Blades’ Maier robs Pats

Blades G Nolan Maier, right, stops Pats C Matthew Bradley.

    Nolan Maier made enough saves to fill sports highlight reels for a week.

    On Sunday at the Credit Union Centre, the rookie netminder, who turned 17-year-olds in early January, stole the show helping the Saskatoon Blades post a 2-1 WHL regular season victory over the Regina Pats after a tiebreaking shootout before 3,647 spectators. Maier turned away 38 shots through regulation and overtime, and it seem most of the chances against him were high quality ones.

    The Yorkton, Sask., product stopped five of the seven shooters in the tiebreaking shootout, which the Blades claimed 3-2 after seven rounds.

Nolan Maier deflects a shot away from the Blades net.

    In what has been a sensational rookie campaign, Maier said he didn’t know where Sunday’s performance would rank with the other games he has played. He admitted he does get a little extra motivation when he hears how much his team’s fans get up for games against the Pats.

    “All I know is that I really love playing Regina just the intensity that it brings and the crowds that it gets,” said Maier. “It is just really good for our organization, when we come out on top against them.

    “Whenever we play a better team, I obviously want to get in there and show what I can do.”

    Maier didn’t have any problem showing what he could do in Sunday’s win. After centre Logan Christensen scored on a power play in the first period to give the Blades a 1-0 lead, momentum seemed to be firmly entrenched on the side of the Pats through the second, third and overtime periods.

Nolan Maier makes a glove stop for the Blades.

    In the second period, Maier denied Pats 16-year-old centre Logan Nijhoff in close, turned away superstar centre Sam Steel a short-handed chance and made a pad stop on Pats star centre Jake Leschyshyn on a short-handed breakaway.

    The Pats finally broke through on the scoreboard at the 3:25 mark of the third, when centre Matthew Bradley wired a point shot through a screen to the top left corner of the Blades goal to force a 1-1 tie. Bradley’s tally wasn’t able to spark an offensive surge for the visitors.

    Despite how the game was playing out on the ice with the Pats controlling play after the first period, Blades right-winger Michael Farren said his side never got discouraged.

Blades G Nolan Maier, left, keeps Pats RW Bryce Platt at bay.

    “All our guys kept focused,” said Farren. “We took some unlucky bounces in the second and third.

    “We got the win. We squeezed it out. That is what we do. We have to keep going.

    “We always have a positive mindset on the bench.”

    A short time later, Maier made a big glove stop on Pats overage right-winger Cameron Hebig to resume the work of miraculous stops.

    The netminder’s best work came in overtime after Pats 17-year-old rookie netminder Max Paddock turned away Blades defenceman Dawson Davidson on a breakaway early in the frame.

    Following the stop on Davidson, the Pats quickly transitioned up ice resulting in a breakaway by Steel, but last season’s WHL MVP was denied by Maier’s glove hand.

Logan Christensen, left, celebrates scoring for the Blades.

    Maier proceeded to turn away Hebig twice. One was a kick stop when Hebig tried to cut across alone in front of the Blades goals to score, and the second rejection came when Maier lunged across the crease for a kick save to rob Hebig on a backdoor chance.

    Shortly before overtime ended, Maier turned away Steel again with a right shoulder stop.

    “I think it was a little different,” said Maier of the overtime period. “Other games that I have been in OT I feel like I haven’t had as many shots as I did this time.

    “I just try to approach it the same. I just really strive for these kind of games. I really have fun in it.”

    In the tiebreaking shootout, Braylon Shmyr and Chase Wouters scored for the Blades, while Hebig and Jesse Gabrielle replied for the Pats through the first six rounds.
    Right-winger Michael Farren scored the winner for the Blades roofing home a shot to the top right corner of the Pats goal that dislodged the water bottle on top of the net.

Pats captain Sam Steel was held pointless on Sunday.

    Defenceman Josh Mahara was forced to shoot wide by Maier on the Pats shooting opportunity in the seventh round to deliver the overall win to the Blades in the contest.

    Blades head coach Dean Brockman said he was impressed with how Maier always seems to play at an elite level. The bench boss said he remembered Maier’s first regular season start back on Oct. 7, 2017, when the Blades were shelled 7-3 in Regina by the Pats. Maier made 34 saves that night but wasn’t disheartened by how the contest played out.

    “He (Maier) gives us a chance to win every night,” said Brockman, whose team has won five of seven head-to-head meetings with the Pats. “He is a really special kid.

Michael Farren scores the shootout winner for the Blades.

    “He is dialed in, and he has kind of got their number a little bit. Ever since the first game he played there and he didn’t do so well, I just remember talking with him. He didn’t lose any of his confidence, and I’m just really proud of him with the way he played.”

    Paddock turned away 28 shots fired his way through 65 minutes and four of seven shooters in the tiebreaking shootout playing goal for the Pats. Regina was without regular starting netminder Ryan Kubic due to illness. Jacob Wasserman, who plays junior A in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for the Humboldt Broncos, dressed as the Pats backup goalie.

Blades mascot Poke Check, right, salutes goalie Nolan Maier.

    The Blades improved to 28-26-2-1 with the win to hold the second wildcard berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a four point lead on the Prince Albert Raiders (22-23-9-2). The Raiders have a game in hand on the Blades.

    The Pats record moved to 29-23-5-1 and they hold the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with a five point lead on Saskatoon. The Blades have a game in hand on the Pats.

    The Blades now head out on a four-game road trip, which starts Wednesday in Cranbrook, B.C., against the Kootenay Ice.

    Brockman said he wants his team to hit another gear to push to collect wins on the road. He said he wants his team to score more goals, be better on the power play and clean up a lot of other little areas.

    “The whole thing is you strive for perfection,” said Brockman. “Until you get there, you are still always going to work on things.”

Greschner’s team goals record broken in Stars victory

Mackenna Parker had a hat trick on Sunday for the Stars.

    Sara Greschner’s Saskatoon Stars team record for most goals scored in one regular season was broken twice on Sunday.

    Back in 2010-11, Greschner scored 28 goals in 28 regular season games to set the record for most goals in one regular season by a member of the Stars female midget AAA hockey team. In the Stars 8-3 victory over the Regina Rebels on Sunday at the Agriplace Arena, both Grace Shirley and captain Mackenna Parker eclipsed Greschner’s standard.

    Shirley was the first to vault past Greschner scoring her 29^th goal of the season at the 1:47 mark of the second period.

    Parker recorded a hat trick in the win scoring once in the first period and twice in the second period to sit with 30 goals on the campaign. The skilled centre leads the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League in scoring with 30 goals and 27 assists for 57 points in 21 appearances.

    She is closing in on the Stars team record for most points scored in one regular season set by Emily Clark in the 2011-12 campaign. Clark, who is playing for Canada’s women’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics that are underway in PyeongChang, South Korea, had 26 goals and 34 assists for 60 points in her record setting season with the Stars.

    Kaitlin Jockims, Makena Kushniruk, Calli Arnold and Jordyn Holmes all had singles for the Stars. 

Grace Shirley scored her 29th goal of the season for the Stars on Sunday.

    Standout winger Anna Leschyshyn had three assists for Saskatoon to become the third players in the history of the Stars to record 50-or-more points in one regular season after Clark and Parker.

    Leschyshyn sits second in SFMAAAHL scoring with 22 goals and 29 assists for 51 points appearing in all of the Stars 26 regular season games.

    Ally Kosteniuk, Miranda Hatt and Lauren Focht all netted singles for the Rebels.

    Arden Kliewer made 26 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Chantel Weller turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels.

    With the win, the Stars improve to 22-3-1 to sit first overall in the SFMAAAHL with a four-point edge in the standings over the defending league champion Prince Albert Northern Bears, who are 20-5-1.

Anna Leschyshyn has recorded 51 points this season for the Stars.

    In the SFMAAAHL, three points are awarded in the standings for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra time setbacks.

    The Stars have 64 points in the standings coming off 19 regulation wins, three extra time wins and one extra time setback. The Bears have 60 points in the standings coming off 19 regulation wins, one extra time win and one extra time setback.

    Both the Stars and Bears have two games remaining on their respective regular season schedules, and the Stars need to earn three more points in the standings to clinch first place for a fourth straight year.

    The Rebels fell to 16-8-3 with the loss.

    The Stars return to action this coming Saturday, when they host the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats at 7:45 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena.

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

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Blades make a habit of beating Pats, head to WHL Christmas break on a high

The Blades celebrate a power-play goal from Josh Paterson.

    Saskatoon Blades seem to relish playing the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats this season.

    On Sunday night at the SaskTel Centre, the two squads met for the fourth time in the current campaign, and the Blades skated away with a 3-2 victory before 3,534 spectators. Saskatoon has won three of the four head-to-head matches between the two sides, which includes earning a 4-3 overtime victory over the Pats in Regina on Friday. Last season, the Pats claimed five out of the six encounters between the two clubs.

    Blades head coach Dean Brockman was pleased his team put in an inspired effort on Sunday before heading off on a Christmas Break. The Blades dropped a 5-0 decision to the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday at the SaskTel Centre, and Brockman didn’t want game to be the last thing on the mind of his players as they head home.

    “You want to win your last game before you go home for Christmas,” said Brockman, whose team has won four of their last five contests. “We just didn’t really want to focus on last night.

Blades goalie Nolan Maier passes the puck to a teammate.

    “I think everybody knew what happened in the room. Guys really came through for us. When we look back at the last five games, we talked about trying to get on a roll and feel good about ourselves.

    “Guys are going to talk to their own friends, and you want to talk to them about being on a roll and how good the team is doing instead of trying to avoid them and telling them that you are losing.”

    At first, the Pats, who are feeling heat from back home for not playing better as a Memorial Cup host squad, got out of the gate quickly holding a 6-3 edge in shots on goal early. Blades 16-year-old rookie netminder Nolan Maier continued his hot play ensuring the visitors didn’t get on the scoreboard during that stretch.

Pats C Jake Leschyshyn battles Blades LW Brad Goethals.

    Maier set the tone early on making a robbery style glove save on Pats overage left-winger and Saskatoon area product Wyatt Sloboshan. The netminder anticipated making the save remembering how Sloboshan beat him for a goal on Friday night in Regina.

    “I saw Wyatt Sloboshan backdoor,” said Maier. “I remember on Friday night on the first shot of his it squeaked through me, and I wanted revenge on that one.

    “Luckily, I made the save and kind of stayed my ground at the end, but it felt really good.”

    After that stop, the game’s momentum changed. At the 11:08 mark of the first, Blades overage left-winger Braylon Shmyr slipped a backhand shot past Pats overage goaltender Tyler Brown for a power-play marker to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

The Pats react to a Blades goal.

    With 24.9 seconds to play in the opening frame, the Blades went ahead 2-0, when 17-year-old sophomore centre Chase Wouters slipped home a shot from the left side boards through a screen.

    The Pats cut the Blades lead to 2-1 at the 4:53 mark of the second when overage centre Matthew Bradley roofed a power-play goal past Maier.

    Before the second intermission rolled around, the Blades restored their two-goal edge. Working on another power play, Blades 16-year-old right-winger Kirby Dach found linemate Josh Paterson with a pass alone in front of the Regina goal. Paterson’s first shot was stopped, but he cashed in his rebound to give the Blades a 3-1 edge.

Braylon Shmyr had a goal and two assists for the Blades.

    With 5:20 to play in the third, Pats centre Jake Leschyshyn scored a gritty goal for his 10^th marker of the season to cut the Blades lead to 3-2, but that was as close as the visitors would get.

    Maier made 27 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Brown turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Pats.

    Following the game, Maier said he enjoyed beat veteran goalies like Brown, who backstopped the Pats to a berth in the WHL Championship series last season.

    “That is my goal all year,” said Maier. “I love that. I love doing it, and I’m really excited. Hopefully, I get to do some more.”

    The Yorkton, Sask., product has won his last four straight starts in goal for the Blades turning away 119 of 129 shots for a .922 save percentage over that stretch.

    “I think the biggest thing is my confidence is up,” said Maier. “I probably talk about that every interview I do, but I think that is the biggest part of it and staying calm.

    “I know I can play at this level, and I think it is showing.”

Matthew Bradley had a goal for the Pats.

    The Blades used a pair of midget AAA call ups at forward in their past two games in Kyle Crnkovic and Ethan Mack, who both played their first two respective WHL regular season games. Crnkovic, who is 15-years-old, was selected in the first round and 10^th overall by the Blades in the WHL Bantam Draft held last May, and he plays for the Northern Alberta Xtreme Midget Prep team based in Edmonton, Alta.

    Mack, who is 16-year-olds, was selected by the Blades in the eighth round and 157^th overall in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, and he plays for the Edmonton SSAC Boston Pizza Athletics.

Crnkovic enjoyed getting his first taste of regular season play in the WHL.

    “It has been a great experience,” said Crnkovic. “The guys have treated me really well.

    “They just said play your game and be yourself and try not to over complicate it. I just tried to do whatever I could to help the team win.”

    With the win, the Blades improve to 15-17-2-1 to move into a tie with the Prince Albert Raiders (13-14-5-2) for the second wildcard berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 33 points in the standings. The Raiders have a game in hand.

    The Pats, who have an overtime loss and three regulation losses in their last four games, fall to 16-17-3 to hold the first wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference two points ahead of both the Blades and Raiders. The Blades and Raiders have one and two games respectively in hand on the Pats.

Josh Paterson (#61) netted the winning goal for the Blades.

    Due to the fact the Pats are sitting in a position where they are close to being on the outside of the WHL playoff picture, the criticism the team will face in Regina will likely heighten due to the fact the “Queen City” hosts the 100^th Memorial Cup this coming May.

    The Pats embark on their Christmas break and return to action on Dec. 27, when they travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings (24-8-0-1).

    The Blades head out on their Christmas break and are set to return to action on Dec. 27, when they host the Raiders at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Brockman said he wants his players to enjoy the time off.

The Blades celebrate their win over the Pats.

    “I don’t want to send them any message that they have to think about hockey,” said Brockman. “Mentally, it is tough.

    “You want to just make sure you’re responsible, behaved and do the right things and enjoy family. I’ll talk to them about hockey when they come back.”

    Maier said he plans to return to Yorkton to indulge in family time.

    “I’m most looking forward to seeing my family and relatives,” said Maier. “I haven’t been able to see them in a while, so it is going to be good to catch up with them.”

    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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“Man of Steel” will make admirable Pats captain

Soft-spoken centre leads Regina in Memorial Cup season

Sam Steel was named the Pats captain for the 2017-18 season.

    Sam Steel’s actions always speak louder than his words.

    When you watch the Regina Pats superstar centre on the ice, his special talents for the game of hockey are obvious. If you try to get him to talk about himself during a scrum or an interview session, his modesty is a great as his actions on the ice.

    Steel plays with a great passion on the ice, and he is a great supporter of his teammates. When it comes to talking, Steel is very soft spoken, because that is just who he is.

    His interview skills have improved as his WHL career has gone on, but it is truthful to say most of the other members of the Pats are likely better in the talking department. While Steel is quiet, he exudes a vibe of being a great guy and a very well-mannered person, and that is noticed among media members in Regina and elsewhere on the WHL circuit.

    It is safe to say media members enjoy reporting on Steel’s exploits, and you want to see him succeed. You find a way to work with the fact he is soft-spoken.

    It is almost common to blurt out after a Pats win with both excitement and dread something along the lines, “Sam Steel scored four tonight!”

    The excitement come from seeing a great guy do something special. The dread comes from the fact you are trying your best to phrase questions to encourage him to talk.

Sam Steel controls the puck in the offensive zone.

    You also don’t want to give the impression to Steel that he might be a bad interview subject for fear of hurting his feelings, because he is a nice guy. You realize that is who he is.

    During a press conference in Regina on Wednesday, the Pats named the 19-year-old Steel as captain for the 2017-18 campaign, where the franchise will celebrate its 100^th anniversary and host the 100^th Memorial Cup running from May 18 to 27, 2018. Steel had been an assistant captain the previous two seasons.

    For Steel to succeed as a captain, he just has to be who he is and try not to be someone he is not.

    At times, it seems there is a public perception that the captain of the team has to be the fiery guy that always raises the roof in the dressing room.
    Barret Jackman, who was the Pats captain when the franchise hosted the Memorial Cup in 2001, was the heart on the sleeve fiery guy that could put up points, penalty minutes and was always game to say something in the dressing room. That also isn’t the only way to lead.

    Steel is one of the ultimate examples of the lead-by-example type player. He is the Pats most talented player, and he is the team’s hardest worker. Over three seasons, he has built a reputation of being able to lift the club with an outstanding play at a critical time.

    Just being who he is, Steel inspires others to be better.

    When the Medicine Hat Tigers won the WHL title in 2007 and ultimately lost the Memorial Cup title game to the host Vancouver Giants 3-1, Kris Russell led the Tigers as a lead-by-example captain. He made the game look easy as an offensive defenceman, who was also sound defensively.

Sam Steel looks to set up one of his teammates in the offensive zone.

    As a 19-year-old in the Tigers 2007 WHL championship campaign, Russell piled up 32 goals, 37 assists and was a plus-14 in the plus-minus department in 59 regular season games, and he was named that season’s WHL player of the year, the WHL’s Defenceman of the Year and the CHL’s Defenceman of the Year award winner.
    Russell was never a vocal shouter, but he calmly said things when they needed to be said and talked more one-on-one with teammates. He took a genuine interest in the personal lives of his teammates and was very positive and encouraging with them.

    If the Tigers were running away with a blowout win on the scoreboard, Russell turned away chances to boost his statistics and often told coaches to give more ice time to younger guys, who always seemed to be working hard in practice.

    When younger guys at the WHL level see an older player do these types of things, they become motivated to go to the rink every day, and they try that much harder because someone is investing in them.

    Now that Steel is the captain of the Pats, it would be a safe educated guess to predict his leadership style with the Pats will mirror what Russell did with the Tigers. 

    Last season, Steel was named the WHL’s most valuable player and he led the entire Canadian Hockey League in scoring with 50 goals and 81 assists in 66 regular season games. He has been inspiring his teammates with his actions for some time now including last season’s run to the WHL Championship series.

Pats centre Sam Steel circles around the net in the offensive zone.

    Steel will have great help in the leadership department as well. The Pats named 18-year-old centre Jake Leschyshyn, 19-year-old defenceman Josh Mahura and overage centre Matthew Bradley as assistant captains. All three are quality persons.

    Both Steel and Mahura have signed NHL entry-level contracts with the Anaheim Ducks and will be attending Ducks training camp. The fact the Pats named Steel captain and Mahura an assistant captain likely mean both will play in the WHL this season.

    Due to being drafted out of the major junior ranks, Steel, who was a first round selection, and Mahura have to play in the WHL, if they don’t make the NHL club as 19-year-olds. They could still stick in the NHL, but with them being named to the Pats leadership, the odds are way greater they will be playing in the major junior ranks.

    The Pats made a good choice in naming Steel captain. If the past is any indication, he will continue deliver with passion in big moments and continue to speak softly while doing it.

de Wit hat trick powers Pats past Blades

Jeff de Wit in action last season for the Pats.

    Jeff de Wit’s hat trick helped push the Regina Pats past the Saskatoon Blades 5-3 in an exhibition tilt on Thursday night at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

    The 19-year-old centre’s third marker at the 9:37 mark of the third period gave the Pats a 4-2 lead and ultimately held up as the game winner. Rookie 17-year-old Russian import Igor Zamula and 16-year-old centre Tristen Robins potted singles for Regina.

    Overage centre Cameron Hebig, 18-year-old defenceman Jackson Caller and centre Gage Ramsay, who turns 19 in October, replied with singles for the Blades.

    Nolan Maier, who is a 16-year-old from Yorkton, went the distance in goal for Saskatoon making 36 saves.

    Max Paddock, who is a 17-year-old from Brandon, Man., started in goal for the Pats turning away 22-of-23 shots fired his way. Kurtis Chapman, who is a 19-year-old from Airdrie, Alta., entered the contest at the 9:46 mark of the second period and stopped 12-of-14 shots sent in his direction. Paddock is the nephew of Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock.

    Thursday’s game was the first pre-season contest for both the Pats and Blades. The Pats return to action on Saturday, when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre. The Blades will stay in Regina and face the Swift Current Broncos on Friday at 3 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

“Willo” nears 100-point plateau for Huskies

Kaitlin Willoughby, front centre, might celebrate some milestones.

    With university classes set to begin next week, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey teams have started skating at the Rutherford Rink, and women’s team star forward Kaitlin Willoughby begins the campaign nearing a few career milestones.

    The 22-year-old Prince Albert product has piled up 41 goals and 51 assists in 106 regular season games, and her total of 92 points ranks fifth all-time on the Huskies career list one behind the 93 compiled by Julie Paetsch, who played from 2009 to 2012. Besides being on the verge of passing Paetsch, Willoughby is set to become the fourth player in the history of the Huskies women’s team to record 100 career points.

    Cara (Wooster) Muench, who played from 2010-13, sits third on the Huskies all-time career scoring list with 100 points, Danny Stone, who played from 2008 to 2013, is second with 106 points and Breanne George, who played from 2007-12, tops the list with 149 points.

    Willoughby is third on the career goals list with 41 sitting behind Stone’s 57 goals and George’s 86 goals. On the career assists list, Willoughby sits fifth behind Paetsch’s 60, George’s 63, Muench’s 64 and the 66 helpers complied by Julia Flinton, who played from 2011-16.

    The Huskies women’s team opens their regular season on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink against the University of Regina Cougars. The two squads meet again on Oct. 7 in Regina at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre.

    The Huskies men’s team opens their regular season on Oct. 6 traveling to Regina to face the U of Regina Cougars at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre. The two squads meet again on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

Tuer memorial service set for Tuesday

    The memorial service for long time hockey builder Graham Tuer is set for Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Queensbury Convention Centre in Regina.

    Tuer died at the age of 87 in a Regina hospital on Aug. 29. He entered hospital after suffering two heart attacks.

    Tuer was born in North Battleford on May 23, 1930 and spent more than 50 years in and around arenas in Western Canada in various roles with various teams, leagues and organizations. He had been with the Pats as a scout and their liaison with Hockey Regina since 2015, and served with the team earlier in his hockey travels.

    Besides the Pats, Tuer had roles in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, the Moose Jaw Warriors, the Kelowna Rockets and NHL Central Scouting. He had a huge positive impact on many people in the sport.

    He will be missed by countless numbers of people, and a lot of fond memories will likely be shared at his memorial service.

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

Tigers break Blades' hearts

David Quenneville, right, celebrates his empty-net goal with his teammates.

    Brock Hamm returned to his early season form, but it wasn’t enough to help his Saskatoon Blades.

    The 18-year-old netminder, who has faced a lot of struggles for about the last month and a half, was flat out spectacular turning away 50 of 52 shots on Friday night before 5,073 appreciative spectators at the SaskTel Centre. Unfortunately for Hamm, the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers skated away with a 3-1 victory, which included an empty-net goal.

    Hamm had a number of strong outings helping the Blades jump out to a 7-4-3 start, but he and his team have struggled since falling from the top eight of the WHL’s Eastern Conference and out of a playoff spot.

    Against the Tigers on Friday, it appeared Hamm might steal the game. Early in the first period, he robbed Tigers left-winger Ryan Jevne on a breakaway making a sprawling stop with his left pad, which set the tone for what was to come that night.

    Just past the midway point of the opening frame, the Blades proceeded to jump ahead 1-0 on a power-play goal from speedy centre Cameron Hebig, who redirected a nice set-up pass coming across the face of the Tigers goal from linemate Connor Gay. The marker was Hebig’s 20^th goal of the season.

Brock Hamm stopped 50 of 52 shots taking the loss in goal for the Blades.

    Shortly after that tally, Hamm had to come up with a huge short-handed breakaway stop on Tigers centre Chad Butcher. Medicine Hat held a 17-12 shots on goal advantage after the opening 20 minutes.

    The second period was a high-tempo frame that resulted in both squads having quality scoring chances, where the Blades had a 14-12 edge in shots on goal. Hamm continued turn aside waves of Tigers chances, while Medicine Hat netminder Mack Shields kept the Blades at bay.

    Medicine Hat dominated the third with a big push and finally broke through on the scoreboard at the 12:28 mark of the frame while working on a two-man advantage. Butcher, who was on the point, fed a perfect pass to rearguard David Quenneville near the top of the left faceoff circle, and he wired a blast past Hamm to tie things up at 1-1. The goal game on the Tigers 42^nd shot of the contest.

Matthew Bradley picked up the winning goal for the Tigers.

    About three minutes later, Tigers winger Matthew Bradley fired home a shot low stick side on Hamm to put the visitors up 2-1. That tally came on Medicine Hat’s 47^th shot of the contest. Quenneville sealed with win with an empty-net goal with 23.2 seconds to play. Shields made 34 stops to earn the victory in goal for the Tigers.
    Medicine Hat improved to 15-21-3-1 to sit four points back of the idle Edmonton Oil Kings (17-20-4) for eighth overall in the Eastern Conference. Edmonton holds the conference’s final playoff spot. Saskatoon falls to 15-22-3 to remain five points behind the Oil Kings.

    The Tigers return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Prince Albert to face the Raiders (23-14-3-1).

    The Blades head to Moose Jaw on Saturday to take on the Warriors (20-15-4-1). Over the next five weeks, the Blades will play just four times at home, which increases the difficulty they face in attempting to move up the standings into a playoff spot. In total, Saskatoon plays 12 of its next 16 games on the road.
    The next home game for "The Bridge City" bunch is Jan. 23, when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings at 7 p.m. local time at the SaskTel Centre.

Sanford out after trade request

Cole Sanford (#26) in action for the Tigers on Dec. 27, 2015.

    The Tigers were without star overage right-winger Cole Sanford on Friday night, who requested a trade prior to the game.

    Sanford, who was the team’s captain, has 21 goals and 17 assists in 33 games this season. The Vernon, B.C., product had a career year last season piling up 50 goals and 45 assists in 72 games. During his WHL career, Sanford, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 165 pounds, has 106 goals and 111 assists in 230 regular season games.
    Sanford last dressed for the Tigers on Tuesday, when they dropped a 4-2 decision to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors at the Canalta Centre in Medicine Hat.

    With Sanford out of the lineup, the Tigers named overage defenceman Ty Stanton as their new captain.

    Sanford has spent his entire WHL career with the Tigers having been selected in the sixth round and 117^th overall in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. The WHL’s trade deadline is set for 12 p.m. Mountain Time on Sunday.

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