Netminder sits five victories shy of league
record
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| Nolan Maier, left, celebrates his 115th career regular season win. |
On Sunday
night playing before 3,324 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the overage
netminder made 25 saves to backstop the Blades to a 4-2 victory over the Moose
Jaw Warriors. With that effort, Maier became just the eighth goalie in this
history of the WHL to record 115 career regular season victories.
Maier, who is already the Blades franchise record holder for career regular season victories, is five wins away from equaling the WHL’s career regular season wins record of 120. That record is held jointly by Corey Hirsch and Tyson Sexsmith.
Hirsch picked up his 120 victories playing four seasons with the Kamloops Blazers from 1988 to 1992. Sexsmith collected his 120 wins over five seasons with the Vancouver Giants from 2005 to 2009. He also had one non-decision relief appearance for the Medicine Hat Tigers late in the 2004-05 campaign.
Maier, who stands six-feet and weighs 172 pounds, is going to have ample opportunity to break the WHL’s career wins record. With Sunday’s victory, the Blades improved to 29-18-2-1 and have 18 games remaining on their regular season schedule.
On top of collecting his 115th win, Maier made his 200th career regular season appearance playing goal for the Blades. In those 200 regular season games, the Yorkton, Sask., product has posted a 115-64-17 record, a 2.91 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and 10 shutouts.
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| Nolan Maier makes one of his 25 saves on Sunday. |
Blades star 20-year-old centre Tristen Robins scored the only goal in the game’s first period to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Warriors star 17-year-old right-winger Jagger Firkus netted his 30th goal of the season to even things up at 1-1 at the 5:19 mark of the second period.
Before the second frame ended, the Blades jumped ahead 3-1 with goals coming off the sticks of Vaughn Watterodt and Trevor Wong.
With 3:02 remaining in the third, Warriors star centre Ryder Korczak scored to cut the Blades lead to 3-2.
Saskatoon rounded out the game’s scoring with an empty-net goal from star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic. Crnkovic had an assist to go along with his goal, and he continues to lead the WHL in scoring with 78 points coming off 35 goals and 43 assists.
Overage netminder Carl Tetachuk stopped 27-of-30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Warriors (30-18-3-2).
The Blades return to action this coming Friday when they host the Winnipeg Ice (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).
The Warriors also get back at it on Friday when they host the Prince Albert Raiders (7 p.m., Mosaic Place).
Huskies men’s hockey knocked out of
post-season by Dinos
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| The Huskies and Dinos work their way through the handshake line. |
On Sunday
playing before 2,149 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies dropped a
4-3 decision in a series deciding Game 3 to the University of Calgary Dinos in
a Canada West Conference quarter-final playoff series. The Dinos claimed the
best-of-three set 2-1 with their victory on Sunday.
The two
sides headed into the third period of Sunday’s contest locked in a 2-2 tie.
Rookie defenceman Gunner Kinniburgh gave the Huskies a 3-2 advantage at the
seven-minute mark of the third.
Calgary
pulled even at 3-3 on a goal by fourth-year forward Tim Vanstone with 7:31
remaining in the third.
With 3:53
remaining in the third, Dinos forward Max Patterson deflected home the game and
series winning goal off a shot taken by linemate Tyson Upper.
Connor
Gutenberg scored in the first period and Riley Stotts tallied at the 10:18 mark
of the second to give the Dinos a 2-0 lead.
Huskies
rookie forward Vince Loschiavo scored twice before the second period ended to
even the score at 2-2. That set up the dramatics in the third.
Brodan
Salmond stopped 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Dinos. Roddy Ross
turned away 25 shots to take the setback in net for the Huskies.
The Huskies
finished fourth in the Canada West Conference standings with a 13-7 record just
ahead of the 12-7-1 mark put up by the Dinos.
The Dinos
claimed Game 1 of the series with the Huskies 3-2 on Friday, while the Huskies
responded with a 4-0 victory in Game 2 on Saturday.
The Dinos
advance in the U Sports post-season to play the University of Alberta Golden
Bears in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series. The Golden Bears topped
the Canada West standings with a 16-3-1 mark.
Game 1 of
the series between the Dinos and Golden Bears is slated for this coming Friday
in Edmonton.
Huskies sweep Bisons from playoffs in women’s
hockey
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| Camryn Drever picked up her first U Sports post-season shutout. |
On Saturday
night in Winnipeg, Man., the Huskies downed the host University of Manitoba
Bisons 3-0 in Game 2 of a Canada West Conference quarter-final series holding a
38-21 edge in shots on goal. The win allowed the Huskies to sweep the
best-of-three set 2-0.
The Huskies
took Game 1 of the series by a 4-2 final on Friday night holding a 29-20 edge
in shots on goal.
In Saturday’s
win, the Huskies went ahead 1-0 on a first period goal by third-year forward
Sophie Lalor. The Huskies extended their lead to 3-0 with second period goals
coming off the sticks of Brooklyn Stevely and Kennedy Brown.
Huskies
third-year netminder Camryn Drever stopped 21 shots to pick up the shutout win
in goal for the Huskies. The shutout was a first in U Sports post-season action
for Drever. Kimberley Davidson turned away 35 shots to take the setback in net
for the Bisons.
The Bisons
finished fourth in the Canada West regular season standings with a 13-7 record
and had beaten the Huskies in all four of the head-to-head encounters between
the two sides in the regular campaign.
The Huskies
finished fifth in Canada West with an 11-7-2 mark.
The Huskies
advance to take on the Mount Royal University Cougars in a best-of-three Canada
West semifinal series. The Cougars topped the Canada West regular season standings
with a 16-2-2 record.
Game 1 of
the series between the Huskies and Cougars is slated for this coming Friday in
Calgary, Alta.
Oil Kings dump Raiders 5-2
 |
| Carson Latimer scored for the Raiders on Saturday. |
On
Saturday, the Oil Kings won their eighth straight game dumping the Raiders 5-2
before 5,287 spectators at Rogers Place. Edmonton won five out of the six
encounters with Prince Albert this season.
Left-winger
Jalen Luypen scored in the first period and at the 4:38 mark of the second to
give the Oil Kings a 2-0 lead.
Right-winger
Carson Latimer scored for the Raiders at the 5:52 mark of the second to cut the
Oil Kings lead to 2-1.
Oil Kings
20-year-old left-winger Carter Souch scored twice before the second period
ended to give his club a 4-1 lead. Dawson Seitz, who is a 16-year-old rookie
centre, scored in the third to extend the Oil Kings lead to 5-1.
Sophomore
17-year-old right-winger Dallyn Peekeekoot scored before the end of the third
for the Raiders to round out the scoring in the contest.
Kolby Hay
stopped 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Oil Kings, who lead the WHL’s
Central Division with a 38-11-2-1 mark. Import netminder Tikhon Chaika turned
away 26 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders (19-28-2-1).
The Raiders
were without star centre Ozzy Wiesblatt, who was sitting out a one-game league
imposed suspension. Wiesblatt was suspended for taking a major penalty for
spearing in the Raiders 3-2 setback against the Rebels in Red Deer on Friday.
Prince Albert was also without 19-year-old defenceman Trevor Thurston, who was sitting out the third of a league imposed five-game suspension. Thurston was suspended for picking up a charging major, a cross-checking major and two game misconducts in the Raiders 4-1 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat February 21.
The Raiders return to action this coming Friday when they travel to Moose Jaw to face the Warriors (7 p.m., Mosaic Place).
The Oil Kings get back into action on Wednesday when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers (7 p.m. Edmonton time, Rogers Place).
If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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