A night to remember for Blades’ import rookie Sidorov

Belarusian nets first career WHL hat trick in 6-2 win over Pats

Egor Sidorov (#19) smiles after scoring his hat trick goal.

Egor Sidorov outshone Connor Bedard.

On Saturday night before 3,813 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, Sidorov, who is a 17-year-old rookie right-winger from Vitebsk, Belarus, notched his first career WHL hat trick to power his Saskatoon Blades to a 6-2 regular season victory over the visiting Regina Pats.

Sidorov put up more points than Pats 16-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard. Bedard, who is in his second season in the WHL, was in on both Pats goals collecting one goal and one assist.

With the Blades holding a 5-2 lead, they ended up going on the power play inside of the final 25 seconds of the third period. The Blades coaches put Sidorov out on the power play with hopes that he might get his hat trick tally.

Egor Sidorov looks for an opening to score his hat trick goal.

Sidorov was able to put home a long range shot for his third goal of the night.

“On the third goal, it was just a power play,” said Sidorov. “(Blades head coach) Brennan Sonne said, ‘Sido go score.’

“I have to score.”

Sidorov was pumped to get his first three-goal night of his WHL career.

“I was just happy,” said Sidorov. “Team was very happy.

“We just keep going step by step.”

Sonne said the Blades coaching staff was trying to get Sonne in the ice, when star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic scored an empty-net goal with 56.1 seconds remaining in the third to put the Blades up 5-2. That tally was Crnkovic’s 30^th goal this season.

Egor Sidorov netted his first career WHL hat trick on Saturday.

When the power play opportunity came around inside the final 25 seconds of the third, Sidorov was sent out on the ice to try and get that third tally, which he did.

Sidorov also had a goal one night earlier when the Blades downed the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-1 at the SaskTel Centre.

“I think he (Sidorov) has been playing extremely well the last 10 or so games,” said Sonne, whose team has won three straight contests. “He is using his edges.

“He is skating so well. He is creating time and space for himself. It is really nice that this weekend he got rewarded.”

Saturday’s game had a bit of a slow start as both teams played cautiously immediately out of the gate.

Egor Sidorov gets in position to score his first goal on Saturday.

During a short spurt of four-versus-four action just before the midway point of the opening frame, the Pats had a major scoring chance when import defenceman Stanislav Svozil was buzzing down low in the Saskatoon zone with the puck. He was turned away on two in close shots by Blades star overage netminder Nolan Maier.

The Blades drew first blood in Saturday’s game with 4:38 remaining in the opening frame when Sidorov came out from behind the Pats goal to just below the right faceoff dot in the Regina zone and fired home his 12^th of the season.

Sonne said Sidorov has done well in making a major adjustment in his playing style since coming over to North America. Sonne said in Europe teams play more of a possession style of hockey.

Egor Sidorov celebrates scoring his first goal on Saturday.

In that style, teams will call of offensive zone rushes to circle back in their own zone to regroup before making another offensive rush.

Sonne said teams in North America try to get on an opponent with speed to prevent the defencemen from getting set and catching them flat footed.

“When you talk to Sido (Sidorov) and kind of try and get that north mentality, he actually even says in Belarus if you don’t like what you have then you just circle back and just keep the puck and go back behind the net,” said Sonne. “That is a tough thing.

“That is a structural shift for him. With his skill set, with his edges, with his skating, he has adapted extremely quickly. His English is coming along really quickly.

“He is an excellent hockey player.”

Connor Bedard had a goal and an assist for the Pats.

Just 16 seconds after Sidorov’s first goal, the Pats evened the score at 1-1 when Bedard blew home a shot to the top right corner of the Saskatoon net after skating just 10 feet inside the Blades zone.

Inside the final 30 seconds of the first, Pats left-winger Cole Dubinsky almost put the visitors in front, but he fired a shot off the post.

The Blades ended the second period with a big surge of momentum. With 3:48 remaining in the frame, they jumped ahead 2-1, when 20-year-old centre Tristen Robins jetted down the right wing and put home his 21^st of the season low stick side on Pats netminder Spencer Welke.

Robins break up ice was created thanks partly to Bedard’s line taking a lengthy shift. Blades left-winger Brandon Lisowsky got a hold of the puck and sent Robins in for the chance where he bagged the go-ahead goal.

Tristen Robins scored the Blades second goal on Saturday.

Right at the end of the second, Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere scored a buzzer-beating power-play goal on a point shot. The officials went to video review to confirm the goal, and it was confirmed with officially 0.7 seconds remaining on the clock.

Before the Blades went on their current three game winning streak, they dropped a 6-1 decision to the Red Deer Rebels on February 5 at the SaskTel Centre. De La Gorgendiere was pleased with how his team got back on track after that setback.

“I think we got challenged last week after the Red Deer game,” said De La Gorgendiere, whose team has won all four meetings against the Pats this season. “I think we all came out this weekend, and we responded.

“That is what we asked out of our group, and we did it.”

After 40 minutes, the Pats pulled Welke in favour of 16-year-old backup Kelton Pyne. Welke turned away 13-of-16 shots fired his way to take the setback in net for the Pats (17-23-1-1).

Aidan De La Gorgendiere had a buzzer-beating goal on Saturday.

Pyne stopped 11-of-13 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.

Both Welke and Pyne are associate player call ups. Regina’s two regular goalies in 17-year-old Matthew Kieper and 18-year-old Drew Sim are both out with upper body injuries.

Welke, who is in his 19-year-old season, was called up for the Camrose Kodiaks of the junior A ranks. Pyne was called up from the Regina Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team.

Just 22 second into the third, the Pats cut the Blades lead to 3-2 on a goal from 16-year-old left-winger Tanner Howe. Taking a pass from Bedard, Howe beat Maier with a backhand shot from close in on the right side of the Saskatoon goal.

The Blades pushed their lead out to 4-2 just 96 seconds later, when Sidorov potted his second of the contest on a shot from just under the right faceoff dot in the Regina zone.

Tanner Howe scored the Pats second goal on Saturday.

That set the stage for Crnkovic to get his empty-net tally and for Sidorov to pop home his hat trick marker. De La Gorgendiere said it was a highlight for the team to see Sidorov get a hat trick.

“It was awesome,” said De La Gorgendiere. “I’m so happy for him.

“I thought he had a great game – a great couple of games actually. I’m super happy for him. He has improved every day.

“He doesn’t know much English, but he is awesome in the room. He keeps on getting better every day.”

Maier stopped 28 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades (26-16-1-1). He said it has been good for the Blades to get on a bit of a roll in winning eight of their past 10 games.

Nolan Maier made 28 saves for the Blades on Saturday.

“It feels good,” said Maier. “I think it is a huge confidence booster for us going into our next stretch of games.

“It is really positive for us.”

Outside of the action on the ice, Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock and Pats assistant coach Ken Schneider were absent from Saturday’s game for reasons that weren’t known. Assistant coach Brad Herauf and goaltending coach Rob Muntain ran the Pats bench.

The Pats get back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Winnipeg to face the Ice.

The Blades are off until Friday when they travel to Red Deer to face the Rebels. That contest starts a five-game road trip for the Saskatoon side.

Egor Sidorov (#19) and the Blades enjoy their win on Saturday.

“I guess this whole next week is really preparation for a big road trip, and then you have to create your own momentum,” said Sonne. “When the puck drops in Red Deer, we have to create our own momentum right away.”

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