Raiders deliver energized home faithful big win over rival Blades

The Raiders celebrate an empty-net goal from Cole Fonstad, centre.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders delivered an ending their supporters will never get tired of.

    On Friday before a season high 3,130 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders rallied back from a 2-1 deficit to down their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades 4-2. With 9.1 seconds remaining in the third period, star left-winger Cole Fonstad took a pass from linemate Noah Gregor and fired home an empty-net goal to seal the win.

    After Fonstad’s tally, the packed crowd did their best to raise the roof off the building as the Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” echoed through the Art Hauser Centre’s rafters.

    “The building was alive,” said Raiders netminder Donovan Buskey, who team won their fifth straight game. “Both teams competed so hard.

Netminder Donovan Buskey makes one of his 34 stops for the Raiders.

    “It was a great atmosphere in there and two good rivals for sure. It feels good to come in and hopefully do a bit better for these guys. They work really hard for me every night, so I need work hard for them.”

    With star goalie Ian Scott playing for Canada’s world junior team in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., Buskey took on the temporary role as the Raiders starter before the Christmas break. He had some rough outings and was pulled after allowing four goals in the Raiders final game before the Christmas break on Dec. 15, which they eventually won 7-5 over the Swift Current Broncos at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The 18-year-old Calgary product had a strong performance on Friday making 34 saves to help the Raiders improve their WHL leading record to 33-2-0-1 and improving their undefeated record at home to 17-0.

Noah Gregor fires home his second period equalizer.

    Prince Albert is rated first in the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings.

    With the Blades holding a 2-1 lead, Buskey came up with a huge save with under 30 seconds to play in the second period. Blades star 17-year-old centre Kirby Dach gathered a loose puck and got in alone in front of the Raiders net looking to score a highlight reel goal, but Buskey came out of his crease and made the pad stop.

    Raiders defenceman Zack Hayes got a hold of the puck and sprung Gregor on a breakaway. The star overage centre roofed home his second goal of the game and 23^rd of the year with 20.3 seconds remaining in the second to square things up at 2-2.

    “It was pretty crazy,” said Gregor. “I had a break before, and then they went back and Bus (Buskey) makes a huge save.

    “I go back the other way and tie it up. That was huge save for Bus.”

    In the third, import centre Aliaksei Protas took a pass from offensive defenceman Max Martin on a rush and wired a mid-height shot past Blades netminder Dorrin Luding with 9:27 remaining in the frame.

Aliaksei Protas had the winning goal for the Raiders.

    That set the stage for Fonstad to cement the win with his empty-netter.

    While the Raiders finished off the win, the third period was fairly evenly played with the hosts holding a 10-8 edge in shots on goal in the stanza.

    Blades left-winger Gary Haden thought his team responded well after Gregor tied the contest late in the second period following Buskey’s big save.

    “There are turning points throughout every game,” said Haden. “If Kirby (Dach) scores that highlight goal, it is probably on plays of the year, and we are up 3-1 going into the third.

    “You have to give him (Buskey) credit, he made a big save. (Noah) Gregor has an NHL shot. It is just the way the game goes.
    “I thought we responded pretty well from it. We didn’t get too down on ourselves. We came out and played a hard third.”

    The Blades also played a hard opening frame too. They went ahead 1-0 at the 5:25 mark of the first period, when Haden knocked home a power-play goal at the right side of the Prince Albert net.

    The Raiders drew even at 1-1 just 20 seconds into a five minute major penalty assessed to Blades defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus. Gregor got the puck in the left slot and wired home his 22^nd goal of the season.

Raiders C Brayden Pachal (#8) and Blades D Dawson Davidson scrum it up.

    Schuldhaus was given a kneeing major and a game misconduct after colliding with Martin. Martin left for the remainder of the opening frame but returned after the first intermission and set up the Raiders winning goal in the third period.

    Schuldhaus’s hit will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Before the opening 20 minutes ended, the Blades went back in front 2-1, when Norwegian import left-winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen potted his ninth of the year from in front of the Raiders net.

    The big hits, scrums and some rough stuff continued in the second period. Raiders centre Kody McDonald received a double minor for high sticking Blades defenceman Seth Bafaro and drawing blood in the second frame.

Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen (#24) celebrates scoring for the Blades.

    McDonald’s infraction will also be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

    Haden, who came to the Blades in a trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers earlier this season, was impressed the intensity that exists in the rivalry between Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

    “Everybody kind of warned me when you go to P.A. it is a war, and I got the first taste of that,” said Haden. “If things work out, hopefully, we get them in the playoffs, and it would be quite the series to be a part of.”

    Luding turned away 32 of 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades, who fell to 21-11-5.

Spencer Moe looks to make a centering pass for the Raiders.

    With his two goals and one assist on Friday night, Gregor has points in his last five straight games recording nine goals and four assists over that stretch. Fonstad finished with a goal and an assist on Friday to allow him to also have points in five consecutive games. He has two goals and 10 assists over that stretch.

    With star right-winger Brett Leason playing for Canada at world juniors, Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was pleased with the offensive production those two veterans have had playing on a line with rookie 16-year-old right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt.

    “I think that line on its own has a little bit of synergy,” said Habscheid. “Fonstad has really come back after Christmas with an extra step.

    “That line has just played well. We’ve needed them. We’re out two pretty good players.

    “We just keep trying to find a way to win.”

The Raiders celebrate their win on Friday over the Blades.

    The Raiders return to action on Sunday, when they host the Regina Pats at 6 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. The Blades return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos at 4 p.m. at the Credit Union i-Plex.

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

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Pachal plays role of hero in Raiders OT comeback win

Blades fall 4-3 at home to archrivals in back-and-forth clash

Brayden Pachal, left, celebrates scoring the OT winner for the Raiders.

    Captain Brayden Pachal took his turn to be a hero for the Prince Albert Raiders.

    On Thursday night before 4,631 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Raiders entered the third period trailing the host Saskatoon Blades 3-2. At the 6:28 mark of the third period, Pachal, who is a defenceman, drove to the Saskatoon net and fired home the equalizer for the Raiders to tie things up at 3-3 and ultimately force overtime.

    Just 33 seconds into overtime, Pachel gathered the rebound from a shot taken by Raiders star left-winger Cole Fonstad at the left side of the Saskatoon goal and slid home the winning tally between the legs of Blades netminder Nolan Maier to give the Raiders a 4-3 victory. Thursday’s WHL regular season clash was also the first contest for both sides since returning from their respective Christmas breaks.

Brayden Pachal scored twice for the Raiders on Thursday.

    “They are our biggest rival, and we get up for these games every time,” said Pachal. “It was a huge game to get the first one after Christmas.

    “Fonny (Fonstad) made a great play cutting to the middle there, and he got the shot off. I was lucky enough to slide the rebound home.”

    The win allowed the Raiders to improve their WHL leading regular season record to 32-2-0-1. The Raiders, who are rated first in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings, have had different players step up to be difference makers in building their impressive record game after game.

    They kept piling up the wins despite missing rookie 17-year-old import centre Aliaksei Protas and 19-year-old import defenceman Sergei Sapego for a short time as they represented Belarus at the world junior division 1, group A tournament that wrapped up Dec. 15 in Fussen, Germany.

    Since December 10, the Raiders have been without star right-winger Brett Leason and star netminder Ian Scott, who first departed for the main selection camp for Canada’s world junior team and are now playing for Canada at world juniors currently taking place in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.

Brayden Pachal, right, celebrates this third period equalizer for the Raiders.

    Pachal was pleased he was able to cash in on his opportunities to deliver another victory to the Raiders.

    “It was good,” said Pachal. “I think everyone has stepped up lately.

    “We’ve been missing guys before the break. Now, we are missing Scotty (Ian Scott) and (Brett) Leason. Obviously, they are two of our best players.

    “All the young guys and everyone that has been getting their opportunities have stepped up so far.”

    The Blades, who saw their record move to 21-10-5, opened the scoring on Thursday, when rookie left-winger Kyle Crnkovic wired home a power-play goal at the 12:59 mark of the first period.

Raiders C Noah Gregor, left, and Blades RW Josh Paterson fight for the puck.

    Just 38 seconds later, the Raiders tied things up at 1-1, when star overage centre Noah Gregor wired home his 20^th goal of the season to the top right corner of the Saskatoon goal.
    The opening 20 minutes included a quick fight between Blades defenceman Nolan Kneen and Raiders centre Carson Miller.

    At the 2:52 mark of the second, Gregor potted his second goal of the night converting a back door feed from linemate Ozzy Wiesblatt to give the Raiders a 2-1 advantage.

    Eric Florchuk netted the equalizer for the Blades to force a 2-2 tie at the 4:28 mark of the second.

    Saskatoon jumped ahead 3-2 scoring a five-on-three power play, when overage right-winger Max Gerlach wired home his 20^th goal of the season from the front of the Prince Albert net completing a tick-tack-toe passing play from offensive defenceman Dawson Davidson and left-winger Gary Haden.

Kyle Crnkovic scored on the power play for the Blades.

    That set the stage for Pachal to deliver in his two critical moments to give the Raiders the comeback win.

    Going into Thursday’s game, the Blades had connected on 27-of-152 power-play chances for a 17.8 per cent success rate to rank 16^th in the WHL. 
    Blades head coach Mitch Love was pleased his team cashed in on two-of-five power-play chances on Thursday and successfully killed off the Raiders one power-play opportunity, which after Prince Albert tied things up at 3-3.

    While the Blades bench boss would have liked to have pulled out the win, he took solace in his club’s success on the power play and penalty kill.

    “We had a little more urgency, a little quicker puck movement, more of a shot first mentality there tonight, and they got rewarded for it,” said Love. “Our penalty kill held us in the game tonight.

Raiders LW Parker Kelly (#27) shields Blades C Kirby Dach from the puck.

    “Even though we only had one kill, it was a big kill in the third period, and that is what you are looking for. We just ended up on the wrong side (of the scoreboard).”

    Maier turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades. 
    Donovan Buskey stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders.

    The two teams go at it again on Friday in Prince Albert at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. 
    The Raiders are a perfect 16-0 at home this season.

Brayden Pachal (#8) bats home the OT winner for the Raiders.

    Love said his side faces a big challenge in Friday’s rematch.

    “I expect their team to be probably better than they were tonight even,” said Love. “I would attest that their staff probably didn’t think that was their best game.

    “I didn’t think it was our best game. Them playing in front of a soldout crowd in their own building I am sure they will have a little bit of extra life and energy there. There will be better execution on both sides.

    “We’re going to have to go in there and play our best game of the season, if we are going to want to try and beat a team that hasn’t lost on home ice.”

    The Raiders have won three out of the four head-to-head games between the two sides this season.
    Pachal believes Friday’s clash between the two rivals will be a contest the fans won’t want to miss.

    “It is going to be a good game again,” said Pachal. “I expect nothing less.

The Raiders celebrate their OT win on Thursday night.

    “We battle hard against each other. We don’t like each other, so it will be a great game I am sure.”

    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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Dream 31-2-0-1 start beyond imagination of WHL’s Raiders

P.A. aims to keep building great memories in second half

Sean Montgomery, left, and the Raiders enjoyed a spectacular first half.

    There are lots of times the Prince Albert Raiders don’t believe their 31-2-0-1 regular season record is real.

    After going 32-27-9-4 last season and falling in 5-4 in Game 7 of a hard-fought playoff series with the Moose Jaw Warriors, the Raiders felt they would be good in 2018-19 returning a veteran roster.

    They did not expect to be leading the entire WHL with a 31-2-0-1 regular season record along with being rated first in the CHL Top 10 rankings for most of the first half of the 2018-19 campaign.

    At the moment, the Raiders are the only team in the entire CHL to have won 30 or more games to this point in the season. The Everett Silvertips, who are second overall in the WHL at 27-7-1-1, are the next closest team in the CHL to hitting the 30-win plateau.

Raiders scoring leader Brett Leason is on Canada’s world junior team. 

    Raiders overage right-winger Noah Gregor, who is second in team scoring with 19 goals and 24 assists, admits it is crazy to think about the record his team has.

    “Over the break, you can have a little time to actually think about it and how great of a start it is for us and how great of a first half it is,” said Gregor. “These guys have been playing unbelievable, and we have a lot of guys that you know are having really good seasons and are getting a lot of spotlight on them and that is awesome.

    “I think we are going to continue that into the second half.”

    The players that have enjoyed the biggest spotlights so far have been 19-year-old right-winger Brett Leason and 19-year-old goaltender Ian Scott, who are both playing for Canada at the world junior championship tournament that started today in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.

Netminder Ian Scott is playing for Canada at world juniors.

    Leason is enjoying an incredible breakout season leading the Raiders in scoring with 28 goals and 36 assists for 64 points.

    Even with having missed time due to being at the training camp for Canada’s world junior team, Leason is still second in WHL league scoring holding an edge over Edmonton Oil Kings star Trey Fix-Wolansky, who has 21 goals and 43 assists for 64 points, due to having more goals.

     All of Leason’s offensive numbers are career highs, and he is a plus-44 in the plus-minus department.

    Scott is enjoying a spectacular season with the Raiders posting a 23-2-1 record, a 1.61 goals against average, a .943 save percentage and four shutouts. He leads the WHL in save percentage and shutouts and has the lowest goals against average on the circuit.

    As a team, the Raiders have scored the most goals in the WHL (165) and have allowed the fewest (70). On the power play, the Raiders have scored on 32-of-135 chances for a 23.7 per cent success rate to sit ninth in the league.

Overage C Sean Montgomery is third in Raiders team scoring.

    They have the top penalty killing unit in the WHL allowing 17 goals on 162 power-play chances for an 89.5 per cent kill rate.

    “We probably weren’t expecting it to be this good at the start of the year,” said career Raider and overage centre Sean Montgomery, who is third in team scoring with 16 goals and 19 assists. “We knew we were a good team.

    “It has been great. We are having tonne of fun, and we just want to keep it going after the break here.”

    While the Raiders won’t have Leason or Scott to start the second half of the season, they will get back rookie 17-year-old import centre Aliaksei Protas and 19-year-old import defenceman Sergei Sapego, who were both representing Belarus at the world junior division 1, group A tournament that wrapped up Dec. 15 in Fussen, Germany.

Overage RW Noah Gregor is second in Raiders team scoring.

    Currently, the Raiders have nine players who have recorded 23 or more points this season. Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said one of the keys to success for his team is the fact everyone factors in at different times to help the community-owned franchise win.

    “We’re a team,” said Habscheid. “I think that is our biggest strength is we are a team, and different guys step up on different nights.

    “We don’t want to be a one-dimensional team. We want to be able to play physical or fast or however they want to play it. We also want other guys throughout the lineup to help.

    “Whether it one guy one night or another guy another night, it makes it difficult to defend. Every player on our team is important.”

    Fans in Prince Albert and area have also jumped on board to enjoy the run. Over 16 home dates so far this season, the Raiders are averaging 2,514 spectators at the 2,580 seats Art Hauser Centre.

Mascot Riley the Raider has fun with a young fan at the Art Hauser Centre.

    Attendance pushes into standing room often, and supporters have seen the Raiders win all 16 of their home games so far.

    “It has been incredible this year,” said Montgomery. “The fans have been great.

    “That obviously gives us a big energy boost. It has been lots of fun at home this year.”

    Habscheid said it has been big for the Raiders players to play in front of big groups. The long time veteran bench boss said the team gets a boost every time from that sight and especially when the club returns after a long road trips, which have been successful this season. The Raiders are 15-2-0-1 on the road.

Sergei Sapego is part of a solid Raiders defensive unit.

    Habscheid said he knows people have lots of other options when it comes to where they spend their free time or their entertainment dollars, so the Raiders take it to heart when fans spend their evenings at the rink with them.

    “It is nice that the people come out and support us,” said Habscheid. “Our guys have played hard.

    “We think they are pretty good citizens, and we’re playing pretty well. It is fun to come out, and it helps them with a full building for sure.”

    The Raiders return to action from their Christmas break on Thursday, when they travel to Saskatoon to face their archrivals the Blades (21-10-4) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. 

Max Martin and the Raiders salute the Art Hauser Centre faithful.

    The Raiders host the Blades on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

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

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Blades deserve more fans in the stands at SaskTel Centre

The Blades celebrate their Dec. 9 win over the Raiders.

    If fictional play-by-play voice Harry Doyle from the movie Major League had a sports talk show about the Saskatoon Blades, his intro might go something like this.

    “Hi folks, this is Harry Doyle and welcome to Saskatoon Blades Banter. In case you haven’t noticed – and judging by attendance you haven’t – the Blades have won a few lately.”

    Actually, the Blades sit fourth overall in the 22-team WHL or second overall in the 12-team Eastern Conference with a 21-10-4 record at the Christmas break. Saskatoon has the same amount of points in the standings as the Vancouver Giants at 46, but the Giants are placed third overall in the league standings due to having more wins at 22-8-2.

    While the Blades have risen to the status of being one of the WHL’s top teams, fans in “the Bridge City” seem skeptical of a franchise that hasn’t made the post-season since hosting the Memorial Cup in 2013. Saskatoon just missed out on making the playoffs in each of the past two campaigns going 28-35-7-2 in 2016-17 and 35-33-3-1 last season.

Kirby Dach is one of the Blades bright young stars.

    After 15 home dates, the Blades are averaging 3,658 spectators per game at the SaskTel Centre, which seats 15,195. The Blades haven’t been that low for an average attendance in a season since they averaged 3,361 spectators per game back in the 2003-04 campaign, when they posted a franchise worst record of seven wins, 52 losses, 11 ties and two overtime setbacks.

    The list of reasons why people in Saskatoon say they don’t go to Blades games seems to be as long as the Trans-Canada Highway.

    Traveling the WHL circuit specifically in Saskatchewan over the past three seasons has allowed me to come to the conclusion that the other four league centres in the province in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Swift Current support their teams better than Saskatoon does.

    Like Saskatoon, fans in the other four Saskatchewan centres with WHL teams have had their reasons not to go to games over the years during down times. It also seems the bad feelings disappear quickly in those centres, when the players work hard and the team shows improvement in the win column.

Netminder Nolan Maier has been sensational in goal for the Blades.

    If the team rises to the point of being one the WHL’s top clubs, the rinks in the other four Saskatchewan centres fill up.

    It feels like Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Swift Current are more blue collar than Saskatoon. That characteristic sees people in those centres rally around their hockey teams that much quicker than “Toon Town” does.

    Saskatoon as a centre seems to have a split personality. It has a sizable arts side to its personality, where a large amount of people see themselves as being sophisticated. They will go to Blades games, if it is the trendy thing to do in order to be seen.

    Those are the cards the Blades management and staff have to work with.

Maybe it would be helpful for attendance if a Starbucks was built on the grounds of the SaskTel Centre. With that said, there is great specialty coffee stand at the rink.

Nolan Kneen has been a big pick up via the trade route.

    Blades president Steve Hogle likes to explore and enjoy all of the Saskatoon’s special aspects, so maybe he can make a few more visits to the Remai Modern art museum with his lovely wife, Cathy, in a bid to help attendance. Hogle has overseen some great promotions and presentations around the game since joining the Blades in 2013.

    A number of Blades staffers have attended Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan performances during the summer months.

    It should be noted that the diehards that head to the SaskTel Centre regularly for Blades games are great supporters, so the team does have that going for them as a building block.

    With the product coming around on the ice, the Blades have to stay the course and keep up their activities of getting connected into the community like they have in the last five to six seasons. It is not a quick fix for the attendance woes, but it is a stay the course thing you have to hope pays off.

Brandon Schuldhaus has been a key trade pick up.

    The Blades best asset are their players, who interact with the public the most and are out in the community. The Blades have put together a roster full of excellent young men. The more the public gets to see that side of the players the more they will get the urge to attend games.

    For the on ice product, the Blades two biggest selling points revolve around centre Kirby Dach and netminder Nolan Maier, who are 17-year-old stars both in their second full seasons in the league. Dach has huge potential to first round selection in next year’s NHL Entry Draft.

    He leads the Blades in scoring with 14 goals and 28 assists, while posting a plus-five rating in the plus-minus department. His ability to play well on the defensive side of the game is vastly underrated.

    Maier burst on to the scene last season with a number of remarkable performances. He had some bumps in the road early on this season, but he has really found his stride over the last month to cement his reputation as being one of the best goalies in the league.

A couple of young fans cheer on the Blades.

    The Yorkton, Sask., product is having a solid campaign posting a 17-8-3 record, a 2.80 goals against average, a .909 save percentage and two shutouts.

    Dach and Maier are mirror images of recent star grads coming from a couple of the Blades provincial rivals in Adam Brooks and Sam Steel of the Regina Pats and Glenn Gawdin and Tyler Steenbergen of the Swift Current Broncos.

    Like those four recent grads, Dach and Maier don’t skip any steps in working to be better. You never have to worry about them, because you know they will always do the right thing. They personable and the perfect people you want representing your team.

    Another pair of players who are invested in the team and are veteran career members in 19-year-old right-winger and assistant captain Josh Paterson and 18-year-old captain Chase Wouters. Paterson has had a sound campaign recording 10 goals and 17 assists in 33 regular season games, while posting a plus-eight rating.

Chase Wouters has taken on a new role this season as Blades captain.

    Wouters is off to a little slower start offensively posting five goals and 10 assists appearing in all of the Blades 35 games taking over as the Blades captain this season. His work ethic has still been there. He is extremely intelligent, and you can expect the offensive totals to rise the more he finds the balance with the leadership responsibilities he has been entrusted with and his personal game.

    Overager Dawson Davidson has cemented his role as an offensive defenceman as he sits second in team scoring with seven goals and 27 assists for 34 points. He is recorded a plus-seven rating to go along with his point totals.

Dawson Davidson sits second overall in Blades team scoring.

    The duo that has really turned heads on the back end are overager Brandon Schuldhaus and 19-year-old Nolan Kneen. Both were acquired in trades during the first half of the campaign.

    Schuldhaus and Kneen have become the Blades top defensive pair, and they are the go to due in obvious shut down situations. They both offensive ability as well to go along with toughness and grit.

    Saskatoon’s blue-line improved by leaps and bounds, when they arrived in town.

    The Blades have youngsters who could turn out to be great players in the near future in 16-year-old rookies Kyle Crnkovic, who is a left-winger, and defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere. Both are still getting their feet wet in the WHL and have looked like regulars when they’ve hit the ice.

Josh Paterson is again putting up solid offensive totals for the Blades.

    Crnkovic, who has one goal and four assists in 19 games, has shown flashes of being very creative in recent games showing why he was selected by the club in the first round and 10^th overall in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. The Chestermere, Alta., product is already forcing the Blades coaching staff to consider using him in bigger roles.

    Speaking of the coaches, first year head coach Mitch Love has been as good as advertised. He came to the Blades having been an assistant coach and an assistant to the general manager with the Everett Silvertips last season.

    The 34-year-old came to the Blades with the reputation of being one of the best and brightest young and up and coming coaches in the league have also worked in Hockey Canada’s system. When he arrived in Saskatoon, Love gave credit to former head coach Dean Brockman and his staff saying they had done some real good working bring the players a long way.

Rookie Kyle Crnkovic could see larger minutes as the season goes on.

    Brockman and the Blades parted ways at the end of last season, and he is now the head coach and director of hockey operations with the Swift Current Broncos.

    Love, who is very accommodating, and his staff have successfully built off the foundation that they have inherited. While they look for continued improvement, they have put their stamp on the team.

    Colin Priestner has learned and improved in each season since taking over the role as Blades general manager before the start of the 2016-17 campaign. Priestner, whose father Mike owns the team, has made some really good trades over the past three years and overseen some good Bantam Drafts.

Riley McKay has provided energy playing the role of agitator.

    Priestner is showing he is turning out to be pretty accomplished in the general manager’s role, and he will likely be viewed that way when the dust settles over the long term.

    Besides bringing in Schuldhaus and Kneen, Priestner has added forwards Max Gerlach, Eric Florchuk and Gary Haden via the trade route over the past two seasons, and that trio adds a lot to the Blades with regards to scoring depth.
    Left-winger Riley McKay adds more spice on the ice adding energy as an agitator, while finding ways to add offensive contributions.

    Now, it just has to become the trendy thing to do in Saskatoon to attend Blades games.

Max Gerlach has remained a hot sharpshooter for the Blades.

    On the topic of looking good, the Blades brought back their classic Pac-Man look as their regular full-time look before the start of last season. The Blades wore that blue and gold look for some of their most successful years spanning from 1982 to 1994 posting a 479-353-32 regular season record over that time. Saskatoon reached the WHL championship series wearing that look in 1992 and 1994 and falling in seven games on both of those occasions.

    The Blades Pac-Man jerseys are still one of the best looking uniforms in hockey, so hopefully the trendy folks in Saskatoon take notice of that too.

    Wearing the Pac-Mans, the Blades gave their archrivals and the number one ranked team in the CHL in the Prince Albert Raiders (31-2-0-1) one of their three losses this season. In a beauty game, the Blades blanked the Raiders 1-0 on Dec. 9 at the SaskTel Centre.

The Blades hope to enjoy a number of victory celebrations after Christmas.

    The Blades have a great group to support, and they are winning and winning is always fun. Like the other for WHL Saskatchewan centres, here is hoping all the people in Saskatoon can let loose and feel free to indulge in the fun the Blades are providing this season.

    They return to action on Thursday when the host the Raiders at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    I know the team would love to see you all at the rink.

    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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Kushniruk on fire for Stars

Saskatoon forward has points in eight straight games

Makena Kushniruk has 16 points in the Stars last eight regular season games.

    Makena Kushniruk is suddenly all for playing through the Christmas break.

    The 15-year-old sophomore winger for the Saskatoon Stars has been on fire for a little over a month. On Saturday, Kushniruk had two goals including the winner in the third period to lift the defending Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League champions to a 3-2 regular season victory over the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats at Merlis Belsher Place.

    With those goals, Kushniruk has points in her last eight straight regular season games totaling 10 goals and six assists over that period of time. In helping the Stars post an 18-0 regular season record, Kushniruk has piled up 12 goals and 13 assists to sit fourth in the SFMAAAHL scoring race.

Makena Kushniruk (#10) celebrates her winning goal for the Stars.

    She has way surpassed her offensive totals from her rookie campaign last season, where she had three goals and eight assists appearing in all of the Stars 28 regular season contests.

    Kushniruk said her consecutive games point streak has greatly improved her confidence. As a rookie last season, she admitted there were times she was overwhelmed playing on a team that contained numerous standout veterans like Grace Shirley, Joelle Fiala, Anna Leschyshyn and Mackenna Parker. Parker graduated from the squad at the end of last season.

    “Last year was a little intimidating,” said Kushniruk. “I felt like I couldn’t take the puck.

    “I thought I always had to pass it to an older player, because they have more experience. I know now that it is not about that, and that I have the ability to do it.”

    More often than naught this season, Kushniruk has found herself as the trigger person playing on a forward line with Fiala, who is an ultra-skilled playmaker.

Makena Kushniruk, right, clears the puck on the penalty kill.

    With the Stars locked in a 2-2 tie in the third period with the Wildcats, Kushniruk tipped home a sweet set up pass from Fiala to net the winning goal for Saskatoon with 8:38 to play in the frame.

    “It feels just so good,” said Kushniruk about scoring the winning goal. “It doesn’t really matter if it was me or anyone else on the team.

    “It is just that we got the goal in and came out with the win.”

    Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian was pleased to see Kushniruk has found her offensive touch.

Joelle Fiala assisted on the Stars winning goal.

    “She had a real good summer this year, and she really developed,” said Slobodzian. “When she started this season, she came to camp and she was one of our best forwards at camp.

    “She sort of stumbled out of the gate at the beginning of the season. It wasn’t happening, and she started to get frustrated. We just sort of calmed her down a little bit and made her realize you still have put the effort in.

    “As soon as she started moving her feet, she is really smart, good with the puck and has that composure that I talk about all the time, things just started working for her. She has a hot hand right now.”

    Slobodzian said it has been big for the Stars to have another forward breakout offensively outside of the trio of Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala.

    “If you look at the scoresheet the last couple of games, I don’t know if Grace Shirley has a goal,” said Slobodzian. “For us to still come out on top with everyone else chipping in, it is a real good sign that we are building what we need to go deep.

    “Any time those players can start putting the numbers on the board and then consistently like Makena (Kushniruk), what it does is the other teams all of sudden have to look out for another player. It gives more room for those Grace Shirleys and Joelle Fialas.”

Anna Leschyshyn, right, scored the Stars first goal on Saturday.

    On Dec. 9, Kushniruk netted the winning goal in the third period for the Stars in the championship final of the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament in Wilcox, Sask. Saskatoon downed the host Notre Dame Hounds 3-1 in the title game.

    Kushniruk said she appreciates the fact her Stars won the Mandi Schwartz Tournament and have started 18-0 in the regular season. The Stars are now off until Jan. 10 in the new year, when they travel to Battleford to face the Battlefords Sharks.

    Kushniruk admits she would have loved to continue playing through the break considering the hot streak she is on personally.

Amaya Giraudier makes one of her 25 saves for the Wildcats.

    “I am a little bit worried coming off from like a two-week break,” said Kushniruk, whose older sister Jadyn plays for the Prince Albert Northern Bears. “I’m probably going to be like going to the ODR (outdoor rink) or something and just like still being on the ice and just always practising whether it is going to the gym or finding some open ice.”

    The Wildcats took a 1-0 first period lead in Saturday’s game on a goal from Layne Hryhoriw.

    Leschyshyn sent the teams into the first intermission locked in a 1-1 tie sniping home a low on ice shot with 21.5 seconds to play in the opening frame.

    Makena Kushniruk scored her first of the contest 16 seconds into the second period to give the Stars a 2-1 advantage.

    Brooklyn Rublee scored the equalizer for the Wildcats to force a 2-2 draw heading into the second intermission.

Ashley Messier gets set in the offensive zone for the Stars.

    With 12:05 remaining in the third period, Wildcats forward Baylee Kirwan was stopped on a penalty shot by Stars netminder Kaitlyn Cadrain.

    That set the stage for Kushniruk to score the winner in the third period.

    Cadrain made 18 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Amaya Giraudier turned away 25 shots to take the setback in net for the Wildcats, who fell to 6-9-1.

    The Wildcats return to regular season action on Jan. 5 in the new year, when travel to Battleford to take on the Battlefords Sharks.

    Kushniruk is looking forward to resuming play with the Stars after the Christmas break.

    “I am really excited,” said Kushniruk. “It is nice to have a little break.

The Stars celebrate their win over the Wildcats.

    “When we get back to the rink, we’re going to be working hard together.”

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Lind cementing legacy as Wildcats all-time best

Captain captures Swift Current’s career assists record

Taylor Lind is the Wildcats all-time leading scorer.

    Taylor Lind still appreciates how a veteran teammate helped alleviate some of her initial worries, when she started playing with the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats.

    Way back on Oct. 1, 2016, Lind, who stands 5-foot-7, made her Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season debut as an underage 14-year-old player with the Wildcats, who ultimately fell in that contest 2-1 after a tiebreaking shootout to the Prairie Fire in Melville. Lind didn’t have the affect she wanted to in that initial game.

    “I remember my first game I actually went scoreless,” said Lind. “I was like, “Oh man like this is going to be a long season.”

    “My buddy Chloe (Smith) she was the captain that year. She was on my line. She was like, “Hey, don’t worry.”

    “The next day I remember we came back, and I think as a line we had like five points or something. She was like, “See, they are going to come.””

Taylor Lind is the Wildcats career assists leader.

    In her second career SFMAAAHL game the very next night, Lind scored her first two regular season goals to help the Wildcats down the Prairie Fire in Melville 6-2.

    On Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place, Lind picked up an assist on the Wildcats second goal in their 6-3 setback to the defending SFMAAAHL champion Saskatoon Stars. With that helper, the 16-year-old centre moved past Smith as the Wildcats all-time leader in career regular season assists at 63.

    Lind, who is in her third SFMAAAHL season, now holds all of the Wildcats career regular season scoring records piling up 73 goals to go along with her 63 assists for 136 points in 70 games. The Shaunavon, Sask., product currently sits fifth on the SFMAAAHL’s all-time career points list.

    Smith had been the Wildcats all-time leader in career regular season points piling up 42 goals and 62 assists for 104 points in 110 games played from 2013 to 2017. Currently, Smith is playing in her sophomore season with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team in the U Sports ranks.

Taylor Lind is the Wildcats leader in career goals.

    While the Wildcats didn’t come out on the winning side of the scoreboard on Friday, Lind was proud she passed a good friend in Smith to become the team’s all-time leader in career regular season assists.

    “I guess it is pretty exciting leaving that big of a mark on the Wildcats,” said Lind, who is the Wildcats captain this season. “It is a great organization, and it has made me the player I am.

    “I have a lot of people here to thank. I mean, yeah, it is a huge accomplishment.”

    Wildcats head coach Terry Pavely said Lind’s impact on the Swift Current side goes beyond offensive statistics. The veteran bench boss said his star captain is one of the team’s hardest working players and has a good all-around game.

Wildcats C Taylor Lind (#13) battles Stars C Grace Shirley for a draw.

    “She is a real big part of our team,” said Pavely. “She is good leader who leads by example.

    “Obviously, her offensive skill is what everybody knows. People don’t realize how good she is defensively. We rely on her a lot in important defensive situations.

    “She is willing to accept that role and do whatever we ask. Everybody looks at her offensive prowess, but she is a pretty good all-around hockey player for us.”

    Lind said the fact she comes from a hockey loving family helps her game. Her father, Ashley, used to play.

    Older brother Kole used to star for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, and he now plays for the Utica Comets, who are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Older sister Tenelle is a rookie defender with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s hockey team.

Wildcats C Taylor Lind eludes Stars winger Anna Leschyshyn.

    Younger brother Kalan is putting up monster offensive numbers with the Swift Current Broncos bantam AA team as a 13-year-old forward.

    Mother, Marcia, has been a huge source of support for all her children in their hockey pursuits.

    “It has been crazy,” said Taylor Lind. “Everything growing up, it has always been a competition in our house.

    “It has really helped myself and all my siblings lots knowing everything you do you want to win. You want to be the top and the best, and you don’t want to stop until you are.”

Taylor Lind tries to work her way around the offensive zone.

    In Friday’s encounter with the Stars, the Wildcats fell behind 5-0 by the 8:31 mark of the third period. The visitors proceeded to score three straight goals to cut the Stars edge to 5-3, but the host side sealed victory with a goal from forward Calli Arnold with 2:59 remaining in the third period.

    Makena Kushniruk, Joelle Fiala, Chace Sperling, Kaylee Baun and Abby DeCorby each scored singles for the Stars. Forward Kaitlin Jockims had three assists for Saskatoon.

    Kenedee Klevgaard, Ashlee Wolfe and Shelby Rublee replied with singles for the Wildcats. Carissa Hogan had a pair of assists for Swift Current.

    Arden Kliewer turned away 17 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stars (17-0). Harper Davey stopped 21 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats (6-8-1).

Taylor Lind works the point on the power play for the Wildcats.

    Lind was proud her team continued even when the Stars took a sizable lead.

    “I’m glad to see the girls sticking with it,” said Lind, who works the point on the Wildcats power play. “For the past few games, we’ve been coming from behind and no give up at all, which is something I love to see.

    “In playoff season, it is going to come up huge. We have to start having some better starts. I mean the luck is going to come with our work ethic, because we didn’t question peoples’ work ethic today.”

    Lind, who will turn 17-years-old in early January, will play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks next season with the Lindenwood University Lions women’s hockey team in St. Charles, Missouri. She is excited to join former Wildcats teammate and good friend Taylor Kirwan on the Lions roster.

Taylor Lind is the Wildcats all-time greatest player.

    Before looking forward to playing with the Lions, Lind wants to finish out her time with the Wildcats on a big high.

    “The last time through I couldn’t imagine any better way to finish it off than a league title,” said Lind. “We aren’t looking anything short of that.

    “I know we have the group of girls in here to do it and the group of heart to do it. Hopefully, that is what we finish out with.”

    The Wildcats and Stars go at it again on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.