Blades vault to top of WHL’s East Division with win over Pats

Rowan Calvert scored his 23rd goal of the season on Tuesday.

For one night at least, the Saskatoon Blades are back on top of the WHL’s East Division.

On Tuesday night, the Blades downed the Pats in Regina 6-3 in a WHL regular season contest before a crowd of 2,380 spectators at the Brandt Centre. That win to start a three-game road trip allowed the Blades to improve to 34-21-3-4 and jump back into first place in the East Division.

The Blades, who has won their last three straight, sit one standings point ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders (34-22-5-1) and two standings points in front of the Brandon Wheat Kings (33-22-4-3). Both the Raiders and Wheat Kings were idle on Tuesday night. All three of those squads have six games remaining on their respective regular season schedules, so it is a sprint to capture the East Division banner.

Last season, the Blades finished with a 50-13-2-3 mark to top the WHL’s overall standings. In the post-season, the Blades advanced to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series and fell in an epic seven-game set that saw six contests go to overtime to the eventual WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors.

Going into the current campaign, the Blades weren’t expected to challenge for first in the division. They occupied first place for most of the first half of the regular season.

Leading up the WHL’s trade deadline on January 9, the Blades unloaded stars Brandon Lisowsky, Tanner Molendyk and Ben Riche to stock up on draft capital and add solid younger players. The Blades dealt a lot of high draft selections during a load up last season.

After the trades leading up to this season’s trade deadline, the Blades held first in the East Division for a large part of January before falling out of top spot before the end of the month. They were not expected to crawl back into first in the division, but they did just that on Tuesday.

Before departing on their current road trip, Blades head coach Dan DaSilva said his squad had been hearing the doubters.

“That has been motivation for us all year long,” said DaSilva. “With the guys we had before and the guys we have now, it has still been the same.

Evan Gardner picked up his 20th win of the season on Tuesday.

“We try and focus on getting better every single day and proving people wrong. We’re motivated by the naysayers, the haters and the non-believers, because we have a lot of belief in this group and that room, and they have it too. It would be special.”

Against the Pats on Tuesday, the Blades exploded out to a 3-0 inside the final 5:15 of the opening frame. The Blades got goal coming off the sticks of breakout rookie centre Cooper Williams, who turned 17-year-olds in February, 17-year-old rookie defenceman Brayden Klimpke and standout left-winger Rowan Calvert.

Calvert’s goal came with 45.4 seconds remaining in the first and it was his 23^rd tally of the season.

In the second, the Blades extended their lead to 4-0 when star right-winger Tyler Parr netted his 20^th goal of the campaign. He tipped home a point shot from 17-year-old rookie defenceman Isaac Poll.

Just 1:36 later, the Pats halted the flood as 17-year-old sophomore left-winger Julien Maze scored on the power play to trim the Blades lead to 4-1.

With 2:37 remaining in the second, Blades rookie import left-winger David Lewandowski, who turned 18-years-old in February, scored on a wraparound to push the Blades lead out to 5-1. Just one minute later, Pats 19-year-old right-winger Caden Brown answered back scoring for the host side to trim the Blades advantage to 5-2.

Saskatoon jumped up 6-2 at the 6:18 mark of the third as 20-year-old defenceman Grayden Siepmann scored on the power play with a midrange shot. That tally was Siepmann’s 10 goal of the campaign, which set a new career high for the veteran rearguard.

Pats 16-year-old rookie right-winger Zachary Lansard scored with 6:19 remaining in the third to round out the 6-3 final score in favour of the Blades.

Evan Gardner stopped 25 shots to pick up his 20^th win of the season in goal for the Blades. Ewan Huet turned away 25 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats, who fell to 15-40-5-3.

The Blades return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings (5 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

Grayden Siepmann scored his 10th goal of the season on Tuesday.

Both those squads will be scoreboard watching too, because the Raiders travel to Lethbridge on Wednesday to take on the 40-19-2-2 Hurricanes (7 p.m. local time, VisitLethbridge.com Arena).

The Pats are off until Saturday when they host the Swift Current Broncos (6 p.m. local time, Brandt Centre).

When the final sprint to the end of the regular season ends, DaSilva would like to see his squad still holding on to top spot in the East Division.

“It is a goal of ours to clinch that division title,” said DaSilva. “At the end of the day, our main goal is to focus on getting better every single day.

“That is what we’ve done as the season goes on. You can see that with our group.”

Goldsmith injured in fight, game suspended

A scary scene involving Tri-City Americans defenceman Terrell Goldsmith saw a WHL regular season contest be suspended on Tuesday in Kennewick, Washington.

The host Americans were taking on the Seattle Thunderbirds at the Toyota Center. The Thunderbirds jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, but the contest came to a halt a short time after the first intermission ended.

Just 65 seconds into the second period, Goldsmith, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 218 pounds, faced Thunderbirds 19-year-old defenceman Ashton Cumby, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 216 pounds, in a staged fight. During the fight, Cumby hit Goldsmith with a punch that knocked the Americans rearguard out.

Goldsmith fell face first to the ice, and he was quickly attended to by the trainers of both teams. The veteran blue-liner was taken to hospital by ambulance and the game was suspended and never resumed after the bout.

The WHL sent out a release late Tuesday night stating Goldsmith is alert, responsive and was receiving medical attention. The league said the contest between the Americans and Thunderbirds would be rescheduled at a later date.

Goldsmith, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Utah Hockey Club, has suited up in 56 games with the Americans this season recording four goals, 12 assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department. The Fort St. James, B.C., product spent his first four WHL campaigns with the Prince Albert Raiders appearing in 185 regular season games recording 10 goals and 20 assists. Goldsmith was traded to the Americans on July 24, 2024.

The WHL said further updates on the condition of Goldsmith will be provided as they are available.

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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Dragicevic, Mrsic delivering for Raiders

Lukas Dragicevic in action for the Raiders last Friday.

Lukas Dragicevic and Tomas Mrsic are as good as advertised.

The pair came to the Prince Albert Raiders off-season trades with hopes both can give the club an offensive boost. Entering play on Tuesday, Mrsic, who is an 18-year-old skilled forward , sits second in team scoring with 34 points coming off 17 goals and 17 assists. Dragicevic, who is a 19-year-old offensive-defenceman, is third in team scoring with 28 points coming off two goals and 26 assists.

The pair helped the Raiders convert on 30-of-106 power-play opportunities for a 28.3 per cent success rate to sit third in the WHL. Last season, the Raiders converted on 60-of-258 power-play chances for a 23.3 per cent success rate, which was good enough for 10^th in the WHL.

Tomas Mrsic in action for the Raiders last Friday.

Dragicevic, who has a signed entry-level contract with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, came to the Raiders in a blockbuster trade with the Tri-City Americans on July 25. Dragicevic was acquired by the Raiders along with 18-year-old prospect goaltender Eric Kahl and a seventh round selection in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft in exchange for 19-year-old shutdown-defenceman Terrell Goldsmith, 18-year-old centre Grady Martin, 19-year-old netminder Nathan Preston and a third round selection in the 2025 Prospects Draft.

Mrsic, who was selected in the third round and 113^th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, was picked up by the Raiders in a head turning trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers on August 26. In that deal, the Raiders received Mrsic, a third round selection in the 2025 Prospects Draft and a third round pick in the 2028 Prospects Draft in exchange for star 18-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Raiders’ Leason aims to emulate dad, beat Saskatoon in playoffs

Brett Leason led the Raiders in scoring with a breakout season.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Brett Leason is still trying to decipher between truth and tall tales when it comes to his father’s football career.

    Both have experience in rivalries with sports organizations from Saskatoon.

    Brett, who is a star right-winger with the Prince Albert Raiders, has been part of an intense WHL rivalry with the Saskatoon Blades.

    Darryl, who is Brett’s dad, was a star quarterback with the Regina Rams first from 1992 to 1995, when the team was in the Canadian Junior Football League, and later from 2000 to 2001, when the Rams joined the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams.

    In the CJFL, Darryl was part of epic clashes with the Saskatoon Hilltops. In U Sports, he was a main figure in battles with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

    Brett is about to take part in his first experience of a rivalry with Saskatoon in the post-season. The Raiders, who topped the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2, will take on the Blades, who finished fourth overall in the WHL with a 45-15-8 record, in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Darryl Leason (#8) was a star with the Rams.

    Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    Darryl was a perfect 5-0 in post-season encounters with teams from Saskatoon, which is a truth.

    The details of a game where Darryl threw a touchdown pass against the Hilltops after a fake kneel down still seem a bit hazy.

    “I asked him about it several times, but he just hasn’t given me an answer about it,” said Brett, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 199 pounds. “He keeps changing the story.

    “I think I know what happens.”

    The fake knee came during the 1995 Prairie Football Conference final.

    On the frozen concrete of Regina’s Taylor Field, the Rams had a 19-8 win sealed, and all their offence had to do was kneel on the ball one last play to officially end the game. Darryl started to go down on one knee only to stand up quickly and throw a touchdown pass to a wide open receiver in Josh Shaw.
    The play was nullified by a penalty, but tensions ran high between the two centres for a long time over that moment. The Rams moved on to win a third straight CJFL championship.

Brett Leason will play in his first post-season series against a Saskatoon team.

    “I’ve heard some stories about his time playing against Saskatoon,” said Brett, who was born in late April of 1999. “He hasn’t really told me too much.

    “It is just interesting to see and watch and hear about.”

    One of the games Brett was unaware about was Darryl’s epic performance in a Canada West semifinal game against the Huskies in November of 2001 at Taylor Field.

    Entering that contest, Darryl, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds, missed three straight games and was going to attempt to play the Huskies with a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament and a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

    Darryl hit the field and led the Rams to a 58-31 victory. He completed 20-of-33 passes for 418 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions before giving way to backup Mike Wong for mop up duty before 7,122 spectators.

Darryl Leason is 5-0 against Saskatoon teams in the playoffs.

    During the 2018-19 WHL regular season, Brett had a breakout campaign leading the Raiders in scoring with 36 goals and 53 assists for 89 points in 55 games. He posted a plus-55 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Along the way, Brett earned a spot and played for Canada at world juniors.

    In three playoff games, he has two goals, an assist and is a plus-three. He wouldn’t mind having a big game or games against the Blades like his dad used to have against teams from Saskatoon in football.

    “I think that is what everyone wants is to have a good game here and obviously produce points,” said Leason. “Just at the end of the day, we want the win, and we want to move on to the next series and keep going as far as we can.”

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid wasn’t sure if history will repeat itself as far as a Leason family member having big performances to eliminate a Saskatoon team from the playoffs. The Raiders veteran bench boss is well aware of the Leason family history in sports.

    “I remember his dad when he was playing for the Rams,” said Habscheid. “He was a good quarterback.

Brett Leason played for Canada’s world junior team this season.

    “He was athletic. Now his son comes up, and you knew he was going to be athletic just because of the genes. You would have thought he would have chosen the other route.”

    Habscheid is aware that Brett could have followed in his father’s footsteps.

    “He (Brett) didn’t tell me this, but other people said like when he was 12 or 13 he was a good quarterback,” said Habscheid. “He could throw the ball and was a really good football player.

    “He pretty much had to make a decision which way he was going to go, so good for us he made this decision.”

    The Raiders acquired Brett in a trade with the Tri-City Americans in late October of 2017 sending a third round selection in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft the other way. Brett was buried on an Americans roster that was deep at forward.

    Habscheid has enjoyed watching Brett grow as a player and added the young forward’s story shows others that a slow start to a major junior career doesn’t kill a future hockey playing career.

    “That is half the fun of coaching is you want to see these guys improve and move on to bigger and better things,” said Habscheid. “I think the big thing with Brett Leason is it is good for everybody, especially the players, to realize if you go through the draft twice it doesn’t mean your career is over.

Darryl Leason calls plays under centre for the Rams in 2001.

    “A lot of times guys will go through the draft at 17, and then they think I have no shot of ever getting drafted, because I went through the draft once. He went through the draft twice, and he is going to get drafted this year.

    “He played on the world junior team this year after never being in the Program of Excellence before, so I think who that really benefits is everyone playing in the CHL who is 18 and 19 and 20-years-old that they can still have a chance to play in the National Hockey League.”

    As for the Leasons and rivalry games with Saskatoon, there are some other subtle similarities. The colours Brett’s Raiders wear are green, white and gold, which are the colours Darryl’s Rams wear in U Sports.

    The Blades colours are blue and gold just like the colours the Hilltops wear.

    One difference is Darryl was known to stir the pot in rivalry games with Saskatoon in media interviews. During his career, he became public enemy number one in Saskatoon.

    Brett is totally the opposite and soft spoken in media interviews. He would never think about stirring the pot.

Could this be how the Raiders versus Blades series ends?

    With that noted, Brett said the rivalry with the Blades has been heated this season, and with both teams going eight days between playing games, he can’t wait to get the post-season series with Saskatoon started.

    “It has been intense all year for sure,” said Brett. “I know the fans get into it a lot more with them being just over an hour away.

    “It has always been competitive, and it has always been great hockey to watch. We’re looking forward to it. I wish it started a while ago.

    “Tomorrow, it is. It is coming, and we’re all ready to go.”

“The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” oops

The logo the Prince Albert Raiders used in the early 2000s.

    The Saskatoon Blades had a little bit of a post-game “oops” after their first win of the 2019 WHL playoffs that does get noticed and a chuckle out of some Prince Albert Raiders fans.

    When the Blades won Game 1 of their first round series 3-2 in overtime at the SaskTel Centre against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on March 22, the DJ in the building played “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” by Captain Tractor in the spot the Blades victory song is played.

    Of course, that version of “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” was a victory song of the Raiders during different stretches in time.

    The Blades were trying out an in house DJ in Game 1 of their first round sweep of the Warriors who made an honest “oops.” He was unaware the Blades usually play “Feeling Good” by The Sheepdogs, who are a Saskatoon rock band, as their victory song.

    In Prince Albert, “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” also used to be played at the now defunct Outer Limits Nightclub to mark Raiders victories during the Jeremy Colliton, Luke Fritshaw, Kyle Chipchura, Rejean Beauchemin and Chris Schlenker era of the team in the early 2000s.

    If the Blades want to bring back a victory song from their past, they could bring back “Larger Than Life” from the Backstreet Boys. That song would work especially well if they have big crowds for games they host at the SaskTel Centre in their WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Raiders and win in overtime. The focus of that song is about thanking the fans.

    The Blades host Games 3 and 4 of the series this Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. each night at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Blades played “Larger Than Life” during fan favourite Darcy Hordichuk’s final season with the club in 1999-2000.

    With that noted, “Feeling Good” is still a sweet tune.

Saturday a timely pause for Raiders/Blades series

The centre ice logo from the Humboldt Broncos vigil in 2018.

    The WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Prince Albert Raiders and the Saskatoon Blades will have a timely pause on Saturday.

    Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert. Game 2 is slated for 6 p.m. at Art Hauser.

    The day off was made to accommodate the broadcast schedule for Sportsnet. The network stations with Sportnet will be consumed with the closing action of the NHL’s regular season on Saturday.

    Of course, Saturday happens to be the one-year anniversary of the tragic bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in the junior A ranks. That crash resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team personal and injuries to 13 surviving players.

    A memorial service will be held Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt to honour all those affected by the crash.

    The north central area that the Raiders and Blades are located in will likely be immersed with the service in Humboldt, which will attract extensive media coverage. Both Prince Albert and Saskatoon are located close to Humboldt, so the attention of most people in the two WHL centres will likely be turned towards the memorial service in Humboldt.

    The pause between Games 1 and 2 in the series between the Raiders and Blades will ultimately be a welcomed one.

    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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Leason brings back the magic in Raiders victory

Brett Leason scored a creative winning goal for the Raiders.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Brett Leason pulled off a move that Mike Modano likely never tried with the Prince Albert Raiders.

    With the Raiders locked in a 1-1 draw with the visiting Red Deer Rebels at the Art Hauser Centre, Leason tried a calculated dump into the Red Deer zone. The talented right-winger dumped the puck into the corner of the Rebels zone on a rush and the dump in came right back to him, when he skated to the front of the Red Deer net.

    The 19-year-old product of Calgary, Alta., quickly blasted home his seventh goal of the season to put the host side up 2-1. That score held up as the final as the Raiders send home an appreciative standing room crowd of 2,706 at their 2,580 seat facility home happy.

    “I saw the D (defenceman) had a bad gap, so I figured that was the time to use it,” said Leason, who was a plus-two in the plus-minus department on the night. “It worked out well.

The Raiders celebrate Brett Leason’s winning goal.

    “I never practiced that. It was my first try, and it worked pretty well. It is all good.”

    Leason’s move impressed veteran Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid, who has seen his share of creativity during his time in the sport of hockey.

    “He (Leason) is a talented guy,” said Habscheid. “He is a skilled guy. He has the mojo going, and when that happens, you try things.

    “He is the type of player that can pull off things like that. He has had a good year. He is very intelligent.

    “He is gangly. He kind of moves all over. He is gifted with the puck. That was obviously a huge goal.”

    A gifted point producer coming up through the minor hockey ranks in Calgary, Leason was selected in the third round and 50^th overall in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft by the Tri-City Americans. Buried among the Americans forward group, he was traded in the early stages of last season to the Raiders.

Brett Leason had a goal and an assist in the Raiders win on Saturday.

    Leason, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 199 pounds, has jumped out to a hot start this season leading the Raiders in scoring with seven goals and 12 assists helping them post a 9-1 record. The Raiders are also rated second in the CHL Top 10 rankings.

    In 54 regular season games with the Raiders last season, Leason recorded 15 goals and 17 assists. Habscheid said Leason’s game has steadily progressed upwards, since he joined the Raiders.

    “I think he has improved a lot,” said Habscheid. “He plays much faster, and that is what we wanted from him.

    “We knew he had the skill. People questioned his skating, but we want him to play fast. He was committed to that, and he worked on that.

    “Now, he plays as fast as anybody out there. With the size and strength and skill that he has, he is tough to handle.”

    Backed a huge contingent of family in the stands, Leason said he is in the best groove he has ever had during this time in the WHL.

Sean Montgomery scored the Raiders first goal on Saturday.

    “My confidence level is pretty high,” said Leason, who is playing in his third full season on the major junior circuit. “I’m playing good hockey.

    “With the team of course 9-1, it (his confidence) is up really high right now.”

    Leason said he wants to keep playing well to make his family proud. His father, Darryl, and uncle, Michael, were stars with the Regina Rams in both the Canadian Junior Football League and in U Sports in the 1990s and early 2000s. While Brett excels at a different sport, he wants to do as well in hockey as Darryl and Michael did in football.

    “They were definitely big names growing up, so I want to try and perform like they did,” said Brett Leason. “I’m working on that.”

    The Raiders struck 68 seconds into Saturday’s tilt. With the Rebels defence having collapsed down on their goal, Leason found centre Sean Montgomery with a pass at an open side of the Red Deer net, and Montgomery potted his second tally of the season for a 1-0 lead.

Ethan Anders makes one of his 25 saves in goal for the Rebels.

    The Rebels drew even at 1-1 at the 4:07 mark of the first, when captain Reese Johnson powered home a one-time feed from linemate Josh Tarzwell.

    From there, the goalies on both sides took over. Ian Scott turned away 28 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders included stoning Tarzwell at point-blank range late in the third period.

Ethan Anders stopped 25 shots taking the setback in goal for the Rebels (5-3-1).

    Scott received some great help from his defencemen, which included a couple of big shot blocks from Raiders 19-year-old rearguard Jeremy Masella late in the third period.

Ian Scott makes one of his 28 saves for the Raiders on Saturday.

    Leason said it was great to get a win in front of the big crowd that came out to the Art Hauser Centre after the Raiders posted a 3-1 record playing their previous four straight games on the road.

    “Playing in front of a crowd like that, it was good,” said Leason. “We were going the whole time. I’d like that to continue.

    “It definitely gets us going. When the crowd was chanting there, everyone was just feeling it.”

    The Rebels return to action this coming Friday, when they travel to Edmonton to face the Oil Kings.

    The Raiders return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Saskatoon to face the Blades (7-2) at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. There is a good chance the Raiders will bring a healthy contingent of fans down to “the Bridge City.”

The Raiders and Rebels scrum it up in the third period.

    Habscheid hopes the Raiders followers know that they do have a positive impact on the team. 
    In the third period, the cheer of the Raiders faithful help give the atmosphere more of a playoff feel. 
    The bench boss was happy to see the big crowd out at the team’s home rink on Saturday night.

    “We really appreciate it,” said Habscheid. “Especially in this day and age, you look at all the sports the entertainment dollar it is tough to get.

    “We appreciate the people coming to the rink and spending it with us. It certainly helps our players for sure. We’re a smaller franchise and to get that kind of support helps not only the franchise itself but more importantly our players.

The Raiders salute the crowd at the Art Hauser Centre.

    “They come home, and they’ve worked hard to get a decent record and we’re ranked whatever that is worth. It is nice to have the people come out and appreciate the kids the way they do and it certainly helps them on the ice.”

    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 or Ams might prove U.S. Division is still WHL’s best

Carter Hart in action for the Silvertips in February of 2017.

    The Everett Silvertips or the Tri-City Americans might prove you should never go to sleep on the WHL’s U.S. Division.

    During the 2017-18 campaign, a lot of talk among those that follow the WHL noted that the league’s East Division might be the toughest the circuit has seen in some time. That distinction might belong to the circuit’s U.S. Division.

    While all the clubs in the six-team East Division had winning records under the WHL’s current standings format, all the squads in the five-team U.S. Division have accomplished that feat twice in the last three years.

    This season four teams from the U.S. Division finished in the top nine of the circuit’s overall standings. All five clubs in the U.S. Division finished in the top 13 of the overall standings.

    By comparison, four clubs from the East Division finished in the top eight in the overall league standings, and all six East Division teams finished in the top 15 overall in the league.

    Due to the fact teams in one conference only play teams in the other conference once per regular season, WHL followers that live in centres that are part of the league’s Eastern Conference sometimes forget what is happening with clubs from the Western Conference.

    Teams from the U.S. Division have won the Western Conference championship eight out of the last 10 years. With the Silvertips and Americans going at it in this year’s best-of-seven WHL Western Conference championship series, that run will extend to nine out of the last 11 years.

    The Silvertips and Americans were both elite clubs this season. Everett finished third overall in the regular season standings with a 47-20-2-3 record, while the Americans were ninth overall in the regular season with a 38-25-8-1 mark.

    Everett advanced to conference final downing the Seattle Thunderbirds, who won last year’s WHL title, in five games in the first round and getting past the Portland Winterhawks in five games in the second round.

    Tri-City had the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference and was placed in a bracket with B.C. Division teams. The Americans swept the Kelowna Rockets 4-0 in the first round and took out the Victoria Royals 4-0 in the second round.

    In the first two games of the best-of-seven Western Conference championship series played at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, the Silvertips claimed Game 1 on Friday 3-2, while the Americans rebounded to take Game 2 on Saturday 5-3.

    In Game 3 on Monday before 3,268 spectators at the Toyota Centre in Kennewick, Wash., the two clubs played a wild one. The Silvertips led 4-2 after two periods, but the Americans rallied to force a 4-4 tie scoring twice in the first 1:45 of the third. Everett closed out the contest scoring four straight times to pull out an 8-4 victory and take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Patrick Bajkov in action for the Silvertips in February of 2017.

    Overage right-winger Patrick Bajkov had a hat trick for the Silvertips, while centre and Saskatoon product Garrett Pilon, who turned 20 earlier this month, had a goal and two assists for the visitors. Martin Fasko-Rudas, Reece Vitelli, Ian Walker and Connor Dewar all netted singles for the Silvertips.

    Star overage captain Michael Rasmussen, who turned 19 earlier this month, had a pair of goals and an assist for the Americans. Juuso Valimaki and Isaac Johnson netted singles for Tri-City.

    Carter Hart turned away 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips. Patrick Dea turned away 18-of-26 shots starting and taking the loss in goal for the Americans. Beck Warm turned away both shots he faced playing the final 8:16 of the third period in relief.

    While the goals came in bunches in Game 3, goaltending has been key for both the Silvertips and Americans.

    Hart gained increased fame after he backstopped Canada to a gold medal win at the world junior tournament, which wrapped up on Jan. 5 in Buffalo, N.Y.

    The 19-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., appeared in 41 regular season games with the Silvertips posting a 31-6-4 record, a 1.60 goals against average, a .947 save percentage and seven shutouts.

    In the WHL playoffs, Hart has continued his stellar play appearing in all of Everett’s 13 games posting a 10-3 record, a 2.25 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and two shutouts.

    Dea, who is in his overage season, had a solid regular season with the Americans posting a 22-14-7 record, a 3.17 goals against average, a .913 save percentage and two shutouts. The St. Albert, Alta., product has been steady in the WHL post-season making 11 appearances posting an 8-2 record, a 3.36 goals against average, .890 save percentage and two shutouts.

    When it comes to goaltending, Hart has hit such a high level in his play he gives the Silvertips the edge in that department no matter who they play in the major junior ranks.

    These teams are off until Thursday, when they will meet in Game 4 at 7 p.m. local time in Tri-City. The winner of this series will be well-prepared to potentially claim the best-of-seven WHL Championship series.

“Skin-Ner” call amuses veteran goalie

Stuart Skinner has heard one common heckle call in every road venue.

    Stuart Skinner expects to hear “it” any time he plays in an opposing team’s building.

    When the veteran Swift Current Broncos star netminder gets set to play goal on the road, he will eventually hear a fan in the building call out the heckle “Skin-Ner” in the voice of Simpsons character superintendent Gary Chalmers. Skinner, who is a 19-year-old NHL Entry Draft selection of the Edmonton Oilers, heard that call in his first three-and-a-half seasons in the WHL playing for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and still kept hearing it after he was acquired by the Broncos in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 9.

    “I’ve been around it for four years now,” said Skinner, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 200 pounds. “I hear it every place I go.

    “I like it. I think it gives me more energy and kind of gets me pumped up.”

    The Edmonton product said the “Skin-Ner” call never gets old.

    It hasn’t had an effect on his consistency.

    In 207 career regular season games, Skinner has posted a 104-72-15 record, a 3.22 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and 12 shutouts. During the Broncos current playoff run, Skinner has played in all of the Broncos 16 games posting a 10-6 record, a 2.10 goals against average, a .935 save percentage and four shutouts.

    On Monday, Skinner was named the WHL goaltender of the week for the week ending on April 22. Over the week the award was granted for, Skinner won all three of his starts, posted a 1.58 goals against average, turned away 100 of 105 shots for a .952 save percentage and recorded one shutout.

    During the Broncos 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night over the visiting Hurricanes, the sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex took a page out of the playbook of the fans that cheer for the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets to support Skinner and to try to get on Lethbridge star goalie Logan Flodell.

    The Broncos’ fans echoed the “Skinner’s better” chant throughout the building at one point in the game. Flodell had been with the Broncos and was dealt to the Hurricanes in that blockbuster trade on Jan. 9.

    With the series set to shift to Lethbridge for Game 3 on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. local time start, it be interesting to hear of the “Skin-Ner” call is heard once again.

Eyes on Broncos’ key injuries

The Broncos hope Glenn Gawdin won’t be sidelined for long.

    Fans of the Swift Current Broncos have to be feeling nervous about a couple of key undisclosed injuries.

    The Broncos lost 19-year-old Russian import defenceman Artyom Minulin in their 3-2 victory in Game 1 of the WHL Eastern Conference championship series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night. Broncos overage captain Glenn Gawdin left the ice skating gingerly to the bench after being hit into the boards by a Hurricanes player in the first period of Swift Current’s 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2 on Saturday night. Both of those games were played at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current.

    The status for either player to take part in Game 3 of the series on Tuesday in Lethbridge is uncertain.

    Minulin, who played for Russia at world juniors, missed three games of the Broncos first round playoff series win over the Regina Pats with an apparent shoulder issue, so there is worry that could be a problem again. He appeared in 64 regular season games recording 13 goals, 30 assists and a plus-37 rating in the plus-minus department. He has one goal, three assists and a plus-two rating in 12 playoff appearances.

    Gawdin, who is a star centre, topped the Broncos in regular season scoring piling up 56 goals and 69 assists in 67 regular season games, while also posting a plus-61 rating. In the Broncos 16 playoff games, Gawdin has posted nine goals, 13 assists and a plus-four rating.

    The Broncos have good depth, but Gawdin and Minulin are two heart and soul career members of the team. Their absence is still going to be felt even with the Broncos strength in depth.

Heponiemi named WHL player of the week

Aleksi Heponiemi was named the WHL’s player of the week.

    Aleksi Heponiemi came through in the clutch for the Swift Current Broncos, which resulted him being named the WHL’s player of the week.

    The star import right-winger from Finland took the honour for the week ending on April 22. In the week that the award was given for, Heponiemi appeared in three games recording two goals, four assists and a plus-six rating in the plus-minus department.

    On April 16, Heponiemi had a pair of assists in the Broncos 6-0 victory over the host Moose Jaw Warriors in a series deciding Game 7 victory in the best-of-seven second round set between the two clubs. That win allowed the Broncos to advance to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series for the first time since 2001.

    On Friday, Heponiemi scored the winning goal and had an assist as the Broncos claimed Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex. On Saturday, Heponiemi had an assist and a goal that forced a 3-3 tie that sent Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final to overtime, which the Broncos claimed 4-3 at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

    Heponiemi, who turned 19 in early January, finished second in Broncos team regular season scoring with 28 goals, 90 assists and a plus-42 rating in 57 games. In the Broncos 16 playoff games, Heponiemi has two goals, 20 assists and a plus-three rating.

    The Broncos face the Hurricanes in Game 3 on Tuesday at 7 p.m. local time at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge.

    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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Wilson’s passion for teaching goaltenders still shines

Veteran coach seen role evolve over 17 years

Eli Wilson, centre, has made his mark in hockey coaching goalies.

    Eli Wilson remembers the days when being a goalie coach in hockey was a rarity, and he was part of that rarity.

    When Wilson specifically began teaching puck stoppers 17 years ago, the notion of having one coach in hockey working just with netminders was still a relatively new one. Now, the 40-year-old, who has worked with 30 goalies who went on the play in the NHL including Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, is surrounded by lots of company.

    “There are more goalie coaches than coaches,” said Wilson. “It is just non-stop.

    “I think when I joined the (WHL’s Medicine Hat) Tigers in 04, there were at the time some teams who didn’t have goalie coaches then. Some of the teams that did, it would be a guy that was maybe around once in a while type of thing. With (then Tigers head coach and general manager) Willie (Desjardins) there, he wanted me there once a week.

A young netminder mades a glove stop at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    “I would come down on the weekends, watch the games and then spend Monday and Tuesday there. I was around a lot with those teams.”

    Wilson was involved with the Tigers through four seasons from 2004 to 2007, and he played an integral role in developing the team’s goalies. Thanks to Wilson’s work, the Tigers won WHL championships in 2004 and 2007 and earned berths in the Memorial Cup tournament in both of those years. Star netminders Kevin Nastiuk and Matt Keetley were the WHL playoff MVPs in those runs in 2004 and 2007 respectively.

    Besides working for the Tigers, Wilson also spent time working with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks’s AHL affiliate the Syracuse Crunch. With the Senators, Wilson played a big role in helping Ray Emery backstop that franchise to a Stanley Cup finals berth in 2007. He recently signed on to work with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, who happen to be Price’s former major junior team.

A young netminder works on positioning at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    During his career, Wilson has criss-crossed Canada and ventured into the United States running goalie schools. He established his Eli Wilson Goaltending company in 2010 and has operated that school year round outside of stints where he has worked with WHL and professional teams.

    Now that there are numerous goalie coaches out there, Wilson said teaching netminders has evolved.

    “You go to a Western League level game or you go to a junior A game, everyone can move,” said Wilson, who wrapped up a week long goalie camp at the Jemini Arena in Saskatoon on Friday. “Everyone looks like they are a goalie, but some guys don’t have a feel or a read for the game and that is the tactical part of it that really makes a difference.

    “Ten years ago, some guys were further advanced technically, and it made all the difference in the world. Now, that is not good enough.”

A young netminder makes a blocker stop at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    Wilson said mental toughness is the other factor that separates good goalies from great ones. He brings former WHL netminder Pete Fry, who played for the Portland Winterhawks, Spokane Chiefs and Victoria Cougars in the 1980s, to work with goalies on the mental aspect of the game.

    To show how much of a difference mental toughness can play in sports, Wilson has recently been telling his netminders to look at the NFL’s New England Patriots in the last Super Bowl. Despite the fact the Patriots fell behind 28-3 to the Atlanta Falcons, Wilson said you could tell by body language that Patriots all-world quarterback Tom Brady and mastermind head coach Bill Belichick never lost confidence.

    The Patriots rallied to beat the Falcons 34-28 in overtime.

Eli Wilson, second from right, address a group of goalies at his camp.

    “You saw what Tom Brady did this year,” said Wilson. “That was all mental, all of it. That is what you need.

    “Pete (Fry) talks about a lot of that stuff. That is the biggest thing. It blankets the entire position.”

    Wilson works with goalies at various ages and various levels of hockey. When it comes to teaching goalies, Wilson uses the same approach with relative newcomers to the position all the way to NHL veterans.

    “I’ll have an eight-year-old kid and I wouldn’t do anything differently or get him to try and play any differently than I would the best goalie in the world,” said Wilson. “I would take the same approach, the same structure, the same game plan, the same movement patterns, the same save techniques, the same tactical (and) the same technical.

A young netminder makes a stick stop at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    “It doesn’t matter really what age, what size (or) size in comparison to the level of play.”

    Wilson works on four principles with netminders. They include the knowledge of positioning, technique and the ability to get into position on time, save technique and rebound control and post-save response.

    On the overall technical side, Wilson said there was one key.

    “It is about making the save the easiest part of your game,” said Wilson. “You make it as simple as possible to eliminate margin for error to give you your greatest chance of success.”

    He is frequently assisted at his camps by his veteran students.

    During the camp in Saskatoon, Wilson was helped out by Emery, Rylan Toth, who just wrapped up his WHL career after playing with the Red Deer Rebels and Seattle Thunderbirds, and Rylan Pareateau, who just wrapped up his WHL career with the Prince Albert Raiders and Americans.

    At the NHL Entry Draft in June in Chicago, Ill., Wilson was present to see two of his students hear their names called by NHL teams. 

Eli Wilson barks instructions at his goalie camp.

    Stuart Skinner, who plays for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, was selected in the third round and 78^th overall by the Edmonton Oilers. Dylan Ferguson, who plays for the Kamloops Blazers, was selected in the seventh round and 194^th overall by the Dallas Stars before his NHL rights were subsequently traded to the Las Vegas Gold Knights.

    “You get so many guys that are just so thankful for the time that they’ve spent with you,” said Wilson. “It is a constant reward.

    “When you work with a lot of goaltenders, you get to see a lot of success.”

    Besides the technical, tactical and mental parts of the game, Wilson also stresses a couple of intangibles to his goalies. One is to enjoy the time you have with your teammates and coaches.

Former NHL netminder Ray Emery, right, gives instructions.

    “Enjoy the people that you get a chance to work with and meet,” said Wilson. “I think that is a huge part of the game.

    “My biggest thing is coming to the rink every single day and I get to do exactly what I want, and I just feed off that every day all day. I’ve been able to do that for 17 years.

    “It is constantly rewarding to go on an ice time and watch a group of goalies be way better in an hour and a half than they were in an hour and a half earlier. That is a huge part.”

    The other intangible Wilson stresses is to enjoy the journey of reaching a set end goal. Even when teams aren’t as successful as they want to be in the wins department, Wilson said you have to find the positives, and you can still grow and have a good experience.

Eli Wilson, centre, said it is key to enjoy the people you meet in hockey.

    Wilson said the joy of accomplishing a goal is fleeting, but the memories a goalie builds on the journey to accomplishing a goal is the thing that last.

    “You win the Olympics, you just won and then it is over,” said Wilson. “It is the whole process beforehand that is the point that should be enjoyed.

    “Reminiscing about winning something, it fades and goes away. Enjoying the process as you get there and you do the whole thing, then you’ve won weather you win or lose at the end anyways, because you’ve followed the process and you’ve enjoyed the process.

    “Just because you are not winning every night and there are tough parts about it, you have to find positives. You have to enjoy it and enjoy the people.”

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

Sawchenko, Warriors stone Pats

Warriors goalie Zach Sawchenko stops Pats centre Jake Leschyshyn.

    REGINA - If you want to beat the premier team in major junior hockey, it helps to have a premier goalie.

    Moose Jaw Warriors netminder Zach Sawchenko was a WHL Eastern Conference first team all-star last season, and he is showing he is worthy of another all-star node in the current campaign.
    On Saturday night in Regina, Sawchenko made 39 saves, which included a staggering 22 stops in the third period, to back his Warriors to a 4-1 victory against the host Pats at the Brandt Centre.

    The Pats, who had won four in a row, were the top rated team in the Canadian Hockey League’s top 10 rankings and hadn’t lost in regulation time at home until Saturday’s setback. The Warriors, to their credit, have been a powerhouse in the WHL this season.

Tyler Brown stops a high shot for the Pats.

    Regina entered the third trailing their arch-rivals 3-1 and threw what seemed like everything including the kitchen sink at Sawchenko. The 19-year-old Calgary product turned away every test and saw shots through solid screens.

    Late in the third period, Sawchenko turned away Pats star centre Sam Steel, who fired a shot on goal from close range through a screen.

    Sawchenko said his team was trying to avoid a repeat result from the last trip to Regina. Back on Dec. 17, the Warriors took a 3-2 lead into the third only to fall 7-3, while being outshot 23-8 in the third period of that contest.

    “When you are called upon in this sport, you kind of have to do your job,” said Sawchenko. “I think the last time we were here we kind of blew the lead in the third and that was something that left us with a sinking feeling through Christmas break.

    “We definitely had this one circled on our calendar that is for sure. As for the screens, I just try to battle through. Obviously, the team needed a save there.

The Warriors celebrate a goal from Tristin Langan.

    “We couldn’t give them all the momentum and just be pushed back on our heels anymore.”

During Saturday clash between arguably the CHL’s greatest rivals, Sawchenko said he was in a zone.

    “I think the biggest thing was I was just seeing the puck really well,” said Sawchenko. “The team did a great job just clearing out those lanes and taking away second opportunities and just allowing me to see the puck and kind of do my thing out there.”

    For the longest time, it seemed the Warriors weren’t going to need any heroics from Sawchenko. Before a sellout crowd of 6,484 spectators that included a healthy contingent from Moose Jaw, the Warriors jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the 3:10 mark of the first with goals coming from the sticks of Tristin Langan and Jayden Halbgewachs.

Pats rearguard Connor Hobbs (#44) makes a poke check.

    The Warriors controlled play for the opening 10 minutes, but the Pats pushed back in the final 10 minutes of the first resulting in a net scramble goal from Steel to cut the Moose Jaw edge to 2-1.

    In the second, the Warriors had the Pats boxed into their own end for most of the frame. Working on a power play, Warriors star centre Brett Howden netted his 20^th goal of the season to give the visitors a 3-1 edge heading into the second intermission.

    Pats star defenceman Connor Hobbs was disappointed with his team’s effort.

    “There is no excuse for how we played tonight,” said Hobbs. “It wasn’t good enough.

    “They outworked us in our own end. They were cycling around us and tiring us out and out changing us even in our own home rink. That is just unacceptable.”

    Regina tried to rally in the third holding a 22-5 edge in shots on goal in the frame. Sawchenko almost prevented the rally from happening by himself. Halbgewachs sealed victory for the Warriors icing the contest with an empty-net goal with 67 seconds to play.

    “We played really as a team in the first two periods, and we got away from playing that way in the third and gave up way too many shots,” said Warriors head coach Tim Hunter. “We played a little terrified in the third.

Zach Sawchenko makes a stop for the Warriors.

    “We weren’t moving out feet and getting pucks and getting them in behind their (defence). We allowed them to play in our end way too much. They are a good team.

    “If you allow them that, they are going to get territory and get shot opportunities. Sawchenko showed the great goaltender he is tonight and that was the difference in the third period for sure.”

    Tyler Brown turned away 34-of-37 shots in goal for the Pats, who fell to 27-4-6-1 and remain first overall in the WHL. The Warriors won their fourth in a row to improve to 25-9-6-1 and close to within four points in the standings on the Pats. Regina had three games in hand on Moose Jaw.

Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock thought his team was emotionally flat in Saturday’s loss.

    “I think you saw the product of not having to be at an emotional high level all the time,” said Paddock. “You just can’t turn it on and off. They were the better team.

The Warriors celebrate their 4-1 victory over the Pats.

    “We wanted to play, but we couldn’t play. They did a good job of not allowing us to. We did some things we don’t usually do.”

    Sawchenko was pleased with Saturday’s win, and despite how well everything went for him in goal, he still believes he can rise to a higher level.

    “I am just trying to get better every day,” said Sawchenko. “Obviously, I never want to take a step backwards.

    “I am always just trying to climb up this ladder here. It doesn’t matter if it is against Regina or it is against Prince Albert, I have a job to do, and there is no exception. Obviously, I have to go out there and do my job every night.

    “I don’t think this is the best I have ever been. I am just trying my best to get better every day.”

    The Warriors return to action on Tuesday, when they host the Tri-City Americans. The Pats return to action Friday, when they host the Americans.

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