Family reasons have me at WHL rinks on sporadic basis

Barret Jackman in 2000 at the then Agridome.

It is true that life can come at you fast. 

On Friday, October 2, I was originally set to work the Saskatoon Blades WHL home contest at the SaskTel Centre. A family development that came up on Wednesday, September 30, has me out of all WHL rinks since that time. 

Due to dealing with a family matter, I won’t be in WHL rinks as much as I originally planned at the start of the current season, and I will be in WHL rinks on a sporadic basis for the foreseeable next few weeks. 

Coving WHL games live in the rink is my happy place. When I am with friends, I will talk about the development. Lots of my family members don’t do the public spotlight thing, so details of the development won’t be posted here. 

The WHL is an outstanding league, so I hope you all make it to games in any of the league centres. Looking forward to the day of getting back live in a WHL rink again and that includes going as a ticket buyer as a fun escape.

Tootoo battles McNeill

Jordin Tootoo of the Brandon Wheat Kings battles Grant McNeill of the Prince Albert Raiders in a game in February of 2003 at the Art Hauser Centre, which was still then known as the Comuniplex. These two are both great guys, and I loved how hard they competed.

Bedard fun to watch

Connor Bedard is seen in action at the Brandt Centre in the WHL Playoffs in April of 2023. At the moment, he is the best player I’ve seen in the 28 seasons I have covered the league.

McKenna provided thrills

Gavin McKenna is seen in action on the road at the Art Hauser Centre in the WHL Playoffs in April of 2025. McKenna has incredible vision when it comes to playmaking, which you are seeing currently as a rookie in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Raiders celebrate WHL title win in 2019

For those who were at the Art Hauser Centre on May 13, 2019, it was one of the greatest nights to be at the storied and historic rink. The Prince Albert Raiders celebrate winning the WHL title and hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup at the only home they’ve known after Dante Hannoun scored the overtime winner in Game 7 of the WHL Championship Series.

Blades goal celebration

The Saskatoon Blades celebrate a goal from Hunter Laing this past September 26 at the SaskTel Centre. At that point, I was rolling early covering my 28^th WHL season. Little did I know at that time, life would change for me in four days.

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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Crazy final week of regular season sees Hilltops host PFC semifinal

Luke Bednarek finished third in the PFC with 563 receiving yards.

Anyone who was able to predict how the final week of the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference regular season played out should bet on a major money lottery.

Entering the final week of the regular season for the PFC, the Saskatoon Hilltops needed to beat the visiting Winnipeg Rifles at Saskatoon Minor Football Field to lock up second place in the conference and the right to host a PFC semifinal contest. If the Hilltops lost, it opened the door to them slipping to third place and starting the post-season on the road for the first time since 1990.

On Saturday, October 3, the final week of the PFC regular season opened with the Edmonton Wildcats hosting the Edmonton Huskies at Emerald Hills Regional Park in Sherwood Park, Alta. If the Wildcats lost, the Hilltops would lock up second place in the conference.

In a back-and-forth contest, Huskies kicker Lorenzo Monus booted a 47-yard field goal to put the Huskies up 31-28 with 2:04 remaining in the fourth quarter. Inside the final 20 seconds of the fourth, Wildcats star running back Darien Currie ran in a touchdown from 10 yards out to give the Wildcats a 35-31 victory.

That result officially eliminated the Huskies and Rifles from post-season contention.

One day later on Sunday, October 4, the Hilltops stepped on to SMF Field knowing that if they didn’t beat the Rifles they could be going to Sherwood Park to face the Wildcats. The Hilltops jumped out to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter but fell behind the Rifles 22-10 at halftime. The Rifles, who knew they were playing their last game of the 2026 CJFL campaign, would pull out a surprising 27-11 victory.

When that contest ended, everyone with the Hilltops thought they were going on the road to face the Wildcats in Sherwood Park to open the CJFL playoffs. The only thing that could throw a wrench into that development was if the Calgary Colts could defeat the undefeated Regina Thunder at Leibel Field in the Saskatchewan capital.

Entering that game, the Thunder were 7-0, had outscored all their opponents 304 to 78 and were rated first in the CJFL Top 10 Power Rankings. At halftime, the Thunder were up on the Colts 28-7, and it is safe to assume most in Saskatoon who saw that score thought that contest was a done deal.

The Hilltops celebrate an interception from Hudson Arneson.

While the Thunder played a large contingent of their reserve players in the second half, the unfathomable happened. The Colts outscored the Thunder 39-2 in the second half to post a shocking 46-30 victory.

That win allowed the Colts to improve to 4-4 to force a three-way tie in the standings with the Hilltops (4-4) and Wildcats (4-4) for second to fourth in the conference.

Had the Hilltops and Wildcats finished tied in the standings, the Wildcats would have finished second. The two sides split their two head-to-head regular season meetings, but the Wildcats held the standings tiebreaker having outscored the Hilltops 41-39 in those two encounters.

It seemed like no one knew how the standings tiebreaker would play out for a three-way tie due to the fact the Hilltops, Wildcats and Colts didn’t play a balanced schedule between themselves. Section 7 of the PFC Rules and Regulations stated a percentage formula of points for and against in the head-to-head games between the three squads determines placing in the standings.

The formula is:

Percentage = Total Points For ÷ (Total Points For +Total Points Against)

That formula is often used in standings tiebreakers in minor hockey. Under that formula, the Hilltops placed second in the conference with a percentage of 52.8 per cent followed by the Wildcats at 51.2 per cent and the Colts coming in at 46.0 per cent.

As a result, the Hilltops host the Wildcats in one PFC semifinal today at 1 p.m. at SMF Field. The Colts again hit the road to take on the Thunder (7-1) in the other PFC semifinal today at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field.

For the Hilltops, the road to success in the post-season is anything but guaranteed. The Hilltops are the defending CJFL champions, but after starting out 3-1, they have gone 1-3 over their final four contests.

The two head-to-head clashes between the Hilltops and Wildcats were held back in August. On August 16 at SMF Field, the Wildcats downed the Hilltops 28-22. On August 30 at Emerald Hills Regional Park, the Hilltops prevailed 17-13 over the Wildcats.

Corbin Ebben finished fifth in the PFC with 607 yards rushing.

On defence, the Hilltops have given up the second fewest points in the PFC at 184. Unlike past years, the Hilltops haven’t dominated in the turnover battle.

Under defensive coordinator Jeff Yausie, the Hilltops are notorious for having a 3-to-1 or a 4-to-1 edge in the turnover battle. Usually, that turns into anywhere from 14 to 28 points on the scoreboard for the Hilltops when that happens.

This season the Hilltops have 18 total takeaways and 16 total giveaways for a plus-two rating in the takeaway-giveaway category. In the 2025 regular season, the Hilltops had 36 total takeaways and 24 total giveaways for a plus-12 rating in that statistic.

Opposing teams in 2026 have given themselves much better shots at gaining victory over the Hilltops by not turning the ball over.

Offensively, the Hilltops have still picked up yards. Star running back Corbin Ebben finished fifth in the PFC with 607 rushing yards coming off 95 carries including two that went for touchdowns. Breakout running back Brody Komarnicki finished sixth in the PFC with 483 yards rushing coming off 101 carries including five that went for major scores.

Starting quarterback Griffin Sander completed 151-of-239 passes for 1,871 yard and six touchdowns, while throwing seven interceptions.

Receiver Luke Bednarek finished third in the PFC with 563 yards receiving coming on 35 catches including two that went for touchdowns. Charles Sawi had 41 catches for 447 yards and one touchdown. His receiving yardage total was good for seventh best in the PFC.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant is still the all-time wins leader in Canadian post-secondary amateur football with 258 victories between the regular season and post-season. While the Hilltops 4-4 record is their worst in the regular season since going 4-4 in 1983, the potential is still there for the current Hilltops to have a memorable finish in the post-season.

There is a cliché that exists that says, “Legends are made in the playoffs.”

The Hilltops hope to get excited for a few post-season games in 2026.

The Hilltops have seen lots of legends get made in the playoffs since this current modern version of the club was created in 1947. If they can get one or two more turnovers and get one or two more major scores in a game, that might make the difference in more Hilltops players become team legends in 2026.

This piece first appeared in the Saskatoon Hilltops game program on October 11, 2026.

Hilltops’ Komarnicki brings the boom on the ground

Power running back breaks out in third year with team

Brody Komarnicki is having a breakout season with the Hilltops.

Running with power will always be in Brody Komarnicki’s football DNA.

The third-year running back is having a breakout season with the defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops. After the team’s first six games, Komarnicki has carried the ball 86 times for 435 yards and five touchdowns.

Komarnicki’s style is unmistakable. He hits the hole hard and runs over and through the opposition. The style goes back to Komarnicki’s roots in the game when he played for the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints Football team, whose head coach at the time is current Hilltops offensive line coach Donnie Davidsen. 

“When I first started playing, I always wanted like those big runs, and it is good to still have those big runs,” said Komanicki, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 205 pounds. “I was just dancing around a little too much.

“He (Davidsen) basically is just like you see that first hole and you hit it hard and north-south always. Then after that once you get into the open room, then you can start kind of dancing a little bit and make your cuts and all that. You always want positive yards.

“If you can hit that gap hard and get a couple of yards there, then you can dance. You don’t want to be dancing in that backfield and get negative yards. Donnie definitely put that into my head in high school and it worked out then, so I’m trying to apply it to Hilltops now.”

Komanicki, who resides in Warman, focused on playing basketball until his Grade 10 year starting in September of 2021. At that time, he wanted to give football a try and enrolled at Bishop James Mahoney as Warman High School didn’t have an outlet to play high school football.

At Bishop James Mahoney, Komanicki started playing on the Saints junior team before moving up to the senior team before the end of his Grade 10 season. He was ecstatic that he gave football a try.

“It was just the team,” said Komarnicki. “You have 12 guys out there and all working together.

“Obviously, I like the physicality. I hadn’t played a physical sport like a contact sport until football. It was just unique having special teams and all that.

“It was just all around the whole just the makeup of football was definitely what caught my eyes.”

Komarnicki would help the Saints advance to the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s 5A 12-a-side football provincial championship game in his Grade 11 season on November 11, 2022. The host Saints prevailed over the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles 18-15 in that contest at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Komarnicki said his love for football was built due to the great experience he had with the Saints. As Davidsen was serving as the Hilltops offensive line coach while coaching the Saints, Komarnicki said the wheels were put in motion to join the Hilltops.

Brody Komarnicki in action for the Saints in 2022.

“He (Davidsen) didn’t influence it directly,” said Komarnicki. “I looked up to Donnie in high school, and we always talked about Hilltops being like a future opportunity.

“I would come to the high school camps, and I loved the coaching style. Whenever I did talk to “Sarge” (Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant), I loved everything I heard and his style of the game and his views. I agree with it a lot.

“Definitely, it helped like influence in a sense. It is just they’re so similar. It is just what I know.”

Komarnicki joined the Hilltops following his high school graduation for the 2024 campaign. By the campaign’s end, he was awarded the team’s Past Presidents Trophy as the club’s rookie of the year, while also being named to the PFC’s all-rookie team.

Sargeant said Komarnicki was a pretty natural fit.

“He is one of our toughest football players,” said Sargeant. “He certainly plays the game the way I appreciate it and the way we appreciate it.

“What a hard-nosed individual, and he motivates the team around him. The game plan is going to centre around him at times just like it will (star running back) Corbin (Ebben). We believe with those two guys being heavily involved in that run game it is only going to make it better instead of having one of them on the bench.”

Sargeant said Komarnicki came to the Hilltops with a solid base in the game having played for the Saints.

“He (Komarnicki) got coached the right way,” said Sargeant. “Any BJM player that has come into our system, boy, they’ve been game ready, and they’ve been able to handle all the moments.

“It has been great to have high school coaches coach with you. It keeps you connected to what is going on there as well. When you have a coach that has coached him, it helps you recruit him here as well.”

Sargeant added Komarnicki continued to improve working with Hilltops running backs coach Andre Lalonde. Back in the day when Lalonde was a Hilltops running back graduating as a player in 2013, he earned the nickname “the Bowling Ball” playing the same physical style Komarnicki does.

“Andre is an outstanding running backs coach,” said Sargeant. “You just can tell by the development of our running backs over the years.

“He (Lalonde) has got a system. He has got a format that week in and week out is tried and true. It is tested on game days.

“They (the Hilltops running backs) have got the right mentor in Andre. If we’re talking about special teams, Andre is my special teams coordinator, and Brody has been one of our top special teams players too. Not only does he (Komarnicki) play well on offence, he plays outstanding on special teams too, so what a true football player.”

Brody Komarnicki (#20) dives over a pile for a first down.

Komarnicki has a pretty lengthy thank you list when it comes to those who have helped him during his time with the Hilltops. It includes Sargeant, Davidson, Lalonde, Ebben and David Collins, who was a star running back who graduated from the team after last season.

The 20-year-old power back said Lalonde has been helping him refine his game while continuing to emphasize Komarnicki’s strength in hitting the hole hard.

“I never had seen his film, but I have heard that me and him are pretty similar in that sense,” said Komarnicki. “He definitely encourages it.

“He adds just little things, little details that might take that five-yard gain, six-yard gain to like a 15-to-20-yard gain. That is what I’ve been trying to add in the most is the next step, because you can always improve.”

Komarnicki said his sophomore season last year was an amazing highlight. He was proud of how his team persevered in the campaign.

That included going through an opening game blowout loss to the Rifles in Winnipeg and making a 30-27 comeback overtime victory in the PFC final over the Thunder in Regina after falling behind 24-9 to their provincial rivals with 10:51 remaining in the fourth quarter.

After the win over the Thunder, the Hilltops returned home to SMF Field and downed the Kelowna, B.C., based Okanagan Sun 21-18 in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl. That marked the Hilltops 24^th CJFL title.

“Last year, it was an insane feeling,” said Komarnicki. “(We had) ups and downs.

“That Regina game was insane. There was definitely a lot that we faced, but we overcame it. That is kind of what our coaches train us to do.

“They do a great job doing that and teach us not to give up.”

This season, Komarnicki has become a one-two punch at running back with Ebben, who is playing out his final season of CJFL eligibility. Komarnicki said it has been a good development year as he picks up more work in the running game compared to past seasons.

“I’m just trying to apply all that I’ve learned in the past couple of years here,” said Komarnicki. “It is like trial and error for me right now just seeing what works, what I see out there and getting the vision working.”

As the Hilltops set to embark in playing the CJFL’s post-season in 2026, they have once again encountered their share of adversity. Komarnicki believes his squad will rally together to make another run at a CJFL title.

“I know that we’ll put it together, because we’re putting in that work now and putting in all that stuff behind the scenes that people don’t see,” said Komarnicki. “It is not just confidence, because I’m saying it is.

Brody Komarnicki believe the Hilltops can make a long playoff run.

“I have total confidence from what I see from the coaches in the past few years and how everyone here talks and meetings and film. You can just tell everyone here knows we have it. We just need to put it together.”

This piece first appeared in the Saskatoon Hilltops game program on October 4, 2026.

Expect Raiders to shake off sweep by Blades

Hayden Harsanyi (#6) shields the puck from Owen Corkish.

The silence of the Prince Albert Raiders fans at the SaskTel Centre conveyed the shock of what they saw.

Last Saturday, the Raiders dropped a 5-2 decision to the host Saskatoon Blades to fall to 1-3 with a third straight loss. That skid included dropping both ends of a home-and-home series to the Blades.

While the Raiders faithful are known for hijacking the atmosphere inside the Blades home rink making it feel like a Prince Albert home game, the roar of the Blades supporters was noticeable among the 7,379 spectators that turned out.

The Saskatoon marketing staff did their jobs ensuring there was a sizable turnout to support the host side, and it was obvious they enjoyed what they saw.

The surprise of the Raiders supporters regarding how the season started for their club is understandable. In 2025-26, the Raiders topped the East Division and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 52-10-5-1 mark. Going into the post-season, the Raiders were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

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

Clark’s drive paved way to starting spot on Hilltops O-line

Left guard first took up tackle football in Grade 11

Simon Clark (#51) has become a mainstay on the Hilltops O-line.

For Simon Clark, it didn’t matter how late you took up the game just as long as you finally gave it a try.

These days Clark is the starting left guard on the offensive line for the CJFL’s storied Saskatoon Hilltops. When he started his high school studies at Walter Murray Collegiate, Clark had yet to play the tackle version of the sport and did play flag football a little bit growing up.

He was hoping to join Walter Murray’s Marauders Football team in his Grade 10 year, but that was in the fall of 2020 and high school extracurricular activities were halted due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Clark wasn’t going to pass up the chance to join the Marauders in his Grade 11 year, and he found out that playing tackle football was even better than he imagined it would be.

“I’d always seen football as a sport that it has got that intensity that really kind of builds a passion within you,” said Clark. “People get really connected to the sport.

“You always hear people talk about there is one thing I wish I could do one more time it would just be to get those pads on and play again. I kind of wanted to experience some of that for myself, and going through Walter Murray and then especially coming here, it is just kind of feeling the team culture, feeling the camaraderie with all the guys, that isn’t really something that I feel like you can get somewhere else. I’ve always been just like really invested in that kind of team aspect of it kind of getting to know the guys, wanting to play for each other, fight for each other and that sort of thing.

“It is a really special thing.”

Clark soaked every part of his two seasons playing for the Marauders. As a Grade 11 rookie, he built what turned out to be a good friendship with one of the team’s veteran Grade 12 offensive lineman in Davin Johnson. The two are now in their fourth season playing together for the Hilltops as Johnson is the team’s fifth-year star left tackle.

During Clark’s start in tackle football in his Grade 11 year, Clark credited Johnson with being a big person in helping him out and introducing him to all aspects of the sport. Clark recalled that all his teammates enjoyed being part of the Marauders. 

When his Grade 12 season came to a close, Clark felt like he built an experience with tackle football he would forever cherish going into the rest of his life not knowing a door was going to open for him to continue in the sport.

One day while Clark was in English class after his Grade 12 season with the Marauders concluded, the school’s principal and legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant dropped in for a visit. Clark was well aware of Sargeant’s history with the Hilltops, but football wasn’t crossing the mind of the Walter Murray senior student.

At that point in time, Clark didn’t have a lot of interactions with Sargeant and was seeing him in his principal’s role. Clark thought he might have been in trouble for something. He couldn’t figure out what that might be, because he focused on trying his best to be a good person at Walter Murray.

Simon Clark is in his second season starting at left guard.

“If you kind of saw him (Sargeant) in the hallway and he was calling for you, that usually meant a bad thing,” said Clark, who stands 6-foot-1 and 280 pounds. “He came and knocked on my door while I was in the middle of class and said, “Come out here. I want to talk to you.”

“He said he had been watching me in the high school football scene, and he kind of offered me a chance to come tryout and get to know the guys. It was pretty exciting to kind of be kind of plucked by him, because he has always been such a legend in so many different ways. To kind of get selected like that was pretty cool.”

In Clark, Sargeant saw a lot of great intangibles that might potentially make him a good player for the Hilltops one day despite his late start in the sport. 

The sideline boss liked what he saw from the young offensive lineman on game days with the Marauders.

“The reality is when you’re the principal of the school I went to all of our games, because, obviously, I’m a supporter and want the Marauders to perform and play well,” said Sargeant. “I got to see all their games.

“I knew Simon (Clark) was a player that I wanted in this program. What I didn’t know at the time was just how bad he wants it and how hard he worked. He has had some outstanding off-seasons.

“He is one of the strongest players on our team, and he has certainly walked right in and he’s been a two-year starter. For us to do great things at the end, we’re going to need him to finish off a great season with his own performance.”

With the Hilltops, Clark improved rapidly where he saw time as a situational tight end with the offence in 2024 during his second season with the team. He became a starter at left-guard at the start of last season.

“His growth has been unbelievable,” said Sargeant. “He was always a first class individual at our school.

“He was a great role model for the younger grades the Grade 9s, 10s and 11s when he was a Grade 12. He loved the game of football. I remember when I was recruiting him, and when his high school season ended, he really dedicated himself to getting bigger and stronger.

“He put in a lot of time and energy into developing his game for the first couple of years through (offensive line) coach (Donnie) Davidson. It was just a lot of growth, a lot of work, a lot of development, and then, boom, he walked in last year as a starter and became a heck of a football player. Now, it is at the next level, and as a fourth-year player, we certainly got big expectations.”

Simon Clark (#51) enjoys playing alongside Davin Johnson (#71).

While getting to play for the Hilltops has been a highlight for Clark, he said the thing he cherishes the most in his playing career is how much support he has received from his father, Charlie, after taking up the sport. From October 31, 2016 to November 20, 2024, Charlie was the mayor of Saskatoon. He was serving as mayor during Simon’s entire high school career with the Marauders and his first two seasons with the Hilltops.

Simon was well aware of how hyper busy his father’s schedule was. No matter how busy things got, Charlie always made it to all of Simon’s games first with the Marauders and now with the Hilltops. During Simon’s career with the Hilltops, Charlie has become an ace 50/50 seller for Hilltops home games.

“He (Charlie) would just be so exhausted, but then he’d still come home and make sure that we had what we need and make sure we felt a lot of love,” said Simon. “That same thing even when he was the mayor in 2023-2024, he was in these super busy times, but yet he’d come out and he’d make sure to take the time to support us.

“I think seeing that is a lot of inspiration too, because he worked so hard and yet he also made sure that he was out there to support us always. He was making sure that we felt his presence all the time. It was amazing, because I think he would probably spend 12 hours in a day working, and then it felt like he was spending the other 12 making sure that we had kind of what we needed.

“I wouldn’t be at all where I am without him and without his support, so it means the world for me for sure. He has been a great role model.”

Clark said it was special to be a rookie on the Hilltops 2023 CJFL championship team that went 12-0. He said it was a bigger highlight to win the CJFL title last season, where the Hilltops went 9-2 overall.

The 2025 campaign started with a convincing road loss to the Rifles in Winnipeg and included a home loss to the Hilltops’s provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder. Clark was proud of how the team last year rallied together and battled through adversity to win the 24^th CJFL title in the club’s history.

Looking toward the near future, Clark still has the rest of this season and all of next season to play for the Hilltops before exhausting his CJFL eligibility. He plans to embrace all the moments and all the ups and downs that are still to come.

“It is tough, because it goes by fast,” said Clark. “When you’re in a culture like this, you just want to cherish every single moment of it.

“It kind of sometimes can feel like you’re taking it for granted, because the practices can get tough. You face adversity. At the end of the day, it is just such a blessing to be able to come out and do this and to meet all these great people who become really like brothers to you and to be able to commit this time and really see results out of it and build this team culture and work so hard.

Simon Clark (#51) said playing for the Hilltops is a blessing.

“At the end of the day, I think it is worth it a million times over to go through all that we go through, because you are going to have these relationships for the rest of your life. It is really such a blessing and a privilege.”

This piece first appeared in the Saskatoon Hilltops game program on September 26, 2026.

Laing on fire for Blades

Winger scores twice in win over Raiders, leads WHL in scoring

Hunter Laing (#27) celebrates his second of two goals on Saturday.

Hunter Laing has the proverbial chip on his shoulder and is on a mission in his final WHL campaign.

Over the summer, the 20-year-old Saskatoon Blades star right-winger saw the Calgary Flames allow his NHL signing rights to expire on June 1. Laing had been selected in the sixth round and 170^th overall by the Flames in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

After the Flames elected not to sign Laing, the skilled forward, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 210 pounds, was able to re-enter the NHL Entry Draft held this past June 26-27 in Buffalo. He went unselected there, which means he is a free agent when it comes to the professional level of the game.

Hunter Laing leads the WHL in scoring with nine points.

Returning to the Blades for his final season in the major junior ranks, Laing has started the young 2026-27 campaign on fire. In his first four games of the season, the Kelowna, B.C., product has taken the lead in the WHL scoring race with nine points coming off five goals and four assists.

On Saturday, Laing’s sweet hands were on display as he scored a pair of goals in the team’s regular season home opener before 7,379 spectators at the SaskTel Centre. Laing’s efforts allowed his Blades to post a 5-2 victory over their archrivals in the Prince Albert Raiders and also claim both games in a home-and-home series to improve to 2-1-1.

Following Saturday’s game, Laing said the fact he went unsigned by the Flames and is a professional free agent is in the back of his mind.

Hunter Laing is a free agent when it come to professional hockey.

“It obviously sucked when I found out,” said Laing. “I used that as motivation this summer, and it kind of helped me out doing the extra work and extra reps.

“It is definitely on my mind to prove people wrong this year, and that is what I’m going to keep doing.”

Just 19 seconds into Saturday’s game, Laing was attempting to give a spark to his team by engaging Raiders star 18-year-old right-winger Jonah Sivertson in a fight. Both are best known for their scoring and not for throwing punches.

The bout was a short one and kind of produced a moment where one could have a laugh. Sivertson threw an overhand right that missed and his momentum carried himself to the ground. Laing looked befuddled at the scene, and the officials jumped in to break things up.

Hunter Laing wants to prove he can play at the next level.

Sivertson and Laing were both given fighting majors for their efforts.

For the rest of the night, Laing showed what he is best known for, which is his sweet hands around the opposition net. With the two sides locked in a 1-1 tie at the 14:47 mark of the second, Laing picked up a rebound from a shot taken by Blades defenceman Jack Lavallee at the right side of the Prince Albert net.

Laing skillfully moved the puck around fallen Raiders star import netminder Michal Orsulak and tucked home a backhander to give the Blades a 2-1 lead.

With the Blades up 3-1 at the 6:36 mark of the third, Laing received a pass at the left side of the Raiders net from Blades star 18-year-old centre Cooper Williams while working on the power play. Laing toe dragged the puck around Orsulak putting it into the right side of the net to give the Blades a 4-1 lead.

Hunter Laing (#27) celebrates his first goal on Saturday.

“You’re always trying to contribute for the boys,” said Laing. “You’re trying to do what it takes to win, and you score goals in the crease.

“I’m a big guy. I love being in the crease, (because) that is where you score goals. I’m lucky they went in.”

Blades head coach Dan DaSilva said it has been noticeable how much Laing has increased the intensity in his game.

“He (Laing) is a big man,” said DaSilva. “He has got a great set of hands, and he is looking like he is really determined this year to take his game to the next level.

“He can finish absolutely. He is getting those goals around the net. He will still get his goals where he comes down the win and rips on top shelf too using his shot, but he just looks more determined to prove that he belongs at the next level next year.

Riley Boychuk scored to give the Raiders an early 1-0 lead.

“He is winning his puck battles, he is harder on pucks, he is more competitive, and obviously, he had a fight at the start of the game too to try and set the tone early. I really like where his game is at right now, and we need that to continue from him.”

At first, it looked like the Raiders were going to spoil things for the Blades in their home opener. Just 1:49 into the first, Raiders 18-year-old centre Riley Boychuk collected a rebound at the right side of the Blades net from a shot by linemate Owen Corkish and popped the puck home into an empty cage to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

Prince Albert took that lead into the first intermission despite being outshot 11-6.

Just 1:52 into the second period, Blades import left-winger David Lewandowski brought the puck down the right wing and put a backhand pass across the face of the Raiders net to linemate in 19-year-old centre Hayden Harsanyi. Harsanyi converted the backdoor tap to even the score at 1-1.

Hayden Harsanyi (#6) keeps the puck from Owen Corkish.

After Laing put the Blades up 2-1 with his first tally of the contest, Lewandowski found the back of the net at the 2:23 mark of the third, when he collected a rebound at the right side of the Raiders net from a shot taken by 19-year-old import right-winger Hutzinger Kostantin to pop home his second of the campaign.

With his two-point effort on Saturday, Lewandowski now had two goals, two assists and a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department. He returned to the Blades on Friday morning after attending training camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers to help his WHL side sweep the home-and-home series with the Raiders. Lewandowski said it was natural to jump right back into things with the Blades.

“It is not unusual,” said Lewandowski. “We have a lot of games here anyway, so it is just another day, another game and keep going.”

David Lewandowski had one goal and one assist for the Blades.

Following Laing’s second tally that put the Blades up 4-1, Raiders 17-year-old left-winger Connor Howe fired home a mid range shot on a power play to trim the Saskatoon advantage to 4-2 with 5:10 remaining in the third.

Blades 19-year-old left-winger Kazden Mathies rounded out the game’s scoring with the rare short-handed empty-net goal with 11.9 seconds remaining in the third.

So far this season, the Blades lead the WHL with 18 goals scored. Laing said the team has been playing with good chemistry having returned 12 players from last season and re-acquiring 20-year-old defenceman Tyrone Sobry in an off-season trade with the Prince George Cougars.

Kazden Mathies (#77) gets hugged by Brayden Klimpke after a goal.

“When you have a team with chemistry, it is always good,” said Laing. “You can play with anyone on this team, and we’re all good players.

“I think we can play all four lines and six-D. It is a good thing, and that makes a good team.”

Martin Psohlavec stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Michal Orsulak turned away 24-of-28 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders, who fell to 1-3.

The Raiders get back at it on Wednesday when they host the Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Blades return to action on Friday when they host the Rebels (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Before the Blades turn their attention to Rebels, Laing admitted his squad was going to take a little time enjoying beating the Raiders two straight after losing six-of-eight regular season meetings in 2025-26 and being swept in four straight in an Eastern Conference Semifinal Series in the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

Hunter Laing gives a souvenir stick to a young fan.

“The vibes are good,” said Laing. “You know, the boys love beating P.A.

“They’re our rivals, so it is always nice beating them. We owe them from last year still, so it was nice to get the win. We’re going to reset and focus for next week.”

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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“So what do you want to talk about?” – Raiders and Blades had it all on a feisty Friday

The Raiders and Blades engage in a game-ending scrum.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – You can always count on the Prince Albert Raiders and the Saskatoon Blades to come through with a classic rivalry game.

Friday night’s game at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre had pretty much everything you would come to expect from a clash of arch-enemies. There were saves, goals, punches thrown and of course some controversy.

The controversy came with 2:56 remaining in the third period when Raiders star Brandon Gorzynski was given a slashing minor with the combatants locked in a 2-2 tie. Gorzynski was given the infraction working his way into his own zone on the backcheck and made a move to swat the puck off the stick of Blades 19-year-old import rookie right-winger Yegor Gusev.

Brandon Gorzynski was victimized by a tough break penalty call.

Definitely from an overall Raiders perspective you could say the call was really chintzy. 

From a Blades perspective, you could lean into the argument that Gorzynski’s light stick swat was a slash, but a break was likely gained on that call. When you get a break, you never question it, and you never apologize if you get a win out of it.

That is exactly what happened. On the ensuing power play, Blades star left-winger David Lewandowski wired home a shot from the just off centre parallel to the top of the left faceoff circle for the goal that gave the visiting Blades a 3-2 victory before a mostly disgruntled standing room crowd of 2,819 spectators at the Raiders 2,580-seat home rink.

David Lewandowski delivered a winning goal for the Blades.

After Lewandowski’s tally, the Raiders nearly sent the game to overtime. With 28.7 seconds remaining in the third, Raiders standout centre Maddix McCagherty attempted a wraparound to an open left side of the Saskatoon net with Blades import rookie netminder Martin Psohlavec sprawled in his crease. Psohlavec managed to reach out his blocker to make a game-saving stop.

The 18-year-old product of Ostrov, Czechia, was mostly sensational in his WHL regular season debut making 26 saves to pick up the win in goal for the visitors, who improved to 1-1-1. Psohlavec returned to the Blades earlier this week after attending training camp activities with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. He had been at Blades training camp and took part in winning one pre-season game before departing to Philadelphia.

Maddix McCagherty almost had an equalizer.

When the final buzzer sounded on Friday, a huge scrum took part in the left corner of the Saskatoon zone, which also saw someone in the crowd throw a water bottle onto the ice.

After the officials separated the players on both sides, the Blades celebrated their win departing the ice surface to a series of boos, which is the norm when they pull off victories at the Hauser. During the three star selections, Psohlavec and Lewandowski, who returned to the Blades Friday morning after taking part in training camp activities with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, took polite small laps after being named the respective first and second stars in the building.

You were kind of expecting them to potentially embrace the WWE villain role like netminder Nolan Maier and feisty left-winger Riley McKay did in a Blades 3-2 victory at the Hauser way back on December 27, 2019. In that contest, Maier and McKay were the respective first and second stars in the building, and they went out making big laps of the ice surface with smiles on their faces applauding the booing crowd.

Martin Psohlavec made 26 saves to win his WHL regular season debut.

While Raiders fans can come away from the night saying they were robbed, the Blades were deserving of the victory. The hosts came out strong in the scoreless opening frame getting the first eight shots on goal and holding a 13-6 edge in that department after 20 minutes. Psohlavec made his presence felt in that frame making a number of robbery type stops.

Over the final two periods, objective persons would have to give the edge in play to the Blades, especially in the third frame when the visitors had a 16-7 edge in shots on goal. The Raiders controlled the game in the opening stanza and that control slipped out of their grasp in the second and third periods.

Connor Howe had a goal for the Raiders.

Even with that development, the scoring swung back and forth.

With exactly eight minutes remaining in the second, the Blades struck on the power play working on a two-man advantage. Working the puck on the point, Blades captain and star defenceman Brayden Klimpke fired a seeing-eye shot and the puck rebounded to Blades 19-year-old left-winger Kazden Mathies in front of the Prince Albert net.

Mathies put home a backhand shot to give the Blades a 1-0 lead.

The Raiders would even the score at 1-1 working on a power play of their own. With 15.7 seconds remaining in the second, Raiders 17-year-old left-winger and fan favourite Connor Howe slipped home a point shot through a screen for the equalizer.

Jack Kachkowski had a positive-bounce goal for the Blades.

At the conclusion of the second, Howe engaged Blades 19-year-old defenceman Jack Kachkowski in a crowd-pleasing fight. The two players traded hard shots before Howe came through with rapid hard shots to bring Kachkowski down to the ice.

Just 2:02 into the third, the Raiders went ahead 2-1 thanks to a rookie mistake by Psohlavec. Raiders 17-year-old right-winger Ben Harvey got the puck in the right slot rushing towards the Blades net and Psohlavec came out to poke check him.

Psohlavec missed with the poke check, and Harvey curved around him and slid the puck into an empty Saskatoon cage to give the host’s their one-goal edge. For the longest time, it appeared that tally would be the Blades undoing.

Connor Howe and Jack Kachkowski go at it in a fight.

The visitors proceeded to benefit from a positive bounce with 6:01 remaining in the third. At that moment in the game, Kachkowski had the puck in the left corner of the Prince Albert zone and made a centering pass to the front of the Raiders net. The puck deflected off the skate of Raiders defenceman Hubert Clarke into the Prince Albert goal to force the contest into a 2-2 tie.

That set the stage for the dramatics inside the final three minutes of the third.

Import star netminder Michal Orsulak had a solid night making 29 saves taking the setback in goal for the Raiders (1-2).

The two teams go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. That contest will be the regular season home opener for the Blades.

Martin Psohlavec, left, enjoys his first WHL regular season win.

Including the pre-season, Saturday’s game will mark the fifth time the Raiders and Blades have gone head-to-head this month. There will likely be more fireworks coming in that encounter that could exceed the pyrotechnics the Blades use in their pre-game festivities.

NOTES – Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald was absent from Friday’s game and will miss Saturday’s game in Saskatoon due to personal reasons. In McDonald’s absence, Raiders assistant coaches Cole Bell and Conor Yawney are assuming co-head coaching duties. The Raiders asked that McDonald’s privacy be respected at this time.

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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