Defensive defenceman Caller basks in rare moment of offensive glory with Blades

Jackson Caller (#52) celebrates scoring a goal for the Blades.

    Defensive defenceman Jackson Caller wasn’t going to miss out on his chance for offensive glory.

    Just 62 seconds after his Saskatoon Blades took a 3-2 lead in the second period over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday night at the SaskTel Centre, Caller’s eyes got big on a rush into the Prince Albert zone. Forwards Josh Paterson and Braylon Shmyr burst into the Raiders end down the right wing creating a lane for Caller to pinch into the zone and sit open on the left side of the Prince Albert net.

    The Kamloops, B.C., product moved into that spot and tapped home a perfect feed across the face of the Raiders goal to give the Blades a 4-2 lead before 3,395 spectators. That score held up as the final outcome in the first game for both sides since returning from the WHL’s Christmas break.

Jackson Caller is known more for his defence.

    “It was a great play by Patty (Josh Paterson) and Shmyrsy (Braylon Shmyr) to get up there, and I just saw an opening down in the low end there,” said Caller. “I just found the backdoor and luckily enough it came to me.

    “I was just thinking put the puck in the net, just get it in for sure.”

    Offensive forays are not Caller’s forte. His tally against the Raiders was only his second goal of the season and of his WHL career. The 18-year-old sophomore, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 189 pounds, is better known as a stay at home defensive defenceman.

    He was pleased his decision to drive to the Raiders net resulted in a key insurance goal.

    “It was pretty awesome,” said Caller, who has nine assists and is a minus-one in the plus-minus department in 35 games this season. “To get the 4-2 lead it put a little bit of a cushion on their guys. It was a good way to finish.”

    Caller’s creativity in the offensive end was something that Blades head coach Dean Brockman was in favour of.

    “(Defencemen) have to jump into the rush and make things happen,” said Brockman. “That is the way the game is played now, and we need more guys to do that and read the play.”

Cameron Hebig scored twice for the Blades.

    Caller’s goal put the exclamation point on what was a solid night for the Blades. For much of the contest, the Blades got the puck in deep and forechecked the Raiders hard creating a number of turnovers.

    Raiders 18-year-old star goalie Ian Scott made 38 saves to give his side a chance to pull the contest out.

    The Blades jumped ahead 2-0 before the halfway point of the first period, when Paterson tipped home a point shot from Russian import defenceman Mark Rubinchik and star overage centre Cameron Hebig tucked home a power-play marker with a shot from the front of the Prince Albert goal.

    The Raiders pulled even at 2-2 scoring two goals in a 38 second span before the first intermission rolled around. Brett Leason, an 18-year-old right-winger, netted the Raiders first goal of the surge on the power play, while overage centre Devon Skoleski scored on a breakaway.

    Skoleski’s shot actually hit the post of the Saskatoon goal, deflected off Blades netminder Nolan Maier into the Saskatoon cage.

    At the 12:16 mark of the second, the Raiders turned the puck over in their own zone to Blades winger Gage Ramsay. Ramsay set up Hebig for his second of night with a backdoor pass to give the hosts a 3-2 lead.

Ian Scott makes one of his 38 saves for the Raiders.

    Caller added an insurance marker a short time later. Shmyr finished the night with three assists.

    “I thought our guys played as good as they could,” said Brockman. “When you have all that time off and you only get a little bit of skate, it is tough sledding, and they persevered.”

    The Raiders came with a big surge of pressure in the final two minutes of the third, which saw 18-year-old right-winger Parker Kelly ring a shot off the post. The visitors weren’t able to get any pucks past Maier.

    Maier turned away 20 shots to pick up the win goal, and the 16-year-old puck stopper has won his last five straight starts for the Blades.

    The Blades improved to 16-17-2-1, while the Raiders fell to 13-15-5-2.

Braylon Shmyr had three assists for the Blades.

    Saskatoon’s victory was dampened by the fact 16-year-old standout forward Kirby Dach left the game with an injury. Brockman said Dach was taken off the ice as a precaution with an upper body injury and he was still being evaluated.

    The bench boss was pleased to see his team get goals from the likes of Paterson and Caller to compliment the offensive output created by offensive stars like Hebig and Shmyr. Brockman really liked Paterson’s play on Wednesday night.

    “That was one of his (Paterson’s) best games of the year,” said Brockman. “He was pretty persistent on the puck and did a lot of really good things.

Blades D Mark Rubinchik (#6) checks Raiders RW Brett Leason (#20).

    “We need contributions from everybody, and they did it.”

    The Blades and Raiders go at it again on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert to complete the home-and-home set.

    “We just have to keep doing the same thing and not get too high,” said Caller. “It (the Art Hauser Centre) is a smaller rink for sure.

    “You have to be a little bit more quicker with the puck out there. I am just looking forward to it tomorrow.”

    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 in the thick of things at WHL Christmas break

Nolan Maier (#73) and Randen Schmidt celebrate a Blades win.

    The Saskatoon Blades are in the thick of the race to make the playoffs at the WHL’s Christmas break, and that development is a welcome site.

    In the early going, the Blades stumbled out of the blocks posting a 3-7-1 after falling 7-2 to the Victoria Royals at the SaskTel Centre on Oct. 24. At that point, it appeared the Blades might be in for a long season.

    Things have gotten a lot better since then. At the Christmas break, the Blades (15-17-2-1) are tied with the Prince Albert Raiders (13-14-5-2) for the second wildcard berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference standings at 33 points. The Raiders have a game in hand.

    Both of those squads are two points behind the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats (16-17-3) for the first wildcard berth. The Raiders have two games in hand on the Pats, while the Blades have one game in hand on the Regina side.

    The Blades are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013 playing out of a tough East Division in the WHL.

Nolan Maier makes a glove stop for the Blades.

    The East Division has three teams ranked in the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 Rankings including the Moose Jaw Warriors (27-6-1-1), the Swift Current Broncos (25-7-2) and the Brandon Wheat Kings (24-8-0-1) who are rated second, fourth and fifth respectively.

    At the moment, the six clubs that make up the East Division are sitting in the top seven in the Eastern Conference. It is possible that all of these clubs could finish in the top eight in the Eastern Conference forcing one team to miss the post-season to a club with a weaker record.

    Starting with the 2014-15 campaign, the WHL changed its playoff format to match the NHL’s. In the format that has been used since that campaign, the top three teams in each division make the playoffs plus two wildcard entries from each conference.

Kirby Dach is finding his groove with the Blades.

    Before the 2014-15 campaign, the first place teams in each division make the post-season plus the teams with the next six best records in each of the Eastern and Western Conferences after the division winners. The old system was better for ensuring the clubs with the best records made the post-season.

    The Blades could finish last in the East Division, but place in the top eight of the Eastern Conference and miss the post-season under the present system. If that came to pass, the season would likely still be graded as one with progress.

    With all that said, there has to be optimism that the Blades could make playoffs regardless. The team’s goaltending has come around with the emergence of 16-year-old rookie and Yorkton, Sask., product Nolan Maier, while 19-year-old veteran Ryan Kubic appears to have found his confidence after a slow start.

    Overage forwards Cameron Hebig and Braylon Shmyr have been lighting it up as Hebig leads the Blades in scoring with 26 goals and 23 assists for 49 points, and Shmyr is second with 14 goals and 26 assists for 41 points.

Libor Hajek has been solid on the back end for the Blades.

    Kirby Dach, the team’s highly touted 16-year-old forward, is getting more and more comfortable with each outing and has four goals and 18 assists in 27 games. Josh Paterson, who is an 18-year-old winger, has quietly collected 12 goals and seven assists so far this season.

    Import defenceman Libor Hajek, who is currently with the Czech Republic’s world junior team, has been a rock on the back end, and rearguard Jackson Caller has made big strides in his 18-year-old year.

    There should be a lot of excitement at the SaskTel Centre after the Christmas break.

    The Blades return to action on Wednesday, when they host the Raiders at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Christmas had to be a relief for Pats

The Pats haven’t met the expectations of a Memorial Cup host squad so far.

    The WHL Christmas break likely couldn’t have arrived quick enough for the players of the Regina Pats, who will host this season’s Memorial Cup.

    The Pats entered the break posting three regulation losses and an overtime loss in their last four games. They hold down the first wildcard playoff spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 16-17-3 record. If they had three fewer points in the standings, they would be sitting out of a playoff position.

    Right now there are a lot of vocal members of the “Pats Regiment,” who are voicing their displeasure with how the season has progressed so far. If the players venture out of their billet homes to get out into the city, they might likely encounter a fan here or there getting on them about their record.

    Players might likely overhear a person here or there cutting him or his teammates and coaches down. You could try to live in a bubble between your billet home and the rink, but that gets old after a while. You have to get out and live at some time.

Goalie Tyler Brown and the Pats need some time to rest.

    The break will allow the Pats players to get out of Regina and exit the pressure cooker for a little over a week providing some welcome relief.

    When the Pats last hosted the Memorial Cup in the 2000-01 campaign, the team was almost in a similar spot. At the WHL Christmas break in 2000-01, the Pats had a record of 17 wins, 17 losses, one tie and two overtime losses. The WHL still had ties back in those days.

    The heat was on the team to become a squad that was more worthy to be a Memorial Cup host. The heat then was a little less than it is now due to the fact the Pats in 2000-01 were still comfortably in a playoff position at the Christmas break. After making a number of trades before the WHL’s trade deadline, the Pats finished the campaign with 40 wins, 27 losses, three ties and two overtime losses.

    It is conceivable the Pats, who host the Memorial Cup this coming May 17-27, could have a similar turnaround this season. At the moment, the players should take every opportunity to rest and recharge.

    The Pats return to action on Wednesday, when they travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings.

    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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Shirley gets special Christmas gift from Hockey Canada

Grace Shirley will play for Canada at under-18 worlds.

    Christmas came a few days early for Grace Shirley.

    On Friday, the 16-year-old skilled forward with the Saskatoon Stars was added to Canada’s roster for the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Under-18 Women’s World Championship, which runs this coming January 6-13 in Dmitrov, Russia. Shirley joins current Stars teammate Mackenna Parker and former Stars teammate Willow Slobodzian on the Canadian squad. Parker, who is the Stars captain, lines up at forward, while Slobodzian, who plays for the Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks, is a defender.

    The fourth Saskatchewan product on the team comes from Gull Lake in defender Taylor Kirwan, who is the captain of the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats.

    For Shirley, this has to come as a nice surprise after finding out she had been left off the original roster that was announced back on Nov. 16. She follows in the strides of her older sister, Sophie, who played for Canada’s under-18 team at two worlds and is currently a member of the national development team.

    Older brother, Collin, is a rookie forward with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    With the Stars this season, Grace Shirley has piled up 20 goals and 14 assists in 16 regular season games to sit second in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League’s scoring race with 34 points. 

Grace Shirley is second in SFMAAAHL scoring this season.

    In 75 career regular season games with the Stars, Shirley has posted 60 goals and 44 assists. She is only the eighth player in the history of the SFMAAAHL to score 60 or more goals in regular season play during her career.

    Shirley, who stands 5-foot-4, turned heads as a 14-year-old rookie in the 2015-16 campaign with the Stars netting 18 goals and 14 assists in the regular season helping the Stars post a 24-4 record.

    In the playoffs, she enjoyed her signature moment with the Stars netting the overtime winning goal that clinched the SFMAAAHL championship series in March of 2016. Shirley’s winner over the Diamond Energy Wildcats in Swift Current game the Stars a 4-3 victory in Game 4 of the series and a 3-1 win in the best-of-five set.

    Shirley is eligible to play for Canada’s under-18 team again next season, so she could have the rare opportunity to play twice at the under-18 women’s worlds just like Sophie did.

    For now, Grace Shirley will likely enjoy what is in store for her this coming January, when she plays on a Canadian squad that contains a large number of familiar faces.

Clark makes cut for Olympics

Dream come true 🍁 Humbled and honoured to be representing Canada in PyeongChang!

A post shared by emclark.26 (@emclark.26) on Dec 23, 2017 at 4:54pm PST

    Emily Clark experienced her biggest hockey milestone to date on Friday, which will allow her to fulfill a huge dream.

    Clark was one of the 23 players named to Canada’s women’s team that will play in the 2018 Winter Olympics, which run Feb. 9-25 in PyeongChang, South Korea. The 22-year-old forward is the youngest player on the Canadian women’s team that will play in the Olympics.

    The Saskatoon product is also the only player from Saskatchewan on the Canadian women’s team roster that will play at the upcoming Olympics.

    While Clark has been a member of Canada’s centralized senior national women’s team roster this season, there were no guarantees she would make the cut to play in the Olympics. Due to the fact all the players in Canada’s national team program are highly skilled, the fact Clark made the roster for the Olympics has to be viewed as a major accomplishment.

    Before joining the centralized roster, Clark, who stands 5-foot-7, played three seasons in the NCAA ranks for the University of Wisconsin Badgers appearing in 113 overall games registering 56 goals and 62 assists. She is expected to return to the Badgers next season to play out her final campaign of NCAA eligibility.

    Clark played for the Okanagan Hockey Academy Female Prep team for two seasons from 2012 to 2014 before joining the Badgers.

    From 2009 to 2012, Clark played three seasons with the Saskatoon Stars recording 45 goals and 46 assists in 82 regular season games. She helped the Stars make the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series in each of her campaigns with the team.

U Sports men’s hockey all-stars make their mark

Logan McVeigh had a goal for the U Sports all-star squad.

    The U Sports men’s hockey circuit is often an under-appreciated elite league in Canada, but the likely turned some heads in a two-game exhibition series against prospects that aimed to make Canada’s world junior team.

    As part of the selection process to make up the Canadian world junior squad, the prospects looking to make that team faced a U Sports all-star squad in a two game exhibition series at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont. The U Sports squad swept the series posting a 3-0 win on December 13 and 4-3 on December 14.

    In the Dec. 13 match, the U Sports squad received a first period power-play goal from Luke Philp, who plays for the U of Alberta Golden Bears, and third period empty-net tallies from Michael Clarke, who plays for the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men and Logan McVeigh, who plays for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies. The U Sports side fired 24 shots on goal.

    Hockey Canada had their world junior goaltending prospects play for both teams in the series. In the 3-0 win, Colton Point and Carter Hart, who would both make Canada’s world junior team, backed the U Sports side to victory playing about 30 minutes each.

Cole Sanford had a two-goal night for the U Sports all-star team.

    Point, who plays for Colgate University in the NCAA ranks, turned away 14 shots starting in goal, while Hart, who plays for the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, made 18 stops to finish the back half of the contest.

    In the Dec. 14 match, Golden Bears defenceman Jason Fram scored on a rebound with 6.5 seconds to play in the third period to break a 3-3 tie and give the U Sports side a 4-3 victory. Golden Bears forward Cole Sanford scored twice and had an assist for the U Sports side, while Stephen Harper, who plays for the Acadia University Axemen, netted a single. The U Sports side fired 27 shots on goal.

    Harvey Samuel, who plays for the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, stopped 13-of-15 shots playing about the first 30 minutes for the U Sports side. Michael DiPietro, who plays for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, stopped 11 of 12 shots sent his way. Both Samuel and DiPietro were cut from Canada’s world junior team.

    Alex Formenton, who plays for the OHL’s London Knights, Kale Clague, who plays for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, and Robert Thomas, who also plays for the OHL’s Knights, replied with singles for the Canadian world junior prospects side. All three made the world junior team.

    Besides McVeigh, the Canadian squad included three other members from the U of S Huskies in forward Josh Roach, defenceman and captain Kendall McFaull and netminder Jordon Cooke.

    Saskatoon product Boston Leier, who plays forward for the Axemen, was a member of the U Sports squad as well.

Josh Roach was one of four U of S Huskies on the U Sports all-star squad.

    The majority of players that make up the squads in U Sports are players who had solid careers in the major junior ranks. They often elect to play at the university level to get a degree to help transition over to life after hockey.

    In the professional game, players that sign three-year NHL entry-level contracts often see their hockey careers end, when those deals expire. Usually, those players are focused entirely on hockey, so it is a bit jarring to transition into a post-hockey career life at that point.

    Most U Sports players improve during their careers in the university ranks. When they graduate at age 25 or 26, they are starting to reach their physical primes, and the professional ranks would be wise to look at giving those players contracts.

    It seems like major junior players often get ignored, when they move on to play Canadian university hockey. Having a U Sports all-star squad sweep a two-game series against Canadian world junior hopefuls helps bring university players to the forefront.

    U Sports men’s hockey is an elite amateur league, and it shouldn’t be ignored.

    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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Bears edge Stars in marquee SFMAAAHL showdown

Bears goalie Ryan Fontaine tracks the action around her net.

    PRINCE ALBERT – Jeff Willoughby didn’t want any doubt to linger in his players’ heads, when it came to taking on the Saskatoon Stars.

    So far this season, the head coach of the Prince Albert Northern Bears saw his side fall three times in regulation to the Stars. On Wednesday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the Bears, who are the defending Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League champions, pulled out a 2-1 victory in a tight checking battle with their biggest rival.

    “It means more than the three points in the standings,” said Willoughby. “It gives confidence for the girls.

Goalie Arden Kliewer makes a stop for the Stars.

    “We’ve play everybody up until this point, all seven other teams. Heading into playoffs, I’ve seen it happen before where a team hasn’t had success against another team and it spills over to the playoffs. Getting this win for us is huge.”

    The victory gives the Bears some breathing room on the Stars with regards to the race for first place in the SFMAAAHL standings. The Bears improved to 17-3 to sit in top spot with the win and hold an 11-point edge over the second place Stars, who fell to 14-2.

    Prince Albert has recorded all its wins in regulation time for 51 standings points, while Saskatoon has 40 standings points recorded on 12 regulation victories and two overtime wins. The Stars, who have topped the SFMAAAHL standings in each of the past three seasons, have four games in hand on the Bears.

Captain Hannah Koroll had two assists for the Bears.

    In Wednesday’s clash, the two sides entered the third period locked in a 0-0 tie. Arden Kliewer turned away 17 shots over the first two frames for the Stars, while Ryan Fontaine stopped 14 shots over the opening 40 minutes for the Bears.

    Tough as nails 17-year-old Bears defender Jordan Ashe was pleased with how her side handed the Stars vast number of high flying forwards like captain Mackenna Parker, Grace Shirley, Anna Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala.

    “I think we did pretty good,” said Ashe. “I think we need to work on our head manning the puck, (and) being more firm on the blue-line making sure we don’t fumble pucks.

    “Overall, we were pretty solid. (Bears captain) Hannah (Koroll) was really solid as well.”

    Koroll ultimately picked up helpers on both Bears goals.

    At the 3:07 mark of the third, the Bears went ahead 1-0, when 14-year-old rookie forward Rhea Peterson flipped home the puck into the Saskatoon goal over top of Kliewer.

    With 7:22 to play in the third, the Bears capitalized on another break to go ahead 2-0 after killing off a Stars power play. Kliewer mishandled the puck resulting in a goal from Bears forward Alli Soyko.

Joelle Fiala (#27) scored the Stars lone goal on Wednesday.

    Saskatoon came with a hard push back. With 5:44 to play in the third, Fiala scored on the power play to cut the Bears lead to 2-1.

    Shirley thought she collected the equalizer during a net scramble with 1:37 to play in the third, but the officials waved off her goal saying she knocked the puck into the Prince Albert net with a high stick.
    Inside of the final minute of the third, Stars defender Chace Sperling wired a shot off the crossbar of the Prince Albert goal to just miss netting the equalize for Saskatoon.

    Fontaine made 22 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Bears. Kliewer turned away 20 shots to take the setback in goal for the Stars.

    Ashe said she like the atmosphere in her team’s dressing room, when the Bears were getting ready before the game.

Defender Jordan Ashe played her 100th regular season game for the Bears.

    She believes her side did a good job in not getting over-hyped to play the Stars and came with the same approach they would for any opponent.

    “In all honesty, it is not a big difference,” said Ashe. “We need to treat them like everyone else and not put extra expectations on top of that.”

    Overall, Willoughby thought this fourth and final meeting between the two sides in the 2017-18 regular season would be a competitive one, and the veteran bench boss said both sides delivered a tight contest.  

    “I thought there was a lot of back and forth play, not a high shot amount,” said Willoughby. “There was lots of blocked shots. There was lots of tight checking.

    “Those teams were tight gap all over the place, and that is what we expected. It was just a battle back and forth. Our second goal came with good timing.”

Defender Chace Sperling just missed scoring the equalizer for the Stars.

    Both teams now have to wait a bit for their next respective regular season games.

The Stars return to action on Jan. 6 in the new year, when they travel to Wilcox, Sask., to face the Notre Dame Hounds (10-3).

    The Bears head to Calgary for the prestigious Mac’s Tournament, which begins this coming Tuesday. They return to regular season play on Jan. 13 in the new year, when they travel to Melville to face the Prairie Fire (7-11).

    100-CLUB – A combined four players in Wednesday’s contest hit the ice for their 100^th career SFMAAAHL regular season game. Ashe and forward Abby Soyko played their 100^th career regular season games with the Bears, while forward Jordyn Gerlitz skated in her 100^th career regular season contest with the Stars.

The Bears celebrate their 2-1 victory over the Stars.

    Stars forward Jayda Sachs also played her 100^th career regular season game, and her total included making 56 appearances with the Bears in her first two campaigns in the league.

    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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Rockets’ Lind out to lessen the sting of world juniors cut

Right-winger gets three assists, fights in 5-0 win over Blades

Kole Lind, left, celebrates the Rockets win with goalie James Porter.

    Kole Lind is living two different lives on and off the ice in the immediate aftermath of being cut from Canada’s world junior team.

    The 19-year-old Shaunavon, Sask., product was cut from the Canadian team on Thursday. The skilled right-winger departed from the Canadian training camp in St. Catharines, Ont., to reunite with his WHL squad, the Kelowna Rockets, for their final two contests on their six-game road trip through the WHL’s East Division.

    Lind rejoined the Rockets on Friday night in Prince Albert and scored three goals in a 7-3 romp over the host Raiders. On Saturday, Lind had three assists, a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department and engaged in a fight to help the Rockets blank the host Saskatoon Blades 5-0 before 3,263 spectators at the SaskTel Centre.

Kole Lind jets up ice for the Rockets.

    When he is on the ice, Lind’s focus is on helping the Rockets do well. After the Rockets last two games came to an end, Lind returned to digesting his cut from the world junior squad.

    “It has definitely been an emotional roller-coaster for me going from heartbreak and trying to bounce back and play two games right away,” said Lind, who has 16 goals and 26 assists in 25 games with the Rockets this season. “It was definitely a difference for me traveling and everything.

    “Something that I have been through a lot is trying to stay mentally tough and just staying with the game. Hockey has been something that just takes my mind off everything it seems like. It has definitely helped me get through it.”

    Lind said he has been extra motivated to show that he shouldn’t have been cut from Canada’s world junior team. He is trying to emulate what Regina Pats star centre Sam Steel did last season after being cut from Canada’s world junior team. Steel made Canada’s world junior squad this season.

    “Sam Steel did the same thing last year, a late cut and he ended up winning WHL player of the year,” said Lind, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 173 pounds. “I want to go out there and try and prove something and just try to play my best game.”

Rockets RW Kole Lind looks to get past Blades D Seth Bafaro.

    Playing in front of about 15 to 20 family and friends on Saturday, Lind started out showing a tonne of energy in his first few shifts, and he forced Blades netminder Ryan Kubic to make a big save early in the first period.

    While Lind was playing well, the Rockets went ahead 1-0 at the 8:44 mark of the first period, when he wasn’t on the ice. Working in close on the Saskatoon goal, Rockets left-winger Ted Brennan fed a beauty backhand pass across the face the Blades net to linemate Jack Cowell, who popped the puck home past a sprawled Kubic.

    With 22.9 seconds to play in the first, Lind picked up his first assist on the night on a positive bounce power-play goal from left-winger Carsen Twarynski to give the Rockets a 2-0 edge.

    In the second, Lind picked up his second and third assists of the night in almost identical fashion to each other on two-on-one chances. Coming down the right wing, Lind feather passes on both rushes across the front of the Saskatoon net to linemate Kyle Topping, and Topping buried both of those chances to give the Rockets a 4-0 edge.

Blades LW Tyler Lees fights Rockets RW Kole Lind.

    “I think my teammates create a lot of space for me, and they got open for me,” said Lind, who is a second round NHL Draft selection of the Vancouver Canucks. “I think that was the main thing.

    “I’ve always been kind of a playmaker, finding holes through guys’ skates and their sticks and bodies. I just try to look for that. My guys got open.

    “It made it easy playing with the guys I did tonight.”

    At the 3:52 mark of the third, Lind, who is in his third full season with the Rockets, took part in his fifth career fight in the WHL taking on Blades 17-year-old left-winger Tyler Lees. Both players received fighting majors, while Lind received an extra minor penalty for roughing.

Goalie James Porter made 40 saves to earn the shutout win for the Rockets.

    “I’ve done a bit of it in my career,” said Lind. “I try to hold my own and not have anyone step in for me because I want to be a guy who can do anything.”

    Right-winger Liam Kindree scored the Rockets final goal of the contest netting a short-handed marker with 39.1 seconds remaining in the third period.

    James Porter, who is a 17-year-old rookie, made 40 saves to post his first career WHL shutout playing goal for the Rockets. Kubic turned away 20 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades.

    The Rockets improved to 20-11-2-1 to sit in a tie for first in the B.C. Division with the 20-13-3 Victoria Royals with 43 points in the standings. Kelowna has two games in hand on Victoria.

The Rockets celebrate a short-handed goal from Liam Kindree, far right.

    The Blades fell to 14-17-2-1 to sit two points back of the Prince Albert Raiders (13-14-5-2) for the second wildcard playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    On Sunday, the Blades return to action hosting the Regina Pats (16-16-3) at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in their Secret Santa game. Fans are invited to bring a new unwrapped toy to the contest as a donation to the Secret Santa Foundation. The Pats will host the Memorial Cup this coming May.

    The Rockets embark on their Christmas break and return to action on Dec. 27, when they host the Kamloops Blazers (16-17-0-1). Lind was pleased his team heads into the break on a high note.

    “We had two big wins carrying a lot of momentum into the break,” said Lind. “I think that is something that you always look for.

    “Now we are just going to try and carry it on and have our rest here and go into the second half on a positive side.”

Stars’ Parker moves into second in SFMAAAHL career scoring

Mackenna Parker is the SFMAAAHL's second all-time career scorer.

    Saskatoon Stars captain Mackenna Parker achieved a major milestone on Saturday night in her team’s wild comeback overtime victory over the Diamond Energy Wildcats in Swift Current.

    The Wildcats took a 3-0 lead in the second period of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season clash at the Fairview Arena on a single tally from Crystal Wale and a pair of goals from Taylor Lind. Stars forward Chase Sperling scored in the final seconds of the second to cut the Wildcats lead to 3-1, and Stars forward Joelle Fiala scored with 5:16 to play in the third to further trim Swift Current’s edge to 3-2.

    With under 30 seconds to play in the third, Parker picked up her first point of the night setting up a goal by Grace Shirley to force a 3-3 tie and send the contest to overtime.

    In overtime, Parker setup with winning goal from 17-year-old veteran forward Jordan Holmes to deliver the Stars to a miraculous 4-3 victory.

    With her two assists, Parker moved alone into second place on the SFMAAAHL’s all-time career regular season scoring list. In 95 career regular season games, Parker, who is in her final campaign of midget AAA eligibility, has 72 goals and 71 assists for 143 points.

    The 17-year-old jumped ahead of former Notre Dame Hounds star forward Alyssa Wiebe by a point for second on the SFMAAAHL’s career scoring list. Wiebe, who is a Saskatoon product, piled up 74 goals and 68 assists for 142 points playing 55 regular season games for the Hounds from 2006 to 2008, which were the first two campaigns in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

Mackenna Parker set up the Stars OT winner on Saturday.

    Parker likely won’t catch Olivia Howe for the top spot as the SFMAAAHL’s all-time career leading scorer.

    Howe, who is from Moose Jaw, played forward for the Hounds from 2008 to 2012 and piled up 107 goals and 100 assists for 207 points in 106 career regular season games. She is the SFMAAAHL’s career leader in goals, assists and points and was a consistent high point producer in each season she played in the league.

    Parker also achieved another milestone in Saturday’s overtime win becoming the fifth player in the history of the SFMAAAHL to surpass 70 career assists.

    Besides accomplishing huge milestones with the Stars, Parker will play for Canada’s women’s team at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Under-18 Women’s World Championships, which runs this coming January 6-13 in Dmitrov, Russia.

    In Saturday’s clash with the Wildcats, Arden Kliewer went the distance in goal for Saskatoon making 17 stops to help the Stars improve to 14-0. Harper Davey turned away 24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats, who saw their record move to 6-6-0-3.

    The Stars and Wildcats will go at it again on Sunday in Swift Current.

    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’ Hajek expects to play sizable role with Czech world junior team

Libor Hajek is at the Czech Republic’s world junior training camp.

    A new head coach likely equals a new opportunity for Saskatoon Blades defenceman Libor Hajek, when it comes to cracking the Czech world junior team.

    Hajek departed from Saskatoon early Wednesday morning for the training camp of the Czech Republic’s world junior team, which is being held in Niagara Falls, Ont. The 19-year-old was cut from the Czech Republic’s world junior team roster last season, but he is optimistic about having a good role with the squad this season under new head coach Filip Pesan.

    “I talk with the coaches, and I’m probably going to be more leader there,” said Hajek, who had eight goals and 16 assists in 32 regular season games with the Blades in the current campaign. “This is my last year for playing world juniors, so I’ll be a leader and show my experience from the NHL (and) from Canadian Hockey League.”

    Hajek, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 210 pounds, has deep roots with hockey in his home country. Like many Canadians, Hajek took up hockey at an early age, and his biggest influence in helping him along was his father, David.

    “I was like four-years-old,” said Hajek, who is in his third full season with the Blades. “My dad just play hockey, and he was a hockey player.

    “He just put me on ice pushing a chair. He is like my biggest coach in my life. He still is watching my every game.

Libor Hajek has had a strong season with the Blades.

    “We always talk about the game after the game. He is like the best for me. He is like my best coach.”

    Hajek said he grew up watching good hockey in his local area and enjoyed playing for HC Kometa Brno.

    He relished playing for the Czech Republic’s national team at the under-16, under-17 and under-18 levels. One of his biggest disappointments was failing to make the Czech world junior team last season.

    “It was kind of sad,” said Hajek. “I didn’t make the team there. It was kind of frustrating, mad.”

    At last season’s world juniors held in Montreal and Toronto, the Czech team posted a 1-1-2 record in round robin play suffering overtime losses to Switzerland and Denmark. The Czech team’s run at the tournament ended with a 5-3 setback to Canada.

    The performance of the Czech team was met with disappointment. As a result, Pesan was installed to replace Jakub Petr as the head coach of the Czech team for the upcoming world juniors, which begin Dec. 26 in Buffalo, New York. The Czech Republic opens the tournament against Russia.

    Hajek said there was excitement back in the Czech Republic hockey circles now that Pesan is the head coach of the world junior team, and the skilled two-way rearguard’s hopes to be with the team were heightened.

    “It is always my pleasure to play for the Czech national team,” said Hajek. “Hopefully this year we’ll make (it) better.” 

Libor Hajek works the point on the power play for the Blades.

    Blades head coach Dean Brockman would love to see Hajek crack the Czech world junior roster.

    “He (Hajek) wants to play his best right now and kind of peak towards that event,” said Brockman. “We certainly think he has a real good chance to make it, but you never know.”

    Hajek, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round and 37^th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, believes he handled being cut from the Czech Republic world junior team in a mature manner. He focused on his return to the Blades, and for his efforts, he signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Lightning last March.

    “I just play harder and better here in Saskatoon, and it helps,” said Hajek. “I went home to take some rest. I played better here (in Saskatoon).”

Kubic back in the fold to create crease dilemma

Goalie Ryan Kubic has returned from injury for the Blades.

    Veteran 19-year-old goalie Ryan Kubic is back in the Saskatoon Blades fold, and his return has created a good problem for the team.

    Kubic last started a game for the Blades on Nov. 18, when he turned away 31-of-36 shots in a 6-3 setback against the Warriors in Moose Jaw. The St. Andrews, Man., product was forced out of the team’s lineup after that game due to a knee injury.

    On Tuesday, Kubic returned to the Blades lineup, but he served as the backup goalie in the team’s clash with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The Blades went with the hot hand of 16-year-old Nolan Maier for a 10^th straight start in goal, and he turned away 28 shots in a 5-3 victory.

    The Yorkton, Sask., product’s play has constantly improved every time he has been given a start in Saskatoon’s goal. With Maier playing at a high level, Blades head coach Dean Brockman plans to use both netminders in the team’s last three games before getting embarking on the WHL’s Christmas break.

    “Nolan (Maier) is on a little bit of a role here, but he is not going to be able to play all three,” said Brockman. “We will have a practice or two to decide on it.”

    Currently, the Blades have two 19-year-old forwards on their injury list in Gage Ramsay (groin, slated to return after Christmas break) and Caleb Fantillo (knee, 5-to-7 weeks).

    The Blades (13-16-2-1) travel to Regina on Friday to take on the Memorial Cup host Pats (16-15-2) at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre. On Saturday, the Blades return home to host the Kelowna Rockets (18-11-2-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    On Sunday, the Blades host the Pats at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in their Secret Santa game. Fans are invited to bring a new unwrapped toy to the contest as a donation to the Secret Santa Foundation.

“Pats Regiment” feeling uneasy in Regina

Sam Steel and the Pats face doubters this season.

    If you follow social media or hear the noise from sports talk radio shows based in Regina, a number of fans of the Regina Pats, who are known as the “Pats Regiment,” are starting to feel really worried.

    The Pats host the 100^th edition of the Memorial Cup from May 17-27, 2018, and the team is hovering around the .500 mark with a 16-15-2 record. At the moment, the Pats, who have six sellouts this season, hold the first wildcard position in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    If the Pats lose their last three outings in regulation before they go on their WHL Christmas break, it is possible they could be sitting out of a playoff position.

    Last season, the Pats had a dream campaign finishing first in the WHL’s regular season standings for the first time since 1974 with a 52-12-7-1 record. The 52 wins set a franchise record for the regular season.

    They were rated first in the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 rankings for most of that campaign and topped the final ratings released on March 22.

    In the playoffs, the Pats made the WHL Championship series for the first time since 1984, but fell 4-2 in the best-of-seven set to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Thunderbirds import centre Alexander True scored the overtime winner in Game 6 of the WHL title series to give his side a 4-3 victory in that contest.

    The Pats were a team that was built to have a special campaign last season. Going through a sizable turnover in key players including the loss of star overage captain Adam Brooks, the Pats should have been tagged for a reload or a rebuilding type season in the current campaign.

Josh Mahura was one of the standouts the Pats got back from the pros.

    With the Pats celebrating their 100^th anniversary as an organization in 2017-18, they decided to make a bid for the 100^th Memorial Cup. They were awarded that event on February 18.

    For Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock, he was really put in a bind, when it game to preparing the club’s roster to be a Memorial Cup host. The Pats were locked in to make their run through the 2017 playoffs.

    The host announcement came way after the WHL trade deadline of Jan. 10. Even if the announcement came before the trade deadline, you couldn’t see the Pats blowing up their chances to win it all in 2016-17 by dealing away players like Brooks and fellow overagers Dawson Leedahl and Chase Harrison to gain strong 1998 born players to prepare for the current campaign.

    In the Pats defence, Memorial Cup host squads are usually given favours from NHL squads, who like to see their drafted and signed prospects playing important games in May. The Pats have received almost no favours on that front outside of getting 19-year-old star centre Sam Steel and 19-year-old defenceman Josh Mahura back from the Anaheim Ducks.
    Steel, who was the WHL’s most valuable player and scoring champion last season, has been a target for fan criticism this season. The 19-year-old star centre has collected 14 goals, 21 assists and a plus-seven rating in 27 games, but he isn’t scoring at the same rate as last season.
    The Sherwood Park, Alta., product is at the training camp to try and make Canada’s world junior team along with Mahura, and some fans say Steel doesn’t deserve to make that squad.

    Regina could have had defenceman Connor Hobbs and left-winger Austin Wagner back for their overage seasons in theory. Hobbs, who is signed by the NHL’s Washington Capitals, is playing in the American Hockey League with the Hershey Bears.

    Wagner, who is signed by the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, is playing for the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

At the WHL level, Hobbs was a star defenceman who stood out in the offensive and defensive zones, and Wagner had speed few could match in the major junior ranks.

Connor Hobbs was a player the Pats didn’t get back from the pros.

    The Pats had traded for the WHL rights of 19-year-old centre Tyson Jost, but he is playing in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.

    If the Pats had Hobbs, Wagner and Jost, they would likely have seven to eight more wins. With that said, that trio was ready for the professional ranks.

    At the moment, the worry among fans in Regina is reminiscent of the worry that surrounded the Pats when they last hosted the Memorial Cup back in the 2000-01 campaign. In that season, the Pats were hovering around .500 near the WHL Christmas break before executing a number of deals before the WHL trade deadline.

    It might be tougher for the Pats to make a string of deals this time around, so it will be interesting to see what happens to the club over the next four weeks. The WHL trade deadline is slated for Jan. 10, 2018.

Watch out for the Blazers

Right-winger Garrett Pilon, right, has piled up the points for the Blazers.

    The Kamloops Blazers have done a stellar job to make their 0-9 start look like a fade memory.

    Since dropping their first nine straight games, the Blazers have gone 15-7-0-1 to hold the second wildcard playoff spot in the WHL’s Western Conference at 15-16-0-1. With the type of hockey the Blazers are playing, they might end up being a major threat to make a run when the WHL playoffs roll around.

    At the moment, the Blazers are showing they can play a skilled game on top of playing a hard hitting and physical game.

    Saskatoon product and star right-winger Garrett Pilon tops the Blazers in scoring with 17 goals and 23 assists. Power forward Jermaine Loewen, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 221 pounds, is a wrecking ball on the ice, but he can score as well. The 19-year-old has 13 goals and 11 assists in 26 appearances this season.

    The Blazers are also getting stellar goaltending from Las Vegas Golden Knights draft selection Dylan Ferguson.

    Blazers head coach Don Hay has 735 career regular season victories, and he is closing in on former Portland Winterhawks head coach Ken Hodge for the WHL record in career regular season victories at 742.

    If the Blazers keep up their pace from their last 23 games, Hay will become the WHL’s all-time leader in career regular season wins and should be a favourite to win the WHL’s coach of the year award.

Back in the Express with Epoch

Libby Epoch has rocked for the Huskies.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express with a story on Libby Epoch, who is the star point-guard of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team.

    Epoch, who stands 5-foot-7, is a 19-year-old product from Moose Jaw, Sask., who is in her second year with the Huskies. Besides playing for the Huskies, she has been part of Canada’s national team program and played for Canada at the U-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup last July in Italy winning a bronze medal.

    As a rookie, she helped the Huskies win the Canada West championship last season.

    This season, Epoch has helped the Huskies roar out to a 9-1 start to be rated sixth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    Epoch has started in all of the Huskies 10 regular season games and is averaging 8.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

    The story on Epoch can be found 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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