Raiders in rare air with 20-goal men

Maddix McCagherty (#17) celebrates scoring his 20th goal last Friday.

Do you like 20-goal men?

While the Prince Albert Raiders have lots of 20-goal men – eight to be exact. Entering play on Tuesday, they include Daxon Rudolph (28), Aiden Oiring (28), Max Heise (28), Brandon Gorzynski (27), Braeden Cootes (22), Jonah Sivertson (22), Brayden Dube (21) and Maddix McCagherty (20). At the moment, 18-year-old import rookie left-winger Alisher Sarkenov is sitting on 19 goals. If he scores one more goal, that would give the Raiders nine 20-goals scorers.

The Raiders 2018-19 WHL title winning team didn’t even have eight 20-goal scorers. The five players who hit the 20-goal mark in that campaign included Noah Gregor (43), Brett Leason (36), Parker Kelly (35), Cole Fonstad (29) and Sean Montgomery (29).

The last time the Raiders had eight players who hit the 20-goal plateau was back in the 1991-92 campaign. The players that hit the 20-goal mark that season included Lee Leslie (52), Jeff Nelson (48), Dan Kesa (46), Dean McAmmond (37), Donevan Hextall (33), Curtis Regnier (30), David Neilson (25) and Jeff Gorman (23).

If Sarkenov scores one more goal to hit 20, it would give the Raiders nine players who hit the 20-goal plateau for the first time since the 1985-86 campaign. That season they included Pat Elynuik (53), Ryan Stewart (52), Dale McFee (47), Tony Grenier (42), Steve Gotaas (40), Kim Issel (29),Scott Kruger (26), Emanuel Viveiros (22) and Rod Dallman (20).

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

Raiders one win away from top spot in Eastern Conference

Prince Albert downs Regina 8-4 to reach 50^th victory  

The Raiders enjoy the 20th goal from Alisher Sarkenov (#24) this season.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – One down. One to go.

The Prince Albert Raiders are one win away from locking up first place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. On Tuesday playing before 2,511 spectators at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders downed the visiting Regina Pats 8-4 in a WHL regular season contest for a fourth straight victory.

With the win, the Raiders improve to 50-10-5-1 marking the first time they’ve won 50-or-more games in a season since going 54-10-2-2 back in the 2018-19 campaign when they last won the WHL title and also topped the WHL’s regular season standings.

Ben Harvey had two goals for the Raiders on Tuesday.

In the current day, the Raiders need to win one of their final two games in order to lock up top spot in the Eastern Conference for the first time since that WHL championship season and ensure second place finish in the overall WHL standings. Standing in the Raiders way are their archrivals in the Saskatoon Blades.

Those two clubs close their respective regular season schedules playing a home-and-home series against each other. The Raiders will first attempt to take top spot at home on Friday, when they host the Blades at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. If Prince Albert isn’t able to take that contest, the Raiders get a second chance on Saturday when they meet the Blades at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

Keets Fawcett scored his 30th goal of the campaign for the Pats.

The Raiders currently sit two points up on the Medicine Hat Tigers (48-10-5-3). Prince Albert would lock up top spot in the conference with one more win due to being assured of claiming a standings tiebreaker of finishing with more wins than Medicine Hat in that scenario. The Raiders are rated fourth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, while the Tigers are rated fifth in the ratings.

Prince Albert opened the scoring of Tuesday’s clash with Regina right after killing the first penalty of the contest in the first period.

Right when the kill came to an end, Raiders rookie defenceman Benett Kelly, who turned 18 in February, got a hold of the puck in his own zone a fired a pass up to centre ice to Raiders 16-year-old right-winger Ben Harvey, who just got out of the penalty box after serving a minor infraction. Harvey jetted into the Regina zone on a breakaway and fired home his 13^th marker of the year through the legs of Pats netminder Marek Schlenker to put the host side up 1-0 at the 5:49 mark of the frame.

Braeden Cootes had one goal and two assists for the Raiders.

Just 2:26 into the second, Raiders star centre Braeden Cootes popped home his 23^rd of the season from low in the left faceoff circle to push the host side’s lead out to 2-0. The Pats responded 59 seconds later when rookie left-winger Mathis Paull, who turned 17 in late January, snipped home his seventh of the campaign on a two-on-one break to cut the Raiders lead to 2-1.

Right before the midway point of the second, Raiders right-wingers Riley Boychuk and Jonah Sivertson netted singles to give the Raiders a 4-1 advantage. Prince Albert took that three-goal lead into the second intermission holding a 28-11 edge in shots on goal.

Mathis Paull had one goal for the Pats on Tuesday.

Just 71 seconds into the third, Pats left-winger Keets Fawcett netted his 30^th goal of the season, and star defenceman Reese Hamilton tallied on the power play at the 9:03 mark of the frame to cut Prince Albert’s lead to 4-3.

Raiders 18-year-old import left-winger Alisher Sarkenov proceeded to put home a backhander from the front of the Regina net for his 20^th goal of the season. Brayden Dube and Max Heise proceeded to add singles for Prince Albert to make the host’s lead sit at 7-3.

Pats 19-year-old centre Ellis Mieyette proceeded to score for Regina and Harvey picked up his second of the contest for the hosts to round out the 8-4 final in favour of the Raiders.

With Sarkenov hitting the 20-goal mark, the Raiders now have nine players on their team who have scored 20-or-more goals this season, which is the most for the club since the 1985-86 campaign.

Alisher Sarkenov is 20-goal man number nine for the Raiders.

For the current Raiders, their 20-goal scorers include Heise (29), Daxon Rudolph (28), Aiden Oiring (28), Brandon Gorzynski (27), Cootes (23), Sivertson (23), Dube (22), Maddix McCagherty (20) and Sarkenov (20).

The Raiders 20-goal scorers from the 1985-86 campaign included Pat Elynuik (53), Ryan Stewart (52), Dale McFee (47), Tony Grenier (42), Steve Gotaas (40), Kim Issel (29), Scott Kruger (26), Emanuel Viveiros (22) and Rod Dallman (20).

Michal Orsulak stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Cootes had a pair of assists to go with his goal and finished with a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department.

Schlenker turned away 34-of-40 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats. He was pulled after the Raiders sixth goal at the 11:11 mark of the third period.

Jonah Sivertson scored for the Raiders on Tuesday.

Associate player call up in 16-year-old Drake Mooney played the rest of the way in relief turning away 7-of-9 shots sent his way. Mooney had been playing with the Prairie Hockey Academy U18 Prep team in Moose Jaw, Sask.

The Pats fall to 25-32-7-2 with the loss and are still holding on to seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They need one more standings point to clinch a berth in the WHL Playoffs.

The Pats close their regular season schedule with a home-and-home series with the Brandon Wheat Kings. The two sides play on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre in Regina on Friday, and they meet again on Saturday at Assiniboine Credit Union Place in Brandon at 6 p.m. local time.

The Raiders celebrate their 50th win of the season on Tuesday.

Now, the Raiders turn their attention to Friday’s home game against the Blades. If the Raiders take that clash to capture a first place finish in the Eastern Conference, the party is going to be on for their faithful in “Hockey Town North.”

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

-------

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.

Raiders survive major scare by Pats’ Tabashniuk

Prince Albert claims 2-1 (SO) victory over Regina

An extremely hot goaltender almost threw a wrench into the Prince Albert Raiders chances for finishing first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

On Saturday night, the Raiders traveled to Regina to face the Pats, and were almost stonewalled by Regina’s 18-year-old rookie netminder Taylor Tabashniuk. Tabashniuk was turning away everything including the kitchen sink and looked like he was going to steal a victory to the delight of the 5,558 spectators at the Brandt Centre.

Pats 17-year-old centre Zachary Lansard scored his 23^rd goal of the campaign with 2:13 remaining in the third to give the host side a 1-0 lead. With 50.3 seconds remaining in the frame and the Raiders having pulled star import netminder Michal Orsulak for an extra skater, Raiders star centre Max Heise popped home his 28^th goal of the season to even the score at 1-1 and force overtime.

After playing through a scoreless three-versus-three overtime session, the contest went to a tiebreaking shootout. Ben Harvey and Braeden Cootes scored for the Raiders in the shootout as the visitors took the tiebreaking session 2-0 and the overall WHL regular season contest 2-1.

The victory was a third straight for the Raiders, who improved to 49-10-5-1. They have the identical amount of standings points as the Medicine Hat Tigers at 104 in the race for top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Tigers won their third straight downing the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-5 in overtime on Saturday night at Co-op Place to improve to 48-10-5-3.

Prince Albert holds the standings tiebreaker over Medicine Hat due to having more wins. The Raiders, who are fourth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have three games remaining on their regular season schedule, while the Tigers, who are fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have two games left on their regular season slate. If the Raiders win two of their final three games, they will lock up top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Pats saw their record move to 25-30-7-2 picking up one standings point with the extra time setback to remain seventh in the Eastern Conference. They need to earn one more standings point over their last three games to lock up a berth in the WHL Playoffs.

Along with Tabashniuk’s play and the late rally by the Raiders, Saturday’s clash included a spirited fight near the end of the second period between Raiders 19-year-old import rookie defenceman Matyas Man and Pats 17-year-old rookie right-winger Shea Rollason.

After the Raiders were denied on countless scoring chances, Lansard received a cross-ice pass from linemate Mathis Paul at the right side of the Prince Albert net and popped home the go-ahead goal to give the hosts their 1-0 lead. Lansard’s marker came on the Pats second shot of the period and 14^th shot on goal in the contest.

With 50.3 seconds remaining in the third, Heise received a pass in front of the Regina net from the right corner of the Pats zone from linemate Brayden Dube. Heise fired a shot to the top right corner of the Regina goal to even the score at 1-1 and force overtime. Heise’s tally came on the Raiders 22^nd shot of the period and 51^st shot on goal in the contest.

In overtime, Orsulak allowed the Raiders to stay in the big game making three big saves coming off the sticks of Pats forwards Cohen Klassen, Ellis Mieyette and Ruslan Karimov. Karimov was denied during a power-play chance late in the stanza.

In the shootout, Harvey, who is a 16-year-old rookie right-winger, was the Raiders second shooter, and he scored a highlight reel goal that was absolutely sick. Cootes sealed the win as the Raiders third shooter snapping home a mid-height shot glove side on Tabashniuk.

Tabashniuk turned back 52 shots over 65 minutes and one of three shooters in the shootout. Orsulak stopped 16 shots over 65 minutes and both shooters he faced in the shootout.

The Pats return to action on Sunday when they travel to Moose Jaw to face the 23-35-5-2 Warriors (2 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

The Raiders get back at it on Tuesday when they return home to host the Pats (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Tigers rally for 6-5 (OT) win over Hurricanes

The Medicine Hat Tigers nearly didn’t go 8-0 against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

On Saturday playing at home before 5,209 spectators at Co-op Place, the Tigers found themselves trailing the rival Hurricanes for most of the final WHL regular season clash between the two sides in the 2025-26 campaign. The Hurricanes were holding a 5-3 lead with 11:31 to play in the third after 17-year-old right-winger Kai Anderson scored his second goal of the contest.

With 10:06 remaining in the third, Tigers star centre Markus Ruck deflected home his 20^th goal of the season in front of the Lethbridge net to cut the Hurricanes edge to 5-4. Ruck got a smart stick on a point shot from import defenceman Veeti Vaisanen.

With 4:30 remaining in the third, Tigers 18-year-old left-winger Kade Stengrim potted his hat trick tally of the contest and 23^rd marker of the campaign to even the score at 5-5 and force overtime.

Tigers star right-winger Liam Ruck ended things scoring his second goal of the contest at the 1:56 mark of overtime to give the host side a 6-5 comeback victory.

Tomas Malinek, Oli Chenier and Kayden Longley all had singles for the Hurricanes.

Jordan Switzer stopped 12 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers, who did indeed win all eight head-to-head meetings with the Hurricanes in 2025-26. Leif Oaten turned away 38 shots to take the setback in net for the Hurricanes.

The win was a third straight for the Tigers as they improved to 48-10-5-3 for 104 standings points. They have the same amount of standings points as the Prince Albert Raiders (49-10-5-1) in a battle for top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders downed the host Pats in Regina 2-1 after a tiebreaking shootout on Saturday night.

Prince Albert holds the standings tiebreaker over Medicine Hat due to having more wins. The Raiders, who are fourth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have three games remaining on their regular season schedule, while the Tigers, who are fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have two games left on their regular season slate. If the Raiders win two of their final three games, they will lock up top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Markus Ruck finished Saturday’s game with one goal and two assists for the Tigers. He leads the WHL scoring race with 102 points coming off 20 goals and 82 assists. Liam Ruck, who is Markus’s twin brother, sits second in the WHL scoring race with 99 points coming off 43 goals and 56 assists.

The Tigers have also eclipsed their wins and standings points total from last season when they topped the Eastern Conference with a 47-17-3-1 mark for 98 points. They have also scored more goals this season at 331 than they did last season at 300.

Last season, the Tigers had superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna on their roster, and he took home honours as the WHL player of the year and the CHL player of the year. McKenna is currently playing in the NCAA ranks with the Penn State University Nittany Lions.

The Hurricanes record moved to 17-44-3-1 to sit second last in the overall WHL standings.

They return to action on Wednesday returning home to host the 25-34-4-2 Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m. local time, VisitLethbridge.com Arena).

The Tigers get back at it on Friday when they travel to Red Deer to take on the Rebels (7 p.m. local time, Marchant Crane Centrium).

Silvertips work over time to clinch first overall in WHL

The Everett Silvertips worked overtime to lock up first place overall in the WHL.

On Saturday, star import centre Julius Miettinen, who turned 20-years-old in January, scored his 32^nd goal of the campaign at the three-minute mark of overtime to deliver the host Silvertips to a 4-3 victory over the Penticton Vees to a raucous gathering of 8,249 spectators at the Angel of the Winds Arena. The victory allowed the Silvertips to increase their winning streak to nine games and improve to 54-7-2-1 to capture the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for finishing first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings for a second straight year.

The Silvertips 54 wins and 111 standings points equaled team records that were set in the 2006-07 campaign. In 2006-07, the Silvertips posted a 54-15-1-2 mark to finish first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings.

Currently, the Silvertips are rated first in the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings.

In Saturday’s win over the Vees, Tarin Smith scored twice for the Silvertips, while Zackary Shantz had a single. Ryden Evers replied with a pair of goals for the Vees, while Matteo Danis had a single.

Anders Miller stopped 40 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips. Andrew Reyelts turned away 34 shots to take the setback in net for the Vees.

With the extra time setback, the Vees record moved to 41-14-6-4 to remain second overall in the Western Conference and fourth overall in the WHL. The Vees are rated eighth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Silvertips return to action on Sunday when they travel to Portland to take on the 29-29-6-1 Winterhawks (4 p.m. local time, Veterans Memorial Coliseum).

The Vees return to action on Tuesday when they host the 26-34-4-1 Tri-City Americans (6:30 p.m. local time, South Okanagan Events Centre).

The previous two times the Silvertips finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings in 2006-07 and 2024-25, they were eliminated in a Western Conference semifinal series both times in the WHL Playoffs.

Blades rebound with win over Broncos

One day after suffering a disappointment, the Saskatoon Blades rebounded against the foe that caused the disappointment.

On Friday at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades held a 3-1 lead early in the third period over the visiting Swift Current Broncos only for the Broncos to rally for three straight goals to pull out a 4-3 victory in overtime in a WHL regular season clash. On Saturday playing before 2,488 spectators at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current, those two squads met again, and the visiting Blades pulled out a 4-2 victory scoring twice inside the final two minutes of the third period.

Just 38 seconds into the first, rookie left-winger Carter Moen, who turned 17-years-old in late February, scored his 10^th of the season to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead. The Blades would score twice before the nine-minute mark of the opening frame to take a 2-1 lead with goals coming off the sticks of defenceman Jordan Martin and star centre Cooper Williams.

With 2:42 remaining in the second, Broncos 19-year-old right-winger Hudson Darby scored on a breakaway to even the score at 2-2.

The second period had an increase of feisty play with a couple of fights breaking out in the frame. With 7:01 remaining in the frame, Blades defenceman Jack Kachkowski took on Broncos centre Brock Burch. With less than a minute remaining in the third, Blades offensive-defenceman Brayden Klimpke took on Moen in a spirited bout.

In the third, Blades 17-year-old rookie left-winger Ben Bowtell scored the winner for the visitors with 6:44 remaining in the frame. Blades captain Tyler Parr scored an empty-net goal with less than 35 seconds remaining in the stanza to round out the 4-2 final score in favour of the visitors.

Associate player call up Taye Timmerman, who turned 19-years-old in late February, made his first WHL start and stopped 11 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Timmerman had been playing in the junior A ranks with the Warman Wolverines of the SJHL.

Archer Cooke turned away 34-of-37 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos.

Rowan Calvert, Hunter Laing and Klimpke each picked up two assists for the Blades in the win.

The Blades improved to 33-25-5-2 with the victory to remain sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. As the WHL Playoffs near, the Blades can’t finish any lower than sixth in the conference and the highest they can finish is fifth in the conference before opening up play in the post-season.

In order for the Blades to finish fifth in the conference, they need to win their remaining three games and would need the Brandon Wheat Kings (38-25-2) to lose all of their remaining three contests in regulation time.

The Broncos fell to 14-43-4-5 to sit last in the WHL.

The Blades return to action on Wednesday when they host the Wheat Kings (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Broncos get back at it on Friday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (7 p.m., InnovationPlex).

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

-------

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.

Rudolph equals Raiders record held by Morrissey

Prince Albert romps over Moose Jaw 11-0

Daxon Rudolph scored his 28th goal of the season on Friday.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Daxon Rudolph wants to take things as they come when it comes to being the lone holder of a cool Prince Albert Raiders team record.

The star defenceman is happy to be sharing a Raiders team mark with one of the best playing along the blue-line in the current day. On Friday playing before a standing room crowd of 2,890 spectators at the 2,580 seat storied and historic Art Hauser Centre, Rudolph, who turned 18-years-old on March 6, had a goal and three assists helping his Raiders romp to an 11-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors in a WHL regular season clash.

With the Raiders holding a 1-0 lead entering the second, Rudolph tallied on the power play firing home a shot the front of the Moose Jaw net to the top right corner of the goal to put the Raiders up 2-0. That tally was Rudolph’s 28^th goal of the season and it equaled the Raiders team record for most goals in one regular season by a defenceman.

Daxon Rudolph equaled the one season record for goals by a D-man.

Josh Morrissey, who is a star defenceman with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, was the first blue-liner to score 28 goals in regular season for the Raiders, when he was the team’s captain in the 2013-14 campaign. During that season, Morrissey recorded 28 goals and 45 assists for 73 points in 59 regular season games to go with a plus-six rating in the plus-minus department. Morrissey’s 28 goals for one season a Raiders defenceman went unmatched until Rudolph picked up his 28^th tally on Friday.

“It feels good,” said Rudolph, who also had a plus-three rating on Friday. “I mean, obviously being named with a guy like (Josh) Morrissey is pretty special.

The Raiders celebrate Daxon Rudolph’s 28th goal of the season.

“He is having a tremendous career, and he is going to play for a lot more years to come. (It is) pretty cool for sure, and I hope to break it here in the next couple of games. I am just happy about the two points.

“The team played a really good game.”

In a game where seemingly everyone on the Raiders was having a good night, Rudolph’s accomplishment wasn’t lost amongst the team’s coaches and players. The rearguard also leads the Raiders in scoring with 74 points coming off his 28 goals to go with 46 assists and a plus-26 rating appearing in all of the team’s 64 games this season.

Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said it has been special to watch Rudolph have the season he has had as a second-year player in the WHL. The bench boss said equaling the team record for most goals by a defenceman held by Morrissey makes Rudolph’s campaign even extra special.

Daxon Rudolph leads the Raiders in scoring with 74 points.

“It is impressive,” said McDonald. “You watch how he does his business out there.

“You just watch in the first period where he is getting pucks past the first layer of blocks that he did. He got pucks there (to the net) and shot with a purpose to create rebounds. When he got his opportunity, he was able to put it in the back of the net.

“His hockey I.Q. is through the roof defensively and offensively with how he does stuff like that.”

While Rudolph had a great night, Raiders 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ben Harvey had an even more memorable night. In the win, he led the Raiders in goals (three), assists (three), points (six) and plus-minus (plus-six).

Daxon Rudolph had three assists and a plus-three rating on Friday.

Harvey’s hat trick was his first in his WHL career. Still, he was pumped Rudolph equaled Morrissey’s Raiders record for most goals in one season by a defenceman. Harvey and Rudolph were part of the Northern Alberta Xtreme academy program for a couple of seasons from 2022 to 2024, so the young forward was pumped to see his long time friend equal a Raiders team record with one of the club’s most famous alums.

“It is obviously something that is very cool going up with him (Rudolph) and knowing him before I came here,” said Harvey. “He is obviously a very special player.

“He is going to do great things in his career. To tie a record put up by such a great defenceman (in Morrissey), I am not surprised. He (Rudolph) is a great player.

Ben Harvey celebrates his first of three goals on Friday.

“It is something very cool to be a part of.”

Harvey scored his first of the night just 21 seconds after Rudolph’s tally to give the Raiders a 3-0 advantage. The host side would proceed to surge out to 7-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

On the Raiders fifth goal that came at the 9:28 mark of the second period, Rudolph had the puck in prime shooting position at the left point. Instead of going for lone possession of the goals record there, he started a tick-tack-toe passing play that saw the puck go to star centre Braeden Cootes and then to breakout star centre Max Heise, who popped home his 27^th tally of the campaign.

Maddix McCagherty had two goals and two assists on Friday.

“I try not to think about it (the goals record) too much when I’m out there,” said Rudolph. “I just always try to make the right play.

“I saw Cootesy (Cootes) open there through the seam, and he fired one right back to Heise, who ended up putting it in the back of the net. (It was) a really nice play by our power play. I thought we were pretty good tonight.”

In the third with the Raiders rolling with a more than comfortable lead and ultimately adding four more goals in that frame, it was apparent that thoughts about helping Rudolph get the record came up. During a couple of offensive zone faceoffs, the Raiders lined up with a set play to give Rudolph a shooting chance, if they could execute on the draw.

Rudolph said his defensive partner and Raiders captain in Justice Christensen talked to him about getting the record in the third.

“Justice (Christensen) is a little bit bugging me on the bench about it and trying to get me another one,” said Rudolph. “He fired a pass to me I remember off the rush.

Braeden Cootes had one goal and three assists for the Raiders.

“I shot one, but it didn’t end up going in. Really, (it is) not the end of the day or not the end of the world. I’m not thinking about it a whole lot.

“It is cool, obviously, and you want to get another one. You are just trying to play hockey and make the right play.”

In Friday’s win, Raiders standout left-winger Maddix McCagherty had two goals, two assists and a plus-five rating. Cootes finished with one goal, three assists and a plus-three rating. Alisher Sarkenov, Jonah Sivertson and Brock Cripps all had singles for the Raiders.

Michal Orsulak stopped 17 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Raiders.

Chase Wutzke turned away 19-of-24 shots starting in net and taking the loss for the Warriors. He was pulled after the Raiders fifth goal. Kyle Jones turned aside 18-of-24 shots playing the rest of the way in relief for the visitors.

The Raiders return to action on Saturday when they travel to Regina to take on the Pats (6 p.m., Brandt Centre).

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Warriors get back at it on Sunday when they return home and host the Pats (2 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

Going forward, McDonald said Rudolph has a pretty good shot at outright breaking Morrissey’s record as the Raiders continue to push for first overall in the Eastern Conference.

“For him (Rudolph), we got more games left in the holster here,” said McDonald. “He is going to get lots of opportunities to get that opportunity.

“He is a tremendous player, and he is a team first guy. That is where his mind is at.”

Odds and Ends:

Michal Orsulak picked up his third shutout of the season.

• With Friday’s win, the Raiders improve to 48-10-5-1 and remain tied with the Medicine Hat Tigers (47-10-5-3) for first in the Eastern Conference at 102 standings points. Prince Albert has a game in hand on Medicine Hat. The Raiders hold the standings tiebreaker due to having more wins.
• Orsulak picked up his third shutout of the season in Friday’s win. In 33 games in the 2025-25 campaign, the star rookie import netminder has posted a 25-4-4 record, a 2.27 goals against average and a .907 save percentage to go with his three shutouts.
• Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary is searching for one more win to become his team’s all-time leader in regular season head coaching victories. O’Leary is tied with Tim Hunter with 189 career wins.
• The Warriors fell to 23-35-5-2 with the loss and sit ninth in the Eastern Conference two points back of the Red Deer Rebels (25-34-3-2) for eighth place and the conference’s final playoff berth. Red Deer has one game in hand on Moose Jaw.
• Only four Raiders skaters were held without a point on Friday. They included Christensen, Riley Boychuk, Brandon Gorzynski and Owen Corkish.
• The Raiders were 2-for-3 on the power play on Friday, while the Warriors were unable to score on their one chance with the man advantage.
• The Raiders wore fan designed jerseys on Friday as part of CHL promotion. The jerseys were auctioned off online with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to President’s Choice Children’s Charity to help feed one-million children a year.

Stanks’ Three Stars

Ben Harvey had three goals and three assists on Friday.

1. Ben Harvey, (Raiders) – Had a career night with three goals, three assists and a plus-six rating. That is one of the most impressive outings seen by a 16-year-old Raiders rookie in recent years.
   
2. Daxon Rudolph, (Raiders) – Had one goal, three assists and a plus-three rating. He controlled play for the back end every time he stepped on the ice.
3. Maddix McCagherty, (Raiders) - Had two goals, two assists and a plus-five rating. He was one of many Raiders players who were rolling.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. This piece can also be found in the Prince Albert Daily Herald by clicking right here.

-------

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.

Rush in driver’s seat in chase for first in NLL

Captain Ryan Keenan and the Rush sit first overall in the NLL.

For anyone who hasn’t heard, the good days are back for the Saskatchewan Rush.

Last season, the Rush finished second overall in the NLL posting a 13-5 record. That ended a reload stretch for the Rush where they just missed the post-season posting respective 8-10 records for three straight campaigns.

In the 2025 NLL Playoffs, the Rush advanced to the best of three NLL Championship Series where they fell 2-1 to the Buffalo Bandits, who claimed a third straight league title and their record seventh NLL championship in team history. In the series-deciding Game 3 on May 24, 2025 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y., the Rush trailed 7-6 at halftime only to see everything go the Bandits way in the second half outscoring the Saskatchewan side 8-0 to roll to a 15-6 victory.

After returning to the NLL final in 2025 since last winning the league championship in 2018, the Rush entered the current campaign with the belief that it will be a special season. They jumped out to a 10-1 start thanks to a nine-game winning streak.

Their last two outings were heartbreakers. On February 27, they fell 11-10 in overtime to the three-time defending NLL champion Bandits in Buffalo, and one night later, the Rush came out on the wrong end of a 13-12 overtime decision to the Knighthawks in Rochester.

Still, the Rush still sit first overall in the NLL with their 10-3 record. They are holding off the Colorado Mammoth and Vancouver Warriors, who are both 9-4 and the Georgia Swarm, who are 8-4.

Going into the final stretch of the NLL regular season, the Rush are sitting in a good place when it comes to the race for top spot as they play four of their final five games in the friendly confines of their home venue in the SaskTel Centre. The Rush are 5-0 at home this season.

On Saturday, the Rush begin that final sprint when they host the San Diego Seals (6-6) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Seals are battling for their post-season lives sitting in a tie for seventh and eighth overall in the league with the Bandits. The top eight teams in the NLL’s overalls standings qualify for the post-season.

Robert Church has 67 points for the Rush so far this season.

The Rush last played at home on February 14, when they slipped past the Warriors 9-8 in overtime before a season-high crowd of 7,319 spectators at the SaskTel Centre. That should set the anticipation appetite for the upcoming clash with the Seals.

Leading the way for Saskatchewan are two of the team’s legends in Ryan Keenan and Robert Church. Keenan, who is the team’s captain, sits sixth in league scoring with 74 points coming off 31 goals and 43 assists. Church, who debuted with the Rush when the franchise was still in Edmonton back in the 2013-14 campaign, is ninth in league scoring with 67 points coming off 24 goals and 43 assists.

Veteran forwards Zach Manns and Austin Shanks are both having big years again for the Rush. Manns has 63 points coming off 29 goals and 34 assists, while Shanks has 57 points coming off 23 goals and 34 assists.

Long time transition player Mike Messenger and grizzled defender Matt Hossack have made their presence known. Messenger sits fifth in the NLL collecting 109 loose balls and third in blocked shots at 19. Hossack is tied for fourth in the NLL with caused turnovers at 20.

Young transition player Jake Naso continues to be a battler when it comes to faceoffs winning 203-of-301 faceoffs for a 67.4 per cent success rate.

In net, reliable star goalie Frank Scigliano leads the NLL with 10 victories posting a 10-2 record, a 9.08 goals against average and a 80.0 per cent save percentage.

Back on January 2, NLL icon Derek Keenan, who is the co-head coach and general manager of the Rush, became the first person in the history of the league to coach in his 300^th game. Along with co-head coach and associate general manager Jimmy Quinlan, the Rush have no worries when it comes to coaching.

The Rush have a real shot to win their fourth NLL title in team history and first championship since 2018. If anyone hasn’t been on the Rush bandwagon for some time, now is the time to get back on.

Title run for Huskies women’s hoopsters impressive

Gage Grassick and the Huskies are U Sports champs once again.

The U Sports women’s basketball championship trophy – The Bronze Baby – is finding a regular home on the University of Saskatchewan campus grounds.

On Sunday at the Amphitheatre Desjardins-Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec, the fifth-seeded Huskies took the title game of the U Sports Championship Tournament 77-68 over the second seeded University of New Brunswick Reds. That marked the second straight year the Huskies have won the U Sports title.

The Huskies have now won four U Sports titles in their team history with the first championship coming in 2016.

In Sunday’s win over the Red, Huskies fourth-year star guard Logan Reider led all scorers with 19 points, which included making 4-of-9 shots from three-point range. Fifth-year forward Ella Murphy Wiebe recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Fourth-year guard Maya Flindall fired home 17 points, while superstar point guard Gage Grassick posted 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.

The Huskies were up 52-50 after three quarters before pulling away for the win.

Murphy Wiebe was named the tournament MVP and a tournament all-star, while Grassick, who was named the Canada West Conference player of the year in each of the past two seasons, was also named to the tournament all-star team.

In 2025, the Huskies downed the Carleton University Ravens 85-66 in the U Sports title game in Vancouver. Those two squads met in the 2024 U Sports championship game in Edmonton, where the Ravens prevailed 70-67. That was the Ravens second straight U Sports title win.

The Huskies went through the 2025-26 U Sports regular season with a perfect 20-0 record to finish first in the Canada West Conference. Dating back to the 2024-25 campaign, the Huskies put together a program record 51-game overall winning streak.

Their winning streak came to an end on February 21, when they fell 61-58 in a Canada West semifinal to the University of Calgary Dinos on home court at the Physical Activity Complex on the U of S grounds. The Dinos went on to win the Canada West title.

The Huskies were awarded an at-large wildcard berth to the elite-eight U Sports Championship Tournament. In a quarter-final on March 5, they downed the fifth-seeded University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 71-55. In a semifinal on March 7, the Huskies grinded out a 55-43 victory over the eighth-seeded and tournament host Universite Laval Rouge et Or.

That set the stage for the title game victory over the Reds.

After that win, Grassick, Murphy Wiebe, forward Tea DeMong, guard Andrea Dodig and guard Anna Maelde all exhausted their respective U Sports eligibilities completing their fifth-years at that level. Going into the off-season Huskies iconic head coach Lisa Thomaidis will be faced with a reload.

With that said, the Huskies have set an impressive positive culture, so the reload might not take that long.

Last medal hurrah for Canada at Winter Olympics? Other notes

A Canadian flag.

For the sixth straight Winter Olympics, Canada won 20 or more medals, but one has to wonder if it will be the end of the line for that string of success.

At this past Winter Olympics that ran February 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Canada collected a total of 21 medals including five gold, seven silver and nine bronze. First, I have to say I was proud of all the athletes who represented Canada, and I enjoyed watching those games.

With that said, I wonder if these most recent Winter Olympics will mark the last time Canada gets 20 or more medals at those games.

Back in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., Canada had the most gold medal wins at those games at 14 and the third most total medals at 26. The highlight, of course, was winning gold in both women’s and men’s hockey.

The performance at those games could be credited to the Own the Podium program running in strong form. While you can pick apart the horrible parts in the world of politics, I always felt like sports was a priority when Stephen Harper was the prime minister of Canada and the Conservatives ruled at the federal government level.

At this point in my life, the last prime minister I actually liked for Canada was Paul Martin and the Liberals under his watch, and they were last in power in early 2006. Actually, the last time core federal funding was increased for Canada’s 62 federally funded national sport organizations was in 2005 under that federal government.

When Harper was the prime minister, it did feel like there was an attitude from the federal government of wanting to win. Under the current federal government with the ruling Liberal party that is not like the Liberal party under Martin’s watch, it feels like the attitude is to just be in the mix and be a try hard nation when it comes to sports.

While I understand current Prime Minister Mark Carney has more than enough issues to occupy his time, it has felt like the Liberals have had the just be in the mix and try hard attitude for sports for some time.

Even after the Liberals became the ruling party at the federal level in 2015, Canada posted its highest metal total win at a Winter Olympics in 2018 at Pyeongchang, South Korea, with 29 medals including 11 gold, eight silver and 10 bronze. It seemed like those totals were a residual result from the push that happened in 2010 in Vancouver.

The total medal count has decreased in each of the next two Winter Olympics for Canada. For the Winter Olympics that just wrapped up, it seemed like a large number of athletes who won medals for Canada were in their 30s. While that is cool to see, you start wondering if those athletes will be part of the picture in four years time and wonder when the younger generation is going to come in.

As far as the Olympics go in either the Summer or Winter games in Canada, it seems the bulk of the country is on the bandwagon when Canada is winning medals. If Canada isn’t winning medals, there is apathy unless gold medal wins are not coming in women’s and men’s hockey.

I do believe there is a desire to get more young people into sports in Canada playing more of a recreation fashion, and I am all for that. Actually, I am all for getting people of all ages involved in all sorts of activities that gets them away from screen time on phones, computers and televisions. I believe the amount of time people spend on those devices is ridiculous.

If there is no new core federal funding for sports or no new avenues for funding for sports in Canada, I can’t see any want in the sports realm getting satisfied. At this point, I am expecting to see another drop in total medals won by Canada at the 2030 Winter Olympics to be held in the French Alps in France from February 1 to 17 of that year.

• The Prince Albert Raiders and the Medicine Hat Tigers are engaged in a sprint for first overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. Both teams have 100 standings points with the Raiders sporting a 47-10-5-1 mark, while the Tigers have a 46-10-5-3 record. The Raiders have a game in hand on the Tigers and currently hold the standings tiebreaker due to having more wins.
• With teams having anywhere from four to six games remaining on their respective regular season schedules, the WHL’s four division winners have been determined. At the moment, they all sit in the top four of the circuit’s overall standings. The U.S. Division champion Everett Silvertips (52-7-2-1) are first, the East Division champion Prince Albert Raiders (47-10-5-1) are second, the Central Division champion Medicine Hat Tigers (46-10-5-3) are third and the U.S. Division champion in the first-year Penticton Vees (41-13-5-4) are fourth. If those squads remain in the top four, it will mark the first time the WHL’s division winners have occupied the top four spots in the overall standings at the end of a season since the 2021-22 campaign.
• Medicine Hat Tigers star twin forwards Markus and Liam Ruck could finish in the top two of the WHL scoring race. At the moment, Markus leads the WHL scoring race with 98 points coming off 19 goals and 79 assists. Liam is second with 97 points coming off 41 goals and 56 assists. Both turned 18-years-old on February 21 and are expected to be high-level picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
• A salute has to go to Saskatoon Blades manager Tanner Chubey for overseeing the great production his team puts on for their Victory Plus online home broadcasts. Chubey hosts a pre-game show as well as segments during both intermissions. He has done catch up interviews with a number of Blades alums on those broadcasts including alums that are coaches or managers with other WHL teams. The Blades home broadcasts I have seen have looked really good on Victory Plus. On top of doing that, Chubey coordinates all the post-game interviews and all the website and social media updates that the team needs done at game’s end too. A lot of that work ends up being really thankless, but the fans benefit the most when it is done.
• Naim Cardinal put together an outstanding piece on the Indigenous Rookie Cards site making the case that Prince Albert Raiders icon forward Dan Hodgson should be on the CHL’s Top 50 Players List for top 50 players in the last 50 years that was announced on February 10. The list attempts to weigh the impacts a player had in both his CHL days and professional days. Part of Cardinal’s case includes giving Hodgson’s professional accomplishments in Europe more weight. It is a great piece to check out, and it can be found right here.
• Due to battling illness over the last 10 days of February, I wasn’t able to get this teased earlier. On February 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a story on pitcher Garrett Hawkins heading to Spring Training as a member of the San Diego Padres MLB 40-man roster. Hawkins earned that opportunity after coming back from injury and having a great season in the minors in 2025 .The piece on Hawkins can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by images of familiar local area football faces playing in the Saskatoon Adult Flag Football League. That post can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a post that saluted forever Saskatoon StarPhoenix sportswriter Darren Zary heading into retirement on the blog. That piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On March 9, I had my most recent new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on Nicole Ostertag making a triumphant return to track and field. In the piece, Ostertag talked about how she almost quit the sport after a rough couple years on the injury and illness front. The piece on Ostertag can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by images of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team doing off-season training at the Indoor Training Centre. That post can be found by clicking right here.
• On Friday, I am going to have another back to the future moment with the independent Prince Albert Daily Herald. I’ve been back in the pages of the Daily Herald for some time including writing a regular WHL column for the longtime outlet since 2021. I was the main sportswriter there from 2001 to 2004 before moving on to the Medicine Hat News. On Friday night, I will be doing my first Prince Albert Raiders game story for the outlet since an exhibition contest in September of 2004. The Raiders host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Art Hauser Centre. With the Raiders busy schedule, the gamer is going to be just online from my understanding. I might bring back my “Stanks’ Three Stars” for that night from my days with the News, which I did for WHL game stories for that outlet. I just never thought of doing that in my run with the Daily Herald from 2001 to 2004. Anyways, feel free to check the Daily Herald site on Saturday morning for my Raiders gamer, which can be found by clicking right here.

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

-------

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.

Blades’ sheriff Calvert hauls in Warriors’ Wutzke

Saskatoon sinks Moose Jaw 5-2

Chase Wutzke, left, battles Rowan Calvert for the puck.

Rowan Calvert played the role of sheriff when Chase Wutzke tried to get away with grand larceny.

In a WHL regular season clash on Friday night at the SaskTel Centre, Wutzke, who is the star 19-year-old netminder for the Moose Jaw Warriors, looked for the longest time that he could potentially steal win despite his team being badly outplayed by the host Saskatoon Blades. Ultimately, Wutzke was handcuffed by Calvert, who is the Blades standout 20-year-old left-winger.

Calvert scored the Blades first goal, and with his side holding a slim 3-2 lead entering the third period, the long time WHL veteran closed out the contest completing a hat trick performance to give the Blades a 5-2 victory before a happy gathering of 4,843 spectators. He also now has exactly 30 goals on the campaign marking the first time he has hit the 30-goal plateau in his WHL career.

Chase Wutzke makes one of his 43 saves on Friday.

Wutzke deserved a better fate than being on the wrong end of the scoreboard, as he turned away 43-of-47 shots to take the setback in net for the Warriors.

The win was the second straight for the Blades who improved to 32-25-4-2 as they continue to build towards playing in the WHL Playoffs sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Warriors fell to 21-34-5-2 to remain ninth in the Eastern Conference just, one standings point behind the Red Deer Rebels (23-34-2-2) for eighth place and the final post-season berth in the Conference. Red Deer has one game in hand on Moose Jaw.

The Blades stormed out of the gates in the first period holding a 20-3 edge in shots on goal. They exited the opening 20 minutes only holding a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal coming from Calvert.

Rowan Calvert had a hat trick to power the Blades to victory.

Calvert was working in his office right in front of the Moose Jaw net banging home a loose puck for his 28^th tally of the campaign. At the time of that tally, the Blades were holding a 7-1 edge in shots on goal.

While Wutzke was holding the fort in the opening frame making 19 saves for the visitors, Blades star netminder Evan Gardner, who turned 20-years-old in late January, had to come up with a big stop at the end of the stanza. With 47.3 seconds remaining in the first, Gardner swallowed up a close in chance from Warriors import left-winger Jan Trefny.

Rowan Calvert (#23) celebrates the first of his three goals.

At the 5:05 mark of the second, the Blades pushed their lead out to 2-0 when star sophomore centre Cooper Williams burst up the middle of the Moose Jaw zone in through traffic, got in a lone and roofed home a backhand shot for his 21^st goal of the campaign.

Just 39 seconds later, the Warriors 20-year-old star defenceman Aiden Ziprick fired home a point shot for a power-play goal that cut the Saskatoon lead to 2-1.

At that point, Wutzke was the main reason the contest didn’t get away from Moose Jaw. He would turn away Blades star import right-winger David Lewandowski, who was in alone on the Warriors net and attempted a backhand shot.

Wutzke would then stone Blades 18-year-old centre Kazden Mathies in close and reject Blades 17-year-old rookie centre Ben Bowtell on another in tight opportunity. Mathies would then get a breakaway opportunity only to be denied by a left pad stop by Wutzke.

Chase Wutzke (#35) stones David Lewandowski.

With 1:46 remaining in the second, the host side would break onto the scoreboard again. Blades 19-year-old import left-winger Elias Pul cut across the face of the Moose Jaw net and popped home a backhander for his 10^th goal of the campaign to push the Blades lead out to 3-1.

That two-goal edge didn’t last long. Just 42 seconds later, Warriors standout 20-year-old left-winger Pavel McKenzie was sprung on a breakaway and he fired a mid-height shot stick side on Gardner to trim the Saskatoon edge to 3-2. That tally was the 17^th marker of the season for McKenzie.

The Blades took that slim 3-2 advantage into the second intermission while holding a lopsided 35-10 edge in shots on goal.

Cooper Williams had the Blades second goal on Friday.

At the start of the third, Wutzke proceeded to come up with big saves on Blades rookie import left-winger Dustin Willhoft and Bowtell.

Saskatoon then proceeded to get the dagger tallies to lock down the win. With 2:59 remaining in the third and working on a power play, Williams had the puck in the right faceoff circle in the Moose Jaw zone and put a shot pass towards the Warriors goal. Calvert deflected the puck home for his second goal of the contest and 29^th marker of the campaign.

Just 23 seconds later, Calvert completed his hat trick firing a puck from his own zone into an empty Moose Jaw net for his 30^th goal of the season to round out the 5-2 victory for the Blades. Calvert finished with nine goals in the Blades six encounters with the Warriors in the current regular season, and that included Friday’s hat trick performance and a hat trick in a win back in December.

The Blades celebrate a hat trick goal from Rowan Calvert (#23).

Gardner stopped 14 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. The victory was the 24^th of the season for Gardner, which is a new career high in that department.

McKenzie had an assist to go along with his goal.

With his hat trick, Calvert now has goals and points in three consecutive games recording five goals and one assist over that time.

The only bad news the Blade encountered came shortly after they went ahead 4-2, when 18-year-old sophomore defenceman Isaac Poll tried to check McKenzie into the boards, when McKenzie was rushing into the Saskatoon zone. While pinning McKenzie into the boards, Poll accidently drove his own head into the glass and went down on the ice.

Poll, who has a lengthy history with injuries, was helped off the ice and didn’t return.

The Warriors get back at it on Saturday when they return home to face the Lethbridge Hurricanes (7 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

The Blades celebrate their win on Friday night.

The Blades are off until this coming Friday when they host the Swift Current Broncos (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

“The Bridge City Bunch” will be looking to build off of strong performances in their past two outings as they only have five more regular season games remaining before entering the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

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

-------

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.

“Blades jinx” haunts Rebels

Saskatoon sweeps season series with Red Deer

The Blades celebrate a second period goal from Rowan Calvert (#23).

While being consistently inconsistent has been the Saskatoon Blades forte in the 2025-26 WHL campaign, one thing they can consistently do is beat the Red Deer Rebels.

On Wednesday playing before 3,307 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades edged the Rebels 3-2 in a back-and-forth contest that was the final regular season meeting between the two sides in the current campaign. With the win, Saskatoon swept the season series with Red Deer taking all four head-to-head encounters between the two sides in regulation time. Overall dating back to last season, the Blades have won seven straight games against the Rebels.

Rowan Calvert had the Blades first goal on Wednesday.

Lots of players on both sides had good games in Wednesday’s clash, but the performance of two reliable veterans in 20-year-old standout left-winger Rowan Calvert and star netminder Evan Gardner, who turned 20-years-old in late January, put the Blades over the top.

On the scoresheet, Calvert recorded one goal – his 27^th of the season – and a plus-one rating in the plus-minus department. Well above what was seen in the statistical department, he was steady and reliable playing a 200-foot game.

When it came to defensive responsibilities, Calvert was always in the right position. When the Rebels pulled breakout 18-year-old rookie netminder Matthew Kondro for an extra skater inside of the final two minutes of the third, Calvert played a key part with his positioning in allowing the Blades to hold on to their 3-2 lead at the end of the contest.

Evan Gardner made 33 saves for the Blades on Wednesday.

Calvert and the Blades shutdown unit basically kept the Rebels pinned in their own zone for about the final 44 seconds of the third to preserve their one-goal victory.

Gardner made 33 saves to pick up the win in the Saskatoon net in another stellar outing. The puck stopper, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, earned his 23^rd victory of the campaign to match his career high for wins in a season set in the 2024-25 campaign.

The Blades were able to ride out times when the Rebels carried the momentum and rally with push backs. Any adversities that came up, the Saskatoon side was able to overcome them. Saskatoon has done this a number of times this season, but they haven’t been able to do that over a consistent long stretch of contests.

Matthew Kondro made 33 saves for the Rebels on Wednesday.

The Rebels, who are battling for their playoff lives, came out with a big push after downing the Raiders in Prince Albert 4-3 on Tuesday. Against the Raiders, the Rebels entered the third period trailing 3-1 before rolling off three straight goals to pull out the victory. It was a huge win for Red Deer as the Raiders sit second overall in the WHL and are rated second in the CHL Top 10 Rankings that were released on Tuesday.

On Wednesday against the Blades, the Rebels hit the scoreboard first just 1:55 into the opening frame, when 17-year-old left-winger Cameron Kuzma roofed home a power-play goal with a drive from the top of the left faceoff circle for his 10^th tally of the season. Red Deer would hold a 17-12 edge in shots on goal after 20-minutes but was unable to expand the 1-0 lead due to the work of Gardner.

Cameron Kuzma scored the Rebels first goal on Wednesday.

The Blades came with a big push back in the second frame. At the 8:39 mark of the second, Blades 18-year-old centre Kazden Mathies attempted to score on a wraparound only to be stopped by Kondro.

The rebound went out to Calvert close in at the right side of the Red Deer net, and Calvert popped the puck home to even the score at 1-1. Calvert’s tally came during a stretch when the two sides were playing four skaters versus four skaters due to off-setting penalties.

At the 15:14 mark of the second, Blades star sophomore centre Cooper Williams, who turned 18-years-old in February, intercepted a pass by a Rebels player in the Red Deer zone. Williams proceeded to skate into the left corner of the Red Deer zone and centred a pass to 19-year-old import left-winger Elias Pul. Pul wired home his ninth goal of the campaign to put the Blades in front 2-1.

Poul Anderson had the second goal for the Rebels on Wednesday.

During their pushback in the second, the Blades held a 15-7 edge in shots on goal for the frame.

The Rebels didn’t go away and showed their traditional no quit will in the third. Just 77 seconds into the frame, Rebels 18-year-old right-winger Poul Anderson wired home his 19^th goal of the campaign from the top of the right faceoff dot in the Saskatoon zone to even the score at 2-2.

Saskatoon wasn’t shaken by that change in momentum. With 5:07 remaining in the third, Blades star import right-winger David Lewandowski fired home a lazer shot from the point for a power-play goal that put the host side up for good at 3-2.

David Lewandowski had the winning goal for the Blades.

Kondro turned away 33 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels.

With the win, the Blades ended a two-game skid improving to 31-25-4-2 to remain solidly sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. The Rebels fell to 23-33-2-2, but they still continue to hold a one point lead over the Moose Jaw Warriors (21-33-5-2) for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Red Deer has one game in hand on Moose Jaw.

The Blades return to action on Friday when they host the Warriors at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

The Rebels also get back at it on Friday when they travel to Medicine Hat to take on the Tigers (7 p.m. local time, Co-op Place).  

The Blades celebrate their win on Wednesday.

Over their final six games of the regular season, the Blades will try to find the consistency they had during their first 12 contests of the regular season, when they jumped out to a 9-3 start. They can potentially be a handful for whoever they face in the post-season, if they can find the consistency to play well over a longer stretch.

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

-------

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.