Fearless prediction – Blades will make WHL playoffs in 2018-19

The Blades celebrate a goal from their final game in the 2017-18 season.

    Well folks. You heard it here first.

    The Saskatoon Blades will make the WHL playoffs in the 2018-19 campaign. That is my prediction for “the Bridge City Bunch” this season, and I am sticking to it.

    Saskatoon last made the playoffs back in the 2012-13 campaign, when they hosted the Memorial Cup. That marked the final season of the Blades being owned by long-time owner Jack Brodsky.

    In making that prediction, I can already see the jaded followers of the team falling down on the floor in laughter. Actually, I have a gut feeling the Blades might have a playoff spot locked up when March 2019 begins. That notion might potentially cause the jaded fans to die of laughter, so I hope they can control themselves and be alright.

    Due to the fact the Blades are in the midst of their longest playoff drought in team history spanning the last five consecutive seasons, the “I will believe it when I see it” notion has floated around a number of followers of the charter WHL franchise.

Chase Wouters has been named the Blades new captain.

    Edmonton product Mike Priestner bought the Blades from Brodsky before the start of the 2013-14 campaign. The new regime faced a major rebuilding project due to the fact the Blades’ future was mortgaged to stock the team with a roster worthy of hosting the Memorial Cup in 2013 and a major trade that brought star hometown product Brayden Schenn to the club in the 2010-11 campaign.

    The Blades finished first overall in the WHL in 2010-11 with a 56-13-2-1 record, but were swept in the second round of the playoffs by that season’s eventual WHL champions the Kootenay Ice.

    Under Priestner’s ownership, the Blades have slowly improved. In the 2013-14 campaign, the Blades finished with a 16-51-2-3 record for 37 points in the standings, which was an expected drop after hosting the Memorial Cup.

    The club’s record has improved each season since that time.

    For the past two seasons, the Blades were seeing signs that their lengthy rebuild was paying off and that the club had come out of the funk in the aftermath of hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup. Unfortunately, a playoff berth eluded the squad.

    In 2016-17, the Blades posted a 28-35-7-2 record to sit five points behind the Calgary Hitmen (30-32-8-2) for the second and final wildcard berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

Dawson Davidson will serve as a Blades assistant captain.

    The 2017-18 campaign proved to be more heartbreaking. The Blades posted a 35-33-3-1 regular season record to fall three points shy of the Prince Albert Raiders (32-27-9-4) for the second and final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference.

    Saskatoon had the seventh most points in the 12-team Eastern Conference, which meant two clubs with worse records made the post-season under the current league playoff format.

    The Blades were playing out of an East Division, which was viewed as one of the toughest divisions seen at any time in the history of the WHL. Saskatoon still put together an 18-17-2-1 mark playing against East Division foes.

    Internally, the Blades must have felt reasonably confident a post-season berth would happen last season, because management decided to bring back the team’s classic Pac-Man jerseys as the club’s regular look before the start of the campaign. The Blades wore the Pac-Man jerseys during a heyday of stellar campaigns in the 1980s and early 1990s.

    Saskatoon will be guided by rookie 34-year-old head coach Mitch Love this season. Love is viewed as one of the best young coaches in the WHL having spent the previous seven seasons with the Everett Silvertips as an assistant coach.

Max Gerlach has scored 30-or-more goals in three straight campaigns.

    The Silvertips finished third overall in the WHL’s regular season standings in 2017-18 with a 47-20-2-3 mark. They advanced to the WHL Championship series falling to the Swift Current Broncos in six games.

    The Blades two biggest draws will be 17-year-old stars in centre Kirby Dach and goalie Nolan Maier. Dach is being pegged as a prospect that could go early in the first round in next year’s NHL Entry Draft, and Maier aims to build off a sensational rookie campaign that saw him named the Blades team MVP as well as rookie of the year.

    On Thursday, the Blades announced their leadership group, and their picks were great ones. Chase Wouters, who is a standout 18-year-old centre, was named the 59^th captain in Blades team history.

    Wouters appeared in all of the Blades 72 games last season and finished fourth in team scoring with 18 goals and 33 assists, while posting a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department. He was named the scholastic player of the year for the Eastern Conference posting a 90 per cent average in Grade 11 and an 89 per cent average last year in Grade 12.

    Having just returned from the training camp of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, Wouters, who is from Lloydminster, Alta/Sask., had earned the opportunity to be the Blades leader with his efforts on and off the ice.

Josh Paterson had a breakout season for the Blades in 2017-18.

    Overage defenceman Dawson Davidson, overage right-winger Max Gerlach and 19-year-old right-winger Josh Paterson were named assistant captains.

    Davidson and Gerlach know all the ropes of the WHL. Davidson has appeared in 233 career regular season games with the Kamloops Blazers, Regina Pats and Blades displaying an offensive touch on the back end collecting 24 goals and 92 assists over that time.

    The Moosomin, Sask., product had 10 goals and 33 assists in 69 regular season games split between the Pats and Blades in 2017-18.

    Gerlach, who recently returned from the training camp of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, has appeared in 209 career regular season games split between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Blades. Over that time, the Flower Mound, Texas, product has registered 99 goals and 78 assists.

    In each of his three previous WHL seasons, Gerlach has potted 30-or-more goals and collected 35 goals and 35 assists in 65 regular season games split between the Tigers and Blades in 2017-18.

    Paterson has improved steadily in his three campaigns to date with the Blades. The Edmonton, Alta., product had a breakout campaign in 2017-18 for the Blades appearing in all 72 regular season games netting 31 goals and 22 assists, which were both career highs.

Kirby Dach is one of the Blades top players to watch this season.

    Another player to watch will be tough-guy forward Riley McKay. The 19-year-old McKay was acquired by the Blades in an off-season trade with the Spokane Chiefs. Last season, McKay recorded four goals, nine assists and a WHL leading 152 penalty minutes in 62 regular season games.

    Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 192 pounds, the Swan River, Man., product has displayed a good offensive touch coming up through the Manitoba minor hockey system, and he might turn into more of a power forward.

    Overall, the Blades have a solid roster that has been mainly built through the WHL Bantam Draft and supplemented with some sound trades.

    The Blades open the regular season traveling to Swift Current on Friday night to take on the Broncos at 7 p.m. at the Credit Union i-Plex. Those two clubs go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in the Blades home opener.

    The overall hard work everyone in the Blades organization has put in over the past five years is set to show returns in a big way.

Back in the Express with Pilon

Garrett Pilon is embarking on his professional hockey career.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a story on Washington Capitals prospect Garrett Pilon.

    Pilon was a graduate of the Saskatoon minor hockey system, and for the past three seasons, he became a star playing in the WHL for the Kamloops Blazers and Everett Silvertips. In 207 regular season games split between the Blazers and Silvertips, Pilon recorded 69 goals and 123 assists.

    He collected career highs in goals (34) and assists (46) appearing in 69 regular season games split between the Blazers and Silvertips last season.

    Pilon has a signed three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Capitals and is currently playing pre-season games with the defending Stanley Cup champions.

    The story on Pilon 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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Skinner, Sissons give Broncos command of WHL final

Netminder Stuart Skinner made 32 saves in the shutout win for the Broncos.

    Stuart Skinner’s fifth shutout of the WHL playoffs has put the Swift Current Broncos one win away from capturing the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    On Wednesday night at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Wash., Skinner made 32 saves and offensive defenceman Colby Sissons wired home a second period power-play goal to give the Broncos a 1-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips in Game 4 of the WHL Championship series.

    With the win, the Broncos lead the best-of-seven set 3-1 and can close things out in Game 5 on Friday, which is set for a 7:30 p.m. local time start at the Angel of the Winds Arena. Swift Current last won the WHL title in 1993, which happens to be the last time a Saskatchewan-based team took the league championship.

    Skinner has posted a 15-9 record, a 2.21 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts this post-season. The 19-year-old Edmonton product had six shutouts in the 2017-18 regular season in 56 appearances split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Broncos.

    The third round 2017 NHL Entry Draft selection of the Edmonton Oilers was dealt by the Hurricanes to the Broncos in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 9.

    In the opening 20 minutes, the Silvertips outshot the Broncos 8-4, but Swift Current had a big early chance to go ahead when centre Giorgio Estephan deflected a point shot from Sisson off the post of the Everett goal.

    Early in the second period, Broncos left-winger Beck Malenstyn had a short-handed breakaway, but he was stoned by Silvertips star netminder Carter Hart.

Colby Sissons scored the lone goal of Game 4 of the WHL final.

    With 5:25 to play in the second and the Broncos working on the power play, Sissons streaked into the Silvertips zone on a rush and wired home a shot to the top left corner of the Everett net to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead to disappoint most of the 5,081 spectators in attendance.

    From that point, Skinner slammed the door in the Swift Current goal.

    With just under six minutes to play in the third, he stopped Silvertips right-winger Garrett Pilon on a hard mid-range drive and stoned Everett left-winger Connor Dewar, who tried to backhand home the rebound.

    After the Silvertips pulled Hart for an extra attacker, Pilon found himself alone in front of the Swift Current goal with the puck, but his shot was turned back by a left pad stop from Skinner.

Hart turned away 18 shots to take the setback in goal for the Silvertips.

    The Broncos went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Silvertips failed to score on five chances with the man advantage.

    Overage Silvertips star right-winger Patrick Bajkov played in Game 4 after leaving to the dressing room on a couple of occasions in his club’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Broncos in Game 3 on Tuesday.

    The Silvertips, who finished third overall in the WHL regular season with a 47-20-2-3 record, are 8-1 on the road in the playoffs and 5-6 at home. The Broncos, who finished second overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-17-5-2 mark, are 7-5 on the road in the post-season and 8-4 at home.

    If Everett wins Game 5 on Friday, the series will shift back to Swift Current for Games 6 and 7 if necessary, which will be held on Sunday and Monday respectively with a 7 p.m. local start times on both nights at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

Back in the Express with Valkyries’ Peters

Devyn Peters (#31) is a breakout running back for the Valkyries.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a feature on Saskatoon Valkyries running back Devyn Peters.

    Last season, Peters played linebacker on defence for most of her rookie campaign with the Western Women’s Canadian Football League team. In the league’s consolation final clash between the Valkyries and Edmonton Storm, Peters was inserted at running back on offence, and she carried the ball 15 times for 218 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 44-20 Saskatoon victory.

    The 19-year-old sophomore heads into this season as a full-time running back with the Valkyries.

    On Saturday, the Valkyries will host the defending WWCFL champion Regina Riot at 8 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium. The game was originally slated to be held at Saskatoon Minor Football Field but construction at that facility forced the contest to be moved.

    Both teams head into this contest with identical 1-0 regular season records. Last Saturday, the Riot traveled to Winnipeg, Man., and thumped the Manitoba Fearless 56-14. The Valkyries were in Winnipeg last Sunday and blanked the Wolfpack 48-0.

    The Express story on Peters 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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Silvertips slip past Broncos 2-1 in WHL title series opener

The Silvertips celebrate a game winning goal from Connor Dewar, centre.

    SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. - The slimmest of margins made the difference in the opening game of the WHL Championship series.

    With his Everett Silvertips locked in a 1-1 tie with the host Swift Current Broncos, Silvertips left-winger Connor Dewar tipped home a point shot from Czech import defenceman Ondrej Vala at the 1:49 mark of the third period to put the visitors up 2-1. 

    Everett proceeded to shut things down defensively for most of the remainder of the frame to take the opening game of the WHL title series by that one-goal margin before a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators on Friday night at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

    The win marked the first time the Silvertips have earned a victory in the WHL Championship series. They made their only other appearance in the WHL title series during their inaugural campaign and were swept away in the best-of-seven set 4-0 by the Medicine Hat Tigers in May of 2004.

Connor Dewar scored the winning goal for the Silvertips on Friday.

    Following Friday’s tilt, no one on Everett’s side were thinking of any milestones. Dewar just wanted his third period tally could hold up to be the decisive marker.

    “I was just hoping it would hold up and be a winning goal by the end of the game,” said Dewar. “I think it helped us get going.

    “We had a couple of more good shots after that where it didn’t go in. We just tried to minimize their chances by maximizing ours.”

    The Broncos are making their first appearance in the WHL Final since they last won the league title back in 1993. The opening result was a heartbreaker for the host side.

    Veteran 19-year-old netminder Stuart Skinner had a strong outing making 23 saves in the Swift Current goal. He just couldn’t react to the change of direction of the puck on Dewar’s tipped home goal.

Goalie Stuart Skinner makes one of his 23 saves in goal for the Broncos.

    “It was kind of just a bad bounce I think,” said Skinner. “They just shot it, and it was going up pretty high.

    “It was a high tip. If he was closer to the net, it would have been a high stick. I saw it going up, so I tried to get my body in front of it.

    “He tipped it, and it went down. It was kind of a tough one for me.”

    The Broncos hit the ice for Friday’s encounter behind a raucous crowd that often drowned out the building’s public address announcer.
    The Silvertips quieted the host team’s supporters with a power-play goal at the 14:43 mark of the opening frame, when star overage right-winger Patrick Bajkov took the puck at the left side of the Broncos net, skated across the face of the goal and tucked home the puck behind Skinner.

Aleksi Heponiemi scored for the Broncos in the second period.

    The Swift Current faithful got re-energized at the 11:26 mark of the second, when Finnish import left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi tipped home a mid-range shot from centre Matteo Gennaro to tie things up at 1-1. The goal came on the Broncos’ 24^th shot on goal.

    After Everett went ahead 2-1, the Broncos didn’t really have a quality chance to net the equalizer until late in the third. Swift Current forced a turnover in the Silvertips zone, and Gennaro found himself alone in front of the Everett goal. He tried to roof a shot top corner only to be robbed by the glove hand of Silvertips star netminder Carter Hart.

    Hart made 34 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips, who are 8-0 on the road in this year’s post-season. Star right-winger Garrett Pilon had assists on both Everett goals.

    “I thought we did a really good job being in the first game here on the road in this building that is really tough to play in,” said Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams. “We got a great power-play goal to start us off.

The Broncos fans cheer a goal from Aleksi Heponiemi.

    “We came into the second, and I probably thought the ice tilted there in favour of Swift Current. What I was really proud of was our response in the third. We started playing the way we should play.”

    Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros said the tight encounter he expected materialized.

    “Everett did a real good job today here making it real difficult for us to get to their net front area,” said Viveiros. “They defended very well.

    “I thought both teams played very well tonight. I thought the goaltenders were very, very good for both teams. They (the Silvertips) were everything that comes as advertised tonight.

Patrick Bajkov scored the Silvertips first goal on Friday.

    “They are a team that battles real hard for loose pucks, especially in their zone, along the walls and especially in front of their net. We have to do a better job tomorrow as far as getting to the net a lot more and making sure we get our shots through to the net. I was very happy with our effort.”

    Heponiemi thought his Broncos could do a better job of getting pucks to the net.

    “They were blocking shots, and that is part of playoffs,” said Heponiemi. “We just have to play like real quick and just get pucks through.”

    Hart was pleased with how his Silvertips teammates played in front of him.

    “I felt really good in the net,” said Hart. “We did a really good job of limiting their chances to the outside.

    “We did a really good job the whole game of our D-zone coverage. I got a lot of key (shot) blocks during the year. Guys were just laying their bodies on the line to get the blocks.”

Silvertips goalie Carter Hart (#70) holds off the Broncos traffic.

    The 19-year-old, who backstopped Canada to a gold medal victory at the last World Juniors, gave praise to the Broncos fans for the support they showed their team.

    “It is good to see the support that Swift Current is getting here,” said Hart. “It is one of the smaller markets in the CHL, so it is really cool to see all the people come out and support their team and how passionate they are.

    “I think it energizes both teams. It is fun to play in these environments and play in these kind of games. Seeing how many people were here during warmups and how important it is to this city, it is cool.”

The Silvertips celebrate their Game 1 victory over the Broncos.

    Game 2 of the best-of-seven WHL title series is slated for Saturday at 7 p.m. local time at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

    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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Blazers bully Blades

Blades D Jackson Caller, left, fights Blazers LW Jermaine Loewen.

    The Kamloops Blazers made the boards at the SaskTel Centre shake harder than at any point in the current WHL season.

    Just seconds into Saturday’s regular season contest against the host Saskatoon Blades, the Blazers dumped puck into the Saskatoon zone, and Kamloops left-winger Jermaine Loewen, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 221 pounds, hammered a Blades defenceman into the boards behind the Saskatoon goal. Loewen’s thunderous check set the tone for the evening before 4,024 spectators.

    As is the case with any team that is guided by Don Hay as head coach, the Blazers came to assert themselves physically. They finished their checks way harder than any opponent the Blades have likely faced all season.

    The physical play of the high tension Blazers was definitely on the edge, and at times it appeared to be over the edge. There were a few instances where a Blades player got hit a second or two after he passed the puck up ice.

Jermaine Loewen threw high-tension hits for the Blazers.

    When the dust settled, the visiting Blazers hammered out a 4-1 victory.

    Due to seeing the Blazers only once a season, the Blades didn’t seem to know what they were in for and played on their heels for most of the game. There aren’t too many teams in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, which the Blades are part of, who play a hard hitting style like the Blazers do coming out of the Western Conference.

    Saskatoon missed feisty forward Caleb Fantillo, whose agitating type style would have helped counter some of the Blazers play. Fantillo is out six-to-eight weeks with a knee injury.

    Kamloops cranked up the physical play in the first period, and the boards seemed like they were shaking the whole frame. Loewen, whose play was reminiscent of former Vancouver Giants high tension power forward and former Hay charge J.D. Watt, threw a large share of the thunderous checks with a style that was very on the edge.

    At the 11:45 mark of the first period, the 19-year-old Arborg, Man., product hammered Blades overage captain Evan Fiala into the boards drawing the attention of Fiala’s teammate Jackson Caller, who is an 18-year-old defenceman. 

The Blazers and Blades engage in a second period scrum.

    Caller, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 189 pounds, engaged Loewen in a fight, while Fiala slowly left the ice under his own power.

    Caller hung in with Loewen for a little bit, but the larger Blazers forward overpowered the Blades rearguard and worked him pretty good in the bout. Loewen received a charging minor for hitting Fiala and a fighting major, while Caller was given an unsportsmanlike minor penalty and a fighting major.

    With 1:05 to play, Kamloop’s pressure resulted in a goal from 19-year-old right-winger Luc Smith.

Nolan Maier stopped 25-of-28 shots fired his way in goal for the Blades.

    Blades 16-year-old rookie netminder Nolan Maier had a sensational opening 20 minutes robbing Blazers 17-year-old left-winger Brodi Stuart twice on rushes. After the Blazers scored, Maier turned away Blazers Czech import defenceman Ondrej Vala and made a big glove stop on utility player Tylor Ludwar.

    The Blazers switched to a different part of their game in the second. While Hay’s teams traditionally bring the physical game, they can play with speed and skill and get up and down the ice as well.

    At the 1:43 mark of the second, the Blazers buzzed in the Blades zone causing a net scramble situation. The puck popped out to Blazers 17-year-old defenceman Luke Zazula at the left side of the Saskatoon goal, and he popped home his second goal of the season past a fallen Maier to give the visitors a 2-0 edge.

Dylan Ferguson kicks out a shot for the Blazers.

    The Blazers went ahead 3-0 at the 11:53 mark of the second, when captain Nick Chyzowski scored on the power play.

    Kamloops netminder Dylan Ferguson, who saw action in one game with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights this season, was at the top of his game in the second, where the Blades had seven shots but four quality scoring chances.

    With the Blazers holding a 2-0 lead, Ferguson made a stop on a dangerous drive by Blades Czech import defenceman Libor Hajek.

    After the Blazers went ahead 3-0, Ferguson kept the Blades at bay making a glove save on overage star centre Cameron Hebig, denying rookie 16-year-old centre Kirby Dach on a screen shot and turning back star overage left-winger Braylon Shmyr in close before heading into the second intermission.

Libor Hajek had the Blades lone goal on Saturday night.

    The Blazers resumed their physical work in the third. Ludwar nailed Blades 18-year-old right-winger Josh Paterson from behind into the boards in the Saskatoon end, but the hit didn’t result in a penalty.

    Shortly after that collision, Blazers 19-year-old right-winger Quinn Benjafield wiped out Blades Russian import defenceman Mark Rubinchik.

    Saskatoon got life at the 11:21 mark of the third, when Hajek blasted home a mid-range drive to cut the Blazers lead to 3-1.

    The physical play didn’t stop. Blazers 18-year-old defenceman Nolan Kneen nailed Dach with a high hit, and Fiala took down Loewen.

    Fiala was penalized for tripping with 2:06 to play, but the Blades pulled Maier to ice five skaters in order to push for the tie. 

Garrett Pilon, right, celebrates scoring the Blazers fourth goal.

    That allowed Saskatoon product Garrett Pilon to score the rare empty-net, power-play goal for the Blazers with 1:43 to play to round out the final outcome.

    The contest’s tension still seemed high, where the Blazers looked to be going for high hits on three separate occasions but laid off for no contact in the final 1:43.

    Maier turned away 25-of-28 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades (11-16-2-1). Ferguson stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blazers. The Blazers, who opened the campaign with nine straight losses, are now 14-15-0-1.

    The Blades return to action on Sunday for their annual “Teddy Bear Toss” game, when they host their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders (12-11-5-2) at 2 p.m. at that 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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Blazers surge past Raiders

Blazers goalie Connor Ingram turns away the hard charging Raiders.

    PRINCE ALBERT - The Kamloops Blazers played the role of Grinch on the Prince Albert Raiders Teddy Bear Toss night.

    Right-winger Deven Sideroff had two huge goals, which included the game winner early in the third period, and an assist, while captain Matt Needham had four helpers as the Blazers downed the Raiders 5-2 in WHL action on Saturday at the Art Hauser Centre. The two clubs were tied 1-1 after the first period and 2-2 after the second frame before the Blazers surged to victory before a fairly packed house of 2,610 spectators.

    “It wasn’t our best effort obviously,” said Raiders right-winger Reid Gardner. “We never want to lose in front of our home fans here in P.A., especially on a Saturday night.

    “It is our only game against Kamloops this year, and we wanted to give them our best. I don’t think we gave them our best, which is disappointing for our group.”

    Things started well for the Raiders, when overage rearguard Jesse Lees fired home a shot through a screen to give the hosts a 1-0 edge. That goal caused a shower of stuffed animals to be thrown on to the ice surface as part of the Raiders Teddy Bear Toss promotion.

    The Blazers tied things up just over four minutes later as Garrett Pilon netted his eighth of the season.

    The visitors controlled play in the second, but the Raiders jumped back out in front 2-1, when Gardiner sniped his 20^th of the season top corner on Blazers netminder Connor Ingram.

    Kamloops evened the score at 2-2, when Sideroff slid home a bad angle power-play goal that took an odd turn of direction past Raiders netminder Rylan Parenteau. Just 79 seconds into the third, Sideroff scored again on the power play to give the Blazers a 3-2 lead.

Raiders winger Sean Montgomery cleans up after the teddy bear goal.

    “I thought we worked hard,” said Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid. “We just missed that little edge.

    “We hit posts. We hit crossbars. It seemed like we would go right and the puck would go left. It just wasn’t our night.”

    Blazers centre Matt Revel scored during four-on-four action right before the Raiders were about to head to the power play with 5:19 left to play in the third. Collin Shirley scored into an empty net to pick up his 20^th goal of the season to round out the scoring in the contest putting Kamloops up 5-2.

    The Raiders controlled a lot of the play in the third outshooting the Blazers 14-8. The hosts also had four chances on the power play in that stanza, but couldn’t put the puck past Ingram.

Ingram made a number of huge stops in the third, especially from close in, to back the visitors to victory.

    “To have those four power plays and not generate a whole lot was disappointing,” said Gardner. “We have tried to work on our power play the last two or three weeks.

    “I think we just need to watch more video, and put a little more thought into it.”

    Ingram made 28 saves to help the Blazers improve to 14-10-3-1.

    Parenteau turned away 28 of 32 shots to take the loss in goal for the Raiders, who fell to 18-10-2-1.

The Blazers celebrate a Deven Sideroff goal.

    Prince Albert entered Saturday’s action tied for first place in the WHL’s East Division with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Optimism was running high in Prince Albert for the Raiders, who haven’t won a playoff series since 2005 when they advanced to the Eastern Conference championship series. Since that run, the Raiders have posted a winning record only twice and missed the playoffs five times not including when they participated in a standings tiebreaking game in 2009.

    “It is a good league,” said Habscheid. “I think our guys were trying.

    “It is just they didn’t have that jump in their step. We have a day off tomorrow, a good practice on Monday and be ready for Tuesday.

    “It is a long year. You get games like that. Some games, you have that jump and you are always on the right side of the puck, and tonight we weren’t.”

    The Raiders host the resurgent Lethbridge Hurricanes on Tuesday. The Blazers travel to Regina on Tuesday to take on the Pats.

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

Shirley sizzles in homecoming

Collin Shirley was on fire for the Blazers on Friday night.

    Collin Shirley ensured a rare and possibly last WHL visit to his hometown was a memorable one.

    The 19-year-old forward had a pair goals, which included a beauty on a breakaway, and an assist to power his Kamloops Blazers to a 6-2 romp over the host Saskatoon Blades at the SaskTel Centre on Friday night. Besides the strong offensive night, Shirley was also a plus-four in the plus-minus department.

    “Your time in the Western League goes pretty quick,” said Shirley. “It is crazy to think that this might be the last time to see all my friends and family here in the SaskTel Centre.

    “It was a special night I think. Lots of friends and family came out to support (me), which was awesome. I really appreciate what they have done for me.”

    As the Blazers play out of the WHL’s Western Conference, they only play in Saskatoon once every second season. That means Shirley won’t play again in “the Bridge City” unless he is traded out of Kamloops, which is unlikely, or the Blazers and Blades have a surprise meeting in the WHL championship series.

    Way back in 2011, Shirley was a first round WHL Bantam Draft selection of the Kootenay Ice, and he was dealt to the Blazers early in his 17-year-old season. He has really found his stride this season posting 19 goals, 17 assists and a plus-10 rating in the plus-minus department in 27 games.

    Shirley also played for the WHL team in the Canadian Hockey League Canada Russia Series in November and collected a goal and four assists in two games.

    “I had a better start this year than last,” said Shirley, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 197 pounds. “Jumping off to a big start was huge.

    “Me and Gage Quinney and Matt Revel are kind of clicking. It is something we didn’t really have before. It has been good so far, so hopefully we can keep that up.”

    Shirley set up Quinney for the Blazers first goal at the 14:59 mark of the first period, which tied the contest up at 1-1. Cameron Hebig gave the Blades a short lived 1-0 lead scoring just past the midway point of the opening frame.

    Early in the second period, Shirley scored on breakaway potting a goal short side on Blades goaltender Brock Hamm to give the visitors a 2-1 edge. That sparked the Blazers on a roll that saw them take a 5-1 edge into the second intermission.

    “I just kind of got lucky there,” said Shirley about his breakaway goal. “There was a blocked shot off a faceoff that kind of sent me on my way.

    “I play with Brock (Hamm) during the summer a lot. We are good buddies. I got him on the short side there, which was nice.”

    Blazers head coach Don Hay said Shirley put together a strong compete level in his game about this time last year. The veteran bench boss added that Shirley’s confidence also grew from having a great showing in the CHL Canada Russia Series.

Collin Shirley checks out on ice action after a shift.

    Hay was pleased with how all his Saskatchewan players performed on Friday night, and he believed the outing had a little extra significance for Shirley.

    “I think Shirley being 19 it was special,” said Hay. “It could be the last time that he plays in this building.

    “It is always special to come home and play well.”

    Saskatoon product Garrett Pilon and Nick Chyzowski added singles for the Blazers in the second, while Shirley picked up his second marker of the contest.

    Hamm was pulled after the second period ended having stopped 20 of 25 shots fired his way.

Associate player Dorrin Luding started the third period for the Blades and gave up a goal on the first shot he faced on a soft floater from Kamloops defenceman Ondrej Vala. Luding settled down turning away 10 of 11 shots sent his way.

    Mason McCarty rounded out the game’s scoring potting his sixth of the season for the Blades with 24.3 seconds to play in the third. Saskatoon lost its fifth in a row falling to 10-16-3.

    Imperial, Sask., product Connor Ingram made 33 stops to earn the win in goal for the Blazers (13-10-3-1).

    While the offensive side of Shirley’s game had hit another gear, he is even more proud of his work in the defensive zone.

    “For a long time, we talked about my play without the puck,” said Shirley. “I have always been a minus player in the league since I was 16 until last year.

    “This year I am kind of hoping to be in that plus (side of things) and be better defensively. The offence is there, but I need a full game.”

    Shirley had a large contingent of family and friends in the crowd of 3,797 on Friday night. There were two noticeable absences as his younger sisters Grace and Sophie were playing at the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament being held in Wilcox, Sask., and Milestone, Sask.

    Grace is a 14-year-old rookie forward on the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team, who has 11 goals and six assists in 16 regular season games. Sophie is a 16-year-old rookie with the Notre Dame Hounds squad that plays in the Junior Women’s Hockey League, and she has piled up 10 goals and 13 assists in 16 regular season games. 

Collin Shirley's breakaway goal celebration is shown on the video screen.

    On Monday, Sophie was named as a member of Canada’s team that will play at the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation’s under-18 women’s world championships, which run Jan. 8-15 in St. Catharines, Ont.

    Collin is proud of both of his sisters, and was pumped that Sophie will get the chance to play on the international stage.

    “We give her (Sophie) a lot of credit,” said Collin. “She is a great player.

    “I used to teach her all that stuff on the backyard rink. I am just kidding. She is doing really well, and I am happy for her.”

    The Blazers head to Prince Albert on Saturday to take on the Raiders. The Blades host the Regina Pats on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

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