Kirby Dach, Max Gerlach, Riley McKay and Nolan Maier. The T-shirts became hot sellers and in the process that inventive move helped make them more household names in the city.

    The Blades had the skill on the ice to back everything up. On Monday, it was announced that three Blades members cracked NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings.

    Dach, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 195 pounds, was rated third among North American skaters. The skilled centre finished third in team scoring recording 25 goals, 48 assists and a plus-15 rating in 62 regular season games.

Chase Wouters provided the Blades with stellar leadership as captain.

    Swedish import defenceman Emil Malysjev, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 187 pounds, cracked in at the 192^nd spot among North American skaters. He recorded three goals, 14 assists and a plus-13 rating in 63 regular season games with the Blades and made great strides improving in his rookie WHL campaign.

    Maier, who stands 6-feet and weighs 173 pounds, was rated 22^nd among North American goaltenders. He posted a 36-10-6 record, a 2.64 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and four shutouts in 53 regular season games.

    The Yorkton, Sask., product was invited to join Canada’s men’s team for the under-18 worlds that start Thursday and run through to April 28 in Ornskoldsvik and Umea, Sweden.

    Dach, Malysjev and Maier will all be entering their respective 18-year-old campaigns next season.

“Uncle” Gary Haden became a fan favourite with the Blades.

    The Blades had a great overage crew. Offensive-defenceman Dawson Davidson was the team’s leading scorer recording 13 goals and 62 assists for 75 points. He posted a plus-27 rating appearing in all of the Blades 68 regular season games.

    Right-winger Max Gerlach was second in team scoring with 42 goals, 32 assists for 74 points. He was a plus-seven appearing in all of the Blades 68 regular season games.

    Defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus showed he was the ultimate pro. Acquired in a trade last Oct. 2 with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Schuldhaus appeared in 61 regular season games with the Blades posting eight goals, 23 assists and a plus-15 rating.

    Chase Wouters became the team’s charismatic captain, and he has two more years of eligibility remaining. He got the playoffs started in style scoring the overtime winner to give the Blades a 3-2 victory over the Warriors in Game 1 of their first round series at the SaskTel Centre.

The Blades celebrate a goal from Ryan Hughes (#53).

    McKay became a fan favourite for his feisty style of play. While he topped the WHL with 149 penalty minutes, he showed an offensive touch putting up 12 goals and 17 assists appearing in all of the Blades 68 regular season games.

    Ryan Hughes proved to be a slick right-winger acquired in a Jan. 10 trade with the Portland Winterhawks. In 61 regular season games split between the Winterhawks and Blades, Hughes recorded 30 goals, 39 assists and a plus-13 rating.

    Defenceman Nolan Kneen was another astute acquisition arriving from the Kamloops Blades last Nov. 26. In 55 regular season games split between the Blazers and Blades, Kneen posted six goals, 39 assists and a plus-24 rating.

    Colin Priestner and his staff have to be given huge credit for assembling the Blades roster. During the season, Priestner added seven players via that trade route that bolstered the defence and created more depth on the forward lines.

    Out of all the Blades staffers, Priestner had to have felt the biggest sense of relief that this season came to pass. The same likely goes for his father, Mike, who bought the team before the start of the 2013-14 campaign. 

    The reward finally came from all the rebuilding that took place in the previous five non-playoff years.

Kyle Crnkovic turned heads with his play as a rookie.

    Priestner’s biggest hire might have been bringing Mitch Love on board as head coach last May.

    Love joined the Blades after spending the previous season as an assistant coach and assistant to the general manager of the Everett Silvertips. He was on the Silvertips staff for a total of seven seasons.

    It seemed there were few veteran staffers from other WHL teams that tried to test the youthful duo on the gamesmanship front noting Priestner is 35-year-old and Love is 34-years-old. Both showed they have some veteran savvy on that front.

    The rest of the Blades coaching staff played a key role in the team’s results this season. Associate coach Ryan Marsh played a huge part in shaping the club’s play on the ice. Returning assistant coaches Ryan Keller and Jerome Engele and returning goalie coach Tim Cheveldae all added their positive influences.

The fans poured into the SaskTel Centre in big numbers in the playoffs.

    That trio is popular in the Blades dressing room and seems to keep cementing spots as lifers on the team.

    Off the ice, the Blades worked a big group game getting into the community with various events.

All the hard work finally paid off with more people arriving at the SaskTel Centre. For the longest time, it appeared the Blades would have their worst average attendance since posting a franchise worst record of seven wins, 52 losses, 11 ties and two overtime setbacks in 2003-04.

    A surge at the gates in late regular season games helped the Blades avoid that distinction as they drew an average of 3,911 spectators for their 34 home regular season dates. That was a slight improvement from the average attendance of 3,851 spectators per game the club drew for 36 home dates in 2017-18.

HC Mitch Love and his staff have given great guidance to the players.

    In their five home dates in the 2019 playoffs, the Blades averaged 7,428 spectators per game concluding with the massive 10,521 spectators that came out for Sunday’s game.

    In Saskatoon, the Blades have been rejuvenated.

    Of course, the composition of the Blades roster next season will have a different composition than this past season. The team leadership has to remind fans that every season writes its own story.

    There will be times that factors out of team’s control like injuries can derail a season.

    At the moment, all the excitement with the Blades feels new again. The team brought back its traditional blue and gold Pac-Man look before the start of the 2017-18 campaign believing these good times were around the corner.

The Blades gained new life in a big way in 2018-19.

    Going forward, you can be sure everyone on the Blades staff will do their best to try and make what happened this season become a habit and maybe get the team to hit heights it has never see before.

    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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Déjà vu win for Raiders, business picks up in heated rivalry with Blades

Noah Gregor, centre, celebrates scoring his second goal for the Raiders.

     PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - The Prince Albert Raiders seem to like reruns on Friday nights.

     This rerun, however, had a bit of an extra edge in the nasty department in the Raiders rivalry with the Saskatoon Blades.

    After skating through a scoreless opening period, the Raiders romped to a 6-1 victory over the Blades before a sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre in Game 5 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series.

    With the win, the Raiders take a 3-2 advantage in the series. They will look to close things out in Game 6 on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Exactly a week ago in the same building, the Raiders opened the series thrashing the Blades 6-1 before a sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators.

Noah Gregor (#18) jets down the ice on a short-handed breakaway.

    In both contests, Blades star netminder Nolan Maier was given a mercy pull. In Game 5, he was pulled with 6:06 remaining in the third period after the Raiders scored to go up 6-1.

    He stopped 19 shots fired his way. Associate player call up Koen MacInnes, who turned 17-years-old in January and was playing for the Burnaby Winter Club Prep team, didn’t face any shots in his relief appearance.

    Dorrin Luding, who is the Blades regular backup goalie, was sidelined with an upper body injury like in Games 1 and 2. He dressed for Games 3 and 4 of the series in Saskatoon.

    Unlike Game 1, Game 5 contained a lot more high tension play. It was obvious these teams were meeting for the 13^th time including action in the regular season and playoffs and a healthy dose of dislike was present.

Dante Hannoun had a pair of goals and an assist for the Raiders.

    In the second period, the starting goaltenders of both teams were run into once. Early in the frame, feisty Blades winger Riley McKay knocked down Raiders star netminder Ian Scott.

    Shortly after the 11-minute part of the period, Raiders power forward Parker Kelly ran into Maier.

Both McKay and Kelly received goaltender interference penalties for their respective hits.

    The biggest head raising collision came with 6-1 burned on the scoreboard and 5:08 remaining in the third period.

    At that moment, Raiders physical forward Justin Nachbaur drilled Blades overage offensive defenceman Dawson Davidson hard into the boards in the Saskatoon zone after Davidson had just passed the puck behind his own net. Davidson was helped off the ice and didn’t return to the game.

Brett Leason (#20) had three assists for the Raiders.

    Nachbaur received a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct. The nature of the penalty will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

    Nachbaur has been suspended in the past by the WHL for his rough play on the ice, and that fact might weigh into this situation.

    When the contest finished, you can bet some of the fans on both teams were sharing upset views over social media lines, which might have made those lines toxic to be on for a short time.

    Still the difference in the game was the fact a trio of star players from the Raiders broke out on the scoreboard making up for the absence of star left-winger Cole Fonstad, who was scratched with an undisclosed injury.

The Blades lost defenceman Dawson Davidson due to injury.

    Overage centres Noah Gregor and Dante Hannoun each posted two goals and an assist in the win. Star right-winger Brett Leason had three assists for Prince Albert.

    Gregor had been held pointless in Games 3 and 4 in Saskatoon, and Leason was held pointless in his three previous games. The breakout of that duo, who were Prince Albert’s top two scorers in the regular season, was the biggest factor Game 5 turned into a romp.

    Both had gone through extended periods of being snakebitten in the previous two games of the series.

    Going into Friday’s contest, Maier was coming off two sensational performances for the Blades in their wins in Games 3 and 4 at home turning away 69-of-70 shots sent his way in those outings.

Raiders fans cheer on one of their team’s goals.

    After the Raiders and Blades skated through a scoreless opening frame, you could feel a nervous tension among the Raiders faithful.

    That tension gave way to constant cheering once the second period started.

    Just 2:51 into the second period, Hannoun netted his first of two goals in the game firing home a point shot through a screen on the power play to give the Raiders a 1-0 edge.

    The host’s edge expanded to 2-0 thanks to a spectacular short-handed breakaway goal by Gregor at the 6:01 mark of the frame.

    Just over three minutes later, the Blades appeared to stop the Raiders momentum, when import defenceman Emil Malysjev fired home his first goal of the post-season.

Sean Montgomery scored for the Raiders on Friday.

    The reprieve of Malysjev’s goal lasted 76 seconds, when Gregor got in alone on Maier and tucked home an on-ice tally to put the Raiders up 3-1.

    Import left-winger Aliaksei Protas scored 61 seconds into the third to give the Raiders a 4-1 advantage.

    Hannoun, with his second of the contest, and overage centre Sean Montgomery rounded out the Raiders scoring in the third.

    Scott stopped 26 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders.

    With the victory, the Raiders are on the verge of extending their magical season where they topped the WHL’s overall regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    One more win and the Raiders will advance to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series for the first time since falling to the Brandon Wheat Kings in seven games in 2005.

The Raiders celebrate their win on Friday night.

    The Blades will be trying to keep their breakout season alive that saw them finish fourth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 45-15-8 record and earn honourable mention status in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    No matter what happens in Game 6 on Sunday, the rivalry between the Raiders and Blades has hit new heights that haven’t been seen for some time.

    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’ Davidson still enjoys wins over Pats

Rearguard also holds much respect for former team

Dawson Davidson had three assists for the Blades on Friday night.

    Dawson Davidson doesn’t hold any grudges, but he still enjoys beating his former team.
   On Friday before 3,699 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the overage defenceman picked up assists on the Saskatoon Blades first three goals as they dumped the Regina Pats 6-2. Davidson was a member of the Pats, when they advanced to the WHL championship series in 2017 falling to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

    He was traded by the Pats to the Blades on January 8, 2018 in a blockbuster deal to help the Regina side to load as hosts for last May’s Memorial Cup.

    Davidson said he still has some motivation to show the Pats what they might be missing, but he still respects Regina’s historic major junior franchise.

The Blades celebrate a goal from Kirby Dach (#77)

    “Whenever you play a team that traded you, you have a little bit of extra jump,” said Davidson, who was a plus-one in the plus-minus department in Friday’s win. “I know a couple of guys on that team still.

    “Both their coaches coached me. I had a great time in that organization. There is no love loss, but at the same time, I’m trying to prove my worth.”

    Davidson has appeared in all of the Blades 46 games this season recording eight goals, 38 assists and a plus-12 rating in the plus-minus department. The Moosomin, Sask., product said he had some breaks go his way offensively on Friday noting two of his helpers were secondary assists.

    “I don’t think I was really doing anything different,” said Davidson, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 179 pounds. “I just got a puck to the net one time.

Ryan Hughes scored the Blades second goal on Friday.

    “The other two, Kirby (Dach) and Emil (Malysjev) made some really nice passes. Some nights you get bounces. That is kind of what happened.”

    Blades head coach Mitch Love appreciates the points Davidson is able to put up, but the bench boss has really loved the effort the veteran rearguard has put towards being a better all-around player.

    “The points are there,” said Love. “The one thing he (Davidson) always wants to get better at is the defensive side of the game.

    “He has been very coachable in that regard. If he wants to give himself a good chance to play pro hockey next year as a 21-year-old, he is going to have to learn to play away from the puck. He realizes that, and he understands that and he is continuously getting better at that.”

Pats G Dean McNabb stops Blades LW Gary Haden.

    The Blades jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes scoring goals 20 seconds apart from each other as the midway point of the frame neared. Overage right-winger Max Gerlach netted his 27^th goal of the season, and speedy left-winger Ryan Hughes snipped home a low shot on a breakaway.

    Saskatoon extended its edge to 3-0 at the 4:29 mark of the second, when Dach, who is the team’s star centre, converted a backdoor feed from Malysjev, who is an import defenceman, into an open Regina cage.

Kirby Dach had a goal and an assist for the Blades.

    “Obviously, it was pretty nice,” said Dach, who hit the ice for the first time as a Blades assistant captain on Friday night and had a helper on his team’s second goal. “A guy on their team lost a stick and a glove there.

    “It was a little bit of an advantage for us in the offensive zone. Maly (Malysjev) made a great pass through the seam there to find me backdoor, and I was able to tap it in.”

    Regina battled back near the end of the second cutting the Blades lead to 3-2. Left-winger Cole Dubinsky netted Regina’s first goal, while right-winger Austin Pratt roofed a bad angled shot for the Pats second goal.

    The Blades ensured a Regina rally was not to be.

    Just 76 seconds into the third, energetic right-winger Riley McKay tipped home a point shot from defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus for a power-play goal to give the Blades a 4-2 edge.

    At the 7:41 mark of the third, the Blades struck again on the power play as captain Chase Wouters blasted home his ninth goal of the season to put the hosts up 5-2.

Chase Wouters celebrates scoring for the Blades.

    “When they scored their two goals to make it 3-2, sometimes team tighten up,” said Love. “Maybe the intermission came at the right time.

    “I really liked our shift after goals tonight whether it was them or us. We responded there, and we stayed the course. We did a good job in the third period to kind of stay the course and find more goals than them.”

    With 51.9 seconds to play in the third, 18-year-old left-winger Cyle McNabb scored his first goal as a member of the Blades since being acquired in a trade on Jan. 7 with the Kootenay Ice.

Blades RW Riley McKay fights Pats D Tyson Feist.

    While McNabb was scoring his goal, McKay was mixing things up with Pats defenceman Tyson Feist, and the two broke into a fight. The two sides threw punches for at least a good 30 seconds before the officials stepped in to break things up.

    Nolan Maier made 15 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Blades (27-13-6). Dean McNabb turned away 28 shots to take the setback in goal for the Pats (12-31-2-1)

    The Blades and Pats go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

    While the Pats are going through a major rebuild, Davidson expects Saturday’s encounter will be hotly contested between the two sides.

    “Their fans are always there,” said Davidson. “They support them.

The Blades salute the SaskTel Centre crowd after their win on Friday.

    “They will probably be behind them. They are just a well-coached team. When you have (Dave) Struch as your head coach, you’re going to be a hard-working team.

    “They pushed back. Tonight was a pretty gritty rough game at some points. That fight was pretty unbelievable at the end, and I think that is just a sign of how competitive tomorrow is going to be.”

    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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