Pats’ Bedard, ex-factor Shantz too much for Blades

Regina takes Game 1 of first round series 6-1

Connor Bedard (#98) celebrates his first of two goals on Friday.

Connor Bedard showed he has the heart of Adam Brooks, Sam Steel, Austin Wagner, Josh Mahura, Connor Hobbs and Tyler Brown.

The Regina Pats 17-year-old phenom centre recorded a pair of goals, one assist and a plus-three rating in the plus-minus category to a power his squad to a 6-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades in Game 1 of a best-of-seven first round WHL Playoff series. The result came to the disappointment to most of the 10,265 spectators at the SaskTel Centre outside of the sizable contingent of Pats fans who showered their team with cheers and salutes at game’s end.

When the dust settled on Game 1, Pats all-time great head coach and general manager John Paddock reflected on Bedard’s play in comparison to the crew of Brooks, Steel, Wagner, Mahura, Hobbs and Brown that helped the Pats top the WHL regular season standings in 2016-17 with a 52-12-7-1 record and advance to the WHL Championship series falling in six games to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Blades C Jayden Wiens, left, battles Pats C Connor Bedard for the puck.

This season, the Pats finished sixth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 34-30-3-1 record well back of the Blades, who finished fourth overall in the WHL with a 48-15-4-1 mark and are rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

“His (Bedard’s) individual play,” said Paddock. “We’re a young team.

“Him and (Tanner) Howe, those guys are 17-years-old. When Sam (Steel) was 17 Brooksy (Adam Brooks) was 19, and they threw a scare in Red Deer (in the second round of the 2016 WHL Playoffs) when they were hosting (the Memorial Cup). Our team was building.

Connor Bedard works with the puck deep in the offensive zone.

“This is a different situation, but on an individual player basis, there is nobody close to Connor (Bedard). Those guys were great players, but on an individual basis, it isn’t even close.”

Bedard was humbled to hear about Paddock’s kind words at the end of Friday’s game in comparison to the Pats star players that powered the franchise to the 2017 WHL Championships Series. The North Vancouver, B.C., product added he just made his post-season debut and that group accomplished some special things in the post-season.

“It is great, but I’ve only played one game in the playoffs,” said Bedard, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds. “They, obviously, helped take their team to the final.

Stanislav Svozil had a goal and assist for the Pats.

“I don’t want to compare myself to anyone or look at that. Obviously, we have a rich history, and they are a big part of it so I don’t want to compare myself to anyone. It is nice that I am hearing my name with those guys that are great players and great Pats obviously.

“Like I said, I’m not here to compare myself to anyone. We have a goal here, and we want to kind of do something like they did.”

The Pats held a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes, when the Blades held the edge in territorial play holding a 23-12 edge in shots on goal. The wheels then fell off for the host side in the third.

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne thought his side wasn’t desperate enough on Friday and needed to find another level of play. He was asked about how Blades all-time great head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken, who guided Saskatoon WHL Championship appearances in 1992 and 1994, used to say it takes a special will to win in the playoffs, and Sonne said that was where he was going.

Zackary Shantz scored the Pats first goal on Friday.

“That is exactly what he (Molleken) was talking about in my opinion what was missing,” said Sonne. “How were our rebound battles at their net?

“Did we dig in on those second opportunities? We’re all three guys buzzing in the offensive zone, or was one guy kind of by himself way too much. Were we all three guys working across the rink to recover pucks in the offensive zone?

“When we use the word desperate like Lorne (Molleken) is and like I am right now, that is what that means. That is when I say we have another level that is what I mean.”

The teams came out and played a feeling out type opening 20 minutes, where the Blades held a 10-8 edge in shots on goal.

Alexander Suzdalev had an assist for the Pats.

In the first, the Blades got a great scoring chance early, but left-winger Jake Chiasson and robbed close in at the right side of the Regina net by Pats netminder Drew Sim. Late in the opening frame, Sim stoned Blades star centre Trevor Wong close in at the right side of the Regina net.

The Pats best chance to score in the first came about seven minutes into the frame. Bedard fed a pass to the front of the Saskatoon goal to left-winger Riley Ginnell. Ginnell fired a shot from close in and was stoned by Blades netminder Austin Elliott.

At the 4:11 mark of the second, the Pats jumped ahead 1-0 from an unlikely source. Pats star import defenceman Stanislav Svozil sprung rookie centre Zackary Shantz in alone on the Saskatoon goal.

Riley Ginnell scored nine seconds into the third period.

Shantz roofed home a shot to the top right corner of the Blades net to give the visitors a 1-0 edge. The tally was Shantz’s first career WHL goal in either the regular season or the post-season. The Pats fourth line forward unit of Shantz, left-winger Brayden Barnett and right-winger Jaxsin Vaughan had a strong outing on Friday.

“He (Shantz) has a fair amount of skill, but he got hurt early and he got a really bad collarbone break,” said Paddock. “He was out for like 15 weeks with it.

“It (Shantz’s goal) was nice in that way, and it was big. Sometimes that is what happens in playoffs or any time. Some sort of unsung hero comes up big, but I thought Barnett and Vaughan played strong games on the walls and finished checks.”

Drew Sim made 27 saves for the Pats on Friday.

With 6:48 remaining in the second, Bedard went to work. Entering the Blades zone on a rush down the right wing, Bedard was being hooked down by Blades defenceman Ben Saunderson, but the Pats centre still fired a shot home to the top left corner of the Saskatoon net to give the visitors a 2-0 edge.

As short time later, Bedard had two good scoring chances on the same shift. He was stopped on a rush down the right wing, but he collected the puck in the left corner of the Saskatoon zone behind the icing line. Bedard tried to bank the puck in off Elliott, but the Blades managed to keep the puck out of their net.

Just nine seconds into the third, Ginnell netted the Pats third goal to extend their advantage to 3-0 banking home a long shoot in off a stanchion into the net.

Lukas Hansen had the Blades lone goal on Friday.

The Blades responded 22 seconds later when left-winger Lukas Hansen, who turned 18-years-old in February, tallied on a spin-around shot from the left slot to cut the Pats lead to 3-1.

Right before the 10-minute mark of the third, Svozil put a dagger in the Blades comeback hopes. Holding the puck deep in the left side of the Blades zone, Svozil fired home a bad angle shot to the top right corner of the Saskatoon goal to give the Pats a 4-1 lead. Bedard and star import right-winger Alexander Suzdalev picked up assists on Svozil’s tally.

Following Svozil’s tally, Bedard proceeded to add another highlight with 6:33 remaining in the third. He broke down the left wing in the Saskatoon zone, cut in between two Blades defencemen, crossed the front of the Saskatoon goal and roofed home a shot to the top right corner of the net to increase the visitor’s advantage to 5-1.

The Pats celebrate an empty-net goal from Tye Spencer, right.

Tye Spencer rounded out the game’s scoring with an empty-net goal with 2:31 remaining in the third.

Austin Elliott turned away 19-of-24 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades. Kelton Pyne stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Pats.

Game 2 of the series is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Bedard said he is aware of the historical sports rivalry between Regina and Saskatoon including how it extends to football with the University of Regina Rams taking on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in U Sports and the Regina Thunder tangling with the Saskatoon Hilltops in the CJFL. He knows the Pats and Blades have had their battles in the past, and with the two sides now having played each other four times since the start of March, Bedard thinks the intensity in the series is going to pick up.

Blades RW Egor Sidorov, left, and Pats C Tanner Howe trade words.

“It has been fun to play in these games,” said Bedard, who led the WHL in regular season scoring with 143 points coming off 71 goals and 72 assists to go with a plus-39 rating. “Obviously, they are a really good hockey team.

“We feel we are that too. I think just getting to play them so much, and obviously, seeing them in the first round, it is kind of cool how the schedule played out with that. You learn how to play against each other, and obviously that kind of hatred grows.

“It is going to be an intense series, and it is going to be tight.”

Before the Blades get into the rivalry aspect with the Pats, Sonne wants his team to focus on playing at a playoff intensity and energy level in Game 2.

The Pats celebrate their win on Friday night.

“You have to make it happen too,” said Sonne. “I thought we were clinical.

“I thought we structured and all that stuff. We have to get to that next gear, which is a playoff gear. I just didn’t think we were there enough.

“It is one game of a seven game series. Just like in the regular season, we learn and adjust and come at them for Game 2.”

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

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Blades in final battles with Bedard, Pats in WHL Playoffs

Blades HC Brennan Sonne answers questions at a presser on Thursday.

Is playing keep away the best way to defend Connor Bedard?

Saskatoon Blades head coach Brennan Sonne was posed with the notion that the best way to defend Bedard, who is the Regina Pats 17-year-old phenom centre, is to win faceoffs and play the puck possession game. In turn, you limit Bedard’s time with playing the puck allowing him few chances to hurt you offensively.

“I would love to hear a coach say, ‘No, puck possession is not important, faceoffs are not important,’” said Sonne. “It is very important, but you don’t have a full say in that.

“There is another team out there. How do you do that? Well, a lot of it is compete.

“You can’t defend courage. You can’t defend heart, so when you don’t have the puck, let’s get it back as quickly as possible. When we do, let’s do good things with it.”

Sonne and his Blades have seen their share of Bedard and the Pats. The Blades and Pats met six times in the regular season including two March sellouts of 14,768 spectators at the SaskTel Centre with the Saskatoon side coming out victorious on four occasions. The two clubs have met three times in the month of March, and the Blades won two of those encounters.

Now the two teams will embark on a best-of-seven first round WHL playoff series with Game 1 set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Barring something unforeseen, Bedard will be the first overall selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft set for June 28 to 29 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

These encounters will mark the final times the Blades will face the North Vancouver, B.C., product. Of course, Bedard is a generational talent who topped the WHL in goals (71) and points (143) while posting a plus-39 rating in the plus-minus department in 57 regular season appearances.

Bedard’s shared the WHL’s assists lead with 72 helpers with Prince George Cougars star centre Riley Heidt, who is a Saskatoon area product who turned 18-years-old last Saturday.

“I don’t think you just shut down Connor Bedard,” said Sonne. “I don’t think you shutdown the greats.

“The only analogy that I have been able to come up with that I think has been fairly app (applicable) is just like if you have a house on the ocean. Are you going to stop the waves? The waves are going to keep coming, so what do you do.

“You build wave breaks. For us that analogy just means well he needs to go through five guys to get to our house.”

The Blades were the only team in the WHL to hold Bedard off the scoreboard twice during the regular season. They held him off the scoreboard in a 5-2 victory in Regina on March 5, where Bedard posted a minus-five rating. Saskatoon kept Bedard pointless in a 3-2 win at the sold out SaskTel Centre on March 24, where Bedard posted a minus-two rating.

Even with that past success shutting down Bedard, Sonne said the potential is still there for him to have big games.

“Sometimes, it doesn’t matter,” said Sonne, who Blades are rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. “Connor (Bedard) is going to make great plays.

“Connor is going to do great things out there. When he does, we have to move on to the next shift really quickly.”

The Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL and second overall in the Eastern Conference with a 48-15-4-1 record. Due to the fact they weren’t a division winner, the Blades are given the third seed for the first round of the Eastern Conference side of the bracket creating the match up with the Pats, who finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 34-30-3-1 mark.

Trevor Wong speaks during a presser on Thursday.

While the Blades don’t have the top player in major junior hockey, they have great depth and a solid first line in centre Trevor Wong, import right-winger Egor Sidorov and left-winger Brandon Lisowsky. Wong, who is 19-years-old, topped the Blades in scoring with 86 points coming off 27 goals and 59 assists to go with a plus-23 rating appearing in all his team’s 68 regular season games. All of Wong’s statistics are career highs.

Sidorov was second in Blades scoring with 76 points coming off 40 goals and 36 assists to go with a plus-25 rating in 53 games. Lisowsky was third in Blades scoring with 71 points coming off 38 goals and 33 assists to go with a plus-17 rating in 65 games.

“I think success just starts with my teammates obviously and just confidence they have in me and them making me better all around,” said Wong. “My line in general is just looking to play the same way.

“We had a lot of success this regular season, and nothing is going to change in the playoffs. We’re just really excited.”

Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere, who turned 21-years-old in February, led his team in defencemen scoring with 65 points coming off 12 goals and 53 assists to go with a plus-19 rating in 65 games.

In goal, the Blades are relying on two strong netminder in Austin Elliott and Ethan Chadwick. Elliott appeared in 37 regular season games posting a 25-6-3 record, a 2.20 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and two shutouts. Chadwick appeared in 34 regular season contests posting a 23-9-2 record, a 2.61 goals against average, a .899 save percentage and two shutouts.

Wong, De La Gorgendiere and Elliott were named East Division second team all-stars on Tuesday.

On the Pats side of things, they have two other high scoring forward to compliment Bedard. Rookie import winger Alexander Suzdalev, who turned 19-years-old in early March, finished second in Pats team scoring with 86 points coming off 38 goals and 48 assists in 66 games.

Left-winger Tanner Howe, who is 17-years-old, was third in Pats team scoring with 85 points coming off 36 goals and 49 assists to go with a plus-12 rating in 67 games. Import Stanislav Svozil led the Pats in defencemen scoring with 78 points coming off 11 goals and 67 assists to go with a plus-27 rating in 56 games.

Veteran Drew Sim has been the Pats starter in goal posting a 27-17-2 record, a 3.56 goals against average, a .893 save percentage and two shutouts in 49 appearances.

Bedard and Svozil were named first team East Division all-stars on Tuesday.

Wong said the Blades are comfortable with their depth.

“Just when you have depth like that in our forward group and our D-group, you just feel that extra confidence,” said Wong. “You’re not hesitant to put your fourth line out there or your third pairing.

“We have 12 forwards, six defence and two goalies who can play. It just helps a lot with confidence and going out there and doing their job. We know everyone does their job really well.”

For De La Gorgendiere, the 2023 post-season will mark the final times he skates with the Blades before graduating from the junior ranks. The Langley, B.C., product was selected by the Blades in the first round and fifth overall in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.

As a career member with the Blades, De La Gorgendiere, who has been a full-time player since his 16-year-old season, has appeared in 248 career regular season games posting 22 goals, 133 assists and a plus-16 rating. He remembers taking part in an introductory press conference with left-winger Kyle Crnkovic, who now plays for the Seattle Thunderbirds, and that day in May 2017 does seem like a long time ago.

“I feel like a lot of things have happened in my life since then,” said De La Gorgendiere, who missed last year’s playoffs with season ending shoulder surgery. “I feel like with injuries and just my personal life with losing my mom and everything like that I feel like it has kind of been a whirlwind.

“I haven’t really had too much time to think about it. Time flies. I think you come into this league, and everyone says enjoy it while it lasts, because it doesn’t last very long.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere speaks during a presser on Thursday.

“You don’t really think much of it when you are younger. I guess it is starting to set in a little bit now, but I’m not really focused on that right now. I’m focused on winning a championship with our team.”

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Learning curve makes Raiders prospects bright for 2023-24

Ryder Ritchie had 55 points in 61 games with the Raiders.

The struggles in 2022-23 will make the Prince Albert Raiders reach bigger goals in 2023-24.

Actually for a reloading campaign, the Raiders did alright this past season. They posted a 28-37-3 record to finish 11^th overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and 10 points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers (30-29-8-1) for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the conference.

The 28 victories was the same win total the Raiders posted in the regular season in 2021-22, where they made the WHL Playoffs. In 2021-22, the Raiders posted a 28-35-4-1 record to finish eighth overall in the Eastern Conference taking the conference’s final playoff berth.

The Raiders in 2022-23 had two fewer standings points than in 2021-22. Of course in 2021-22, WHL teams just played a full 68 game regular season against conference foes, while there was cross-conference play in 2022-23. Ultimately, that shuffled the wins around in a way that the Raiders made the post-season in one campaign and missed out with almost the same standings points total in the next campaign.

The biggest thing the Raiders were able to deliver in the 2022-23 was hope that seasons in the near future have the potential to be bright ones. Their younger players grew by leaps and bounds and the experience they gained will be a big asset in future campaigns.

The two players that really stood out were left-winger Ryder Ritchie, who was a 16-year-old rookie, and centre Aiden Oiring, who was a 17-year-old rookie. Ritchie finished third in team scoring with 55 points coming off 20 goals and 35 assists in 61 games.

It isn’t often 16-year-old rookies almost score a point per game in the WHL and hit the 20-goal plateau. Ritchie, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 157 pounds, has the potential to be one if the circuit’s elite players in future campaigns as he follows in the strides of his father Byron Ritchie, who starred with the Lethbridge Hurricanes from 1993 to 1997.

Aiden Oiring gained lots of opportunities with the Raiders.

Oiring was acquired by the Raiders on December 31, 2022 in a trade with the Winnipeg Ice that saw right-winger Carson Latimer head to the Manitoba capital. Buried on a deep Ice roster, Oiring, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 164 pounds, had five goals and three assists in 26 games with Winnipeg. He was given a lot more opportunities with the Raiders including lengthy stretches as the first line centre and recorded seven goals and 16 assists in 31 appearances with Prince Albert.

Young forwards like Cole Peardon and Grady Martin, who were skating through their 16-year-old rookie seasons, showed glimpses that they could have greater potential in future seasons. Various forwards from the Raiders 18-year-old group this past season showed well at different times in Hayden Pakkala, Gabe Ludwig and Carter Anderson.

During the second half of the season, 18-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker, who was the Raiders first round selection in the then 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, started to pick up points on a more frequent basis. He might still find the scoring touch he had growing up in minor hockey as a late bloomer in the WHL.

One of the returnees that is pegged to take a 20-year-old spot next season is left-winger Sloan Stanick. Stanick led the Raiders in scoring this past season posting career highs in goals (31), assists (33) and points (64) in 67 appearances, and he has potential to be a really good 20-year-old.

On defence, the Raiders six potential returnees should give them a good base in Eric Johnston, Seth Tansem, Justice Christensen, Easton Kovacs, Terrell Goldsmith and Owen Boucher. Johnston and Goldsmith could make up a top pairing, and Christensen turned heads with his physical play.

Sloan Stanick put up a career high 64 points in 2022-23.

Netminder Tikhon Chaika will take up both a 20-year-old spot and an import spot, but he will give the Raiders comfort in net. As the Raiders went with a more youthful roster, Chaika’s statistics took a hit from the season before, but they were still respectable as he posted a 17-23 record, a 3.28 goals against average, a .894 save percentage and one shutout in 45 appearances.

Barring trades, he has the potential to continue to form a strong tandem in net with Max Hildebrand, who will be in his 19-year-old season in 2023-24. In 32 appearances in 2022-23, Hildebrand posted an 11-14-3 record, a 3.71 goals against average and a .871 save percentage, but those number don’t show the improvement he made.

The Raiders will miss their 20-year-old class from this past season. Star offensive-defenceman Landon Kosior and captain Evan Herman were regulars at the start of the 2019-20 season and hung in with the Raiders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutdowns.

Centre Keaton Sorensen was acquired in a trade on August 17, 2021 with the Red Deer Rebels, and along with Kosior and Herman, he helped lead the Raiders back into an era of full 68-game regular seasons and once again playing in front of supportive crowds in their storied home rink in the Art Hauser Centre.

Kosior, who was named a second team East Division all-star on Tuesday, finished second in team scoring with 63 points coming off 17 goals and 46 assists to go with a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department in 60 appearances. Sorensen finished fourth in team scoring posting career highs in goals (25), assists (28), points (53) and plus-minus (plus-five) in 64 games. Herman was fifth in team scoring posting 38 points coming off 18 goals and 20 assists in 64 games.

Niall Crocker started to produce more offence for the Raiders.

Next season, players who were apart of the Raiders WHL Prospects Draft class in 2022 will get a chance to make positive impact on the team. 

Forward Luke Moroz was selected in the first round and 15^th overall in that draft by the Raiders, and he put up 16 goals and 31 assists in 40 regular season games with the Regina Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team this past season. There is anticipation to see what Moroz can do sporting a Raiders jersey on a full-time basis.

For future seasons, the Raiders found out on Wednesday in the WHL Prospects Draft Lottery held in Calgary that they will have the first and second overall selections in the WHL Prospects Draft slated to be held online on May 11. 

The first overall selection was acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Raiders will also pick in the seventh overall spot having acquired that selection in a trade with the Kelowna Rockets.

In the U.S. Priority Draft Lottery that was held on Wednesday in Calgary, the Raiders found out they will be selecting fifth overall in the U.S. Priority Draft to be held online on May 10. Those selections will likely allow the Raiders to strengthen their depth for the future.

Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Jeff Truitt have to feel good about where their team is positioned.

The Raiders celebrate a win on February 11.

Of course when the 2023-24 campaign comes around, the WHL roster deck will see some shuffling. The Raiders are in position to take a decent step upwards.

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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Too many tight losses hurt Raiders for post-season mix in 2022-23

The Raiders celebrate a win on February 17.

Too many close losses led to the undoing of the Prince Albert Raiders playoff hopes in 2022-23.

Hitting the ice with a young team this past season, the Raiders will benefit from the lessons they learned in the 2023-24 campaign. In 2022-23, the Raiders finished with a 28-37-3 record to finish 11^th in the WHL’s Eastern Conference 10 points behind the 30-29-8-1 Medicine Hat Tigers for eighth place and the conference’s final playoff berth.

The Raiders finished 18^th in the WHL’s overall standings for the 22 team circuit. While the Raiders were last in the six-team East Division, they had the best record among the clubs that finished last in their respective divisions. That meant the division and conference the Raiders were playing out of was highly competitive in 2022-23.

One area that kept the Raiders back this past season was their record in one-goal games, where they posted a 10-11-3 mark. Out those 11 losses in regulation and three in overtime, Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt and his staff have probably done some mental gymnastics of what combinations of those one-goal losses would have gotten the Raiders into the post-season.

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

Tigers buck Broncos 4-3, capture final WHL post-season berth

The Tigers celebrated a berth in the WHL Playoffs on Saturday.

The Medicine Hat Tigers weren’t going to be denied by an opponent who had their number for most of the season.

On Saturday, the Tigers hosted the Swift Current Broncos at Co-op Place in a win and you’re in showdown for the final post-season berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and the final remaining berth in the WHL Playoffs. Entering the final regular season contest for both clubs, the Broncos had won six of the previous seven head-to-head encounters between the two sides.

This time the Tigers overcame a hot start by the Broncos to pull out a 4-3 victory before 4,506 spectators. The win allowed the Tigers to improve to 30-29-8-1 to finish eighth in the Eastern Conference and capture the conference’s final playoff berth.

Swift Current fell to 31-33-1-3 to finish ninth in the Eastern Conference and three points back of the Tigers for the conference’s final playoff position.

The Broncos forced Saturday’s winner take all clash for the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference posting a 3-1 victory over the Tigers on Friday at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current.

Swift Current got out to a quick start in Saturday’s clash at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. Just 3:16 into the first period, Broncos star 18-year-old right-winger Connor Hvidston netted his 21^st of the season to put the visitors up 1-0.

Just under five minutes later while working on the power play, Broncos centre Josh Davies, who turned 19-years-old on Friday, netted his 20^th goal of the season to give the visitors a 2-0 edge. The shots on goal were finished tied 10-10 when the first period came to a conclusion.

The Tigers turned the tables on the Broncos in the second surging ahead 3-2 holding a 16-4 edge in shots on goal for the frame.

Oasiz Wiesblatt scored the Tigers second goal on Saturday.

Just 14 seconds into the second, 18-year-old left-winger Tyler MacKenzie netted his 18^th goal of the season to cut the Broncos lead to 2-1. At the 7:52 mark of the second with Medicine Hat working on the power play, Tigers 18-year-old centre Oasiz Wiesblatt netted his 26^th goal of the season to even the score at 2-2.

With 4:25 remaining in the second, the Tigers jumped ahead 3-2 on a power-play goal from 20-year-old right-winger Dallon Melin. Tomas Mrsic, who is a rookie left-winger who turned 17-years-old in late February, had the puck at the right side boards and passed the puck across the front of the Swift Current goal to defenceman Dru Krebs, who turned 20-years-old in February.

Krebs fed a pass across the face of the Broncos net to Melin, who converted the backdoor tap to give the host side a one-goal edge.

At the six-minute mark of the third, right-winger Brayden Boehm, who turned 19-years-old in January, had the puck in the left corner of the Swift Current zone. He centred a pass to linemate in rookie centre Cayden Lindstrom, who one-timed home his 19^th goal of the season to push the Tigers lead out to 4-2. Lindstrom, who turned 17-years-old in February, posted 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points to go with a plus-11 rating in the plus-minus department in 61 games with the Tigers this season.

The Broncos didn’t go away. Just after a power-play opportunity expired at the 10:26 mark of the third, Broncos star right-winger Josh Filmon, who turned 19-years-old on March 18, potted his 47^th goal of the campaign to cut the Tigers lead to 4-3.

Late in the frame, Broncos 17-year-old left-winger Brady Birnie hit a goalpost, and that was how close the visitors game to scoring the equalizer that forced overtime.

The Tiger proceeded to hold the Broncos off the scoreboard for just their second head-to-head victory between the two sides this season.

Tigers 15-year-old left-winger and associate player call up Gavin McKenna had a pair of assists in the win. In 16 appearances with the Tigers, McKenna, who was selected first overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, posted four goals, 14 assists and a plus-seven rating. McKenna played most of the 2022-23 campaign with the Southern Alberta Hockey Academy Under-18 prep team located in the Medicine Hat area.

Tyler MacKenzie scored the Tigers first goal on Saturday.

Beckett Langkow stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers. Reid Dyck turned away 26 shots to take the setback in net for the Broncos.

The Broncos are still looking for their first playoff berth since 2018, when they loaded up with a veteran roster to win their third WHL championship since the franchise relocated from Lethbridge to Swift Current for the start of the 1986-87 campaign.

The Tigers return to the WHL Playoffs after finishing last in the entire league in 2021-22 with an 11-53-3-1 record.

Medicine Hat will be heavy underdogs taking on the Winnipeg Ice in a first round best-of-seven series. The Ice topped the WHL standings with a 57-10-1 record. Game 1 of the series between the Tigers and Ice is set for Friday at 7 p.m. local time at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg.

Blades hit 100-point plateau for fifth time

Trevor Wong scored twice for the Blades on Saturday.

The Saskatoon Blades hit a rare milestone in their last outing of the regular season.

On Saturday, the Blades traveled to Moose Jaw to take on the Warriors in the final regular season contest for both teams. The visiting Blades doubled up the host Warriors 6-3 to disappoint most of the 3,786 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

With the win, the Blades concluded the regular season posting a 48-15-4-1 record for 101 standings points. That marks just the fifth time in team history dating back to the team’s creation in 1964 the Blades have recorded 100-or-more standings points in a campaign.

The Blades won the most games and posted the most points in a season since going 56-13-1-2 in the 2010-11 campaign. Saskatoon’s 56 wins and 115 standings points from that campaign are both club records.

In Saturday’s clash with the Warriors, the Blades jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes on goals from star right-winger Brandon Lisowsky and hard-working centre Jayden Wiens.

At the 3:08 mark of the second with Moose Jaw working on a power play, Warriors star right-winger Atley Calvert netted his 39 goal of the season to cut the Blades lead to 2-1. The Warriors evened the score at 2-2 at the 9:23 mark of the second on a goal from 20-year-old defenceman Logan Dowhaniuk, with Calvert picking up an assist on that tally.

Before the second ended, the Blades surged back in front 4-2 with goals coming from the sticks of 19-year-old left-winger Justin Lies and rookie 17-year-old right-winger Rowan Calvert.

At the 8:42 mark of the third, Atley Calvert potted his 40^th goal of the season for the Warriors, who were working on the power play, to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 4-3. That was as close as the Warriors would come to making a comeback.

Blades star centre Trevor Wong scored 55 seconds later to give the Blades a 5-3 edge. Wong added a second tally scoring into an empty net with less than 55 seconds remaining in the third to round out the 6-3 final score.

Rowan Calvert had the winning goal for the Blades on Saturday.

Wong topped the Blades in scoring this season with 86 points coming off 27 goals and 59 assists to go with a plus-23 rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all the team’s 68 games. Lisowsky had an assist to go with his goal and finished the campaign with career highs in goals (38), assists (33), points (71) and plus-minus (plus-17).

Right-winger Jake Chiasson and utility player Spencer Shugrue each had a pair of assists for the Blades on Saturday.

Ethan Chadwick stopped 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Jackson Unger turned away 25-of-30 shots to take the setback in net for the Warriors, who fell to 41-24-0-3.

The Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL and second in the Eastern Conference. In the conference playoff format used by the WHL, the two division winners are given the first and second seeds in the first round. From the second round onwards, the teams are reseeded by standings points.

In the Eastern Conference, the Winnipeg Ice took top spot in the conference, the overall WHL standings and the East Division. The Red Deer Rebels (43-19-3-3) topped the Central Division and finished third overall in the Eastern Conference. They will be the top two seeds in the first round of the playoffs.

That means the Blades will face Connor Bedard and the Regina Pat in a first round best-of-seven series in the WHL Playoffs. Game 1 of that series set for this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at SaskTel Centre. The Pats finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 34-30-3-1 mark.

The last time the Blades and Pats met in the post-season came back in the 2006 WHL Playoffs, where the Blades claimed a best-of-seven first round series 4-2.

The Warriors finish fourth overall in the Eastern Conference and will face the fifth place Lethbridge Hurricanes (36-26-3-3) in a best-of-seven first round series. Game 1 of that series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

Raiders close with 5-3 win over Pats, other notes

Sloan Stanick (#23) had a hat trick on Saturday.

Sloan Stanick closed the 2022-23 campaign for the Prince Albert Raiders by outshining Connor Bedard in the Regina Pats home rink.

On Saturday, Stanick had a hat trick for the Raiders to power them to a 5-3 victory past the Pats to the disappointment of most of the sellout crowd of 6,499 spectators at the Brandt Centre. The contest concluded the regular season schedules for both squads.

For the Raiders who had already been eliminated from WHL post-season contention, the win allowed them to halt a three-game skid and improve to 28-37-3. The Raiders finished 11^th in the 12 team Eastern Conference and 18^th overall in the 22 team WHL.

Prince Albert got close to shutting out Bedard, who is the Pats 17-year-old phenom centre, for the contest. Bedard netted the game’s final goal with five minutes remaining in the third period. The North Vancouver, B.C., product finished the regular season leading the WHL in goals (71) and points (143) to go with a plus-39 rating in the plus-minus department in 57 appearances.

In Saturday’s clash between the Raiders and Pats, the Raiders drew first blood with 3:21 remaining in the opening frame on a power-play goal from 17-year-old centre Aiden Oiring, who netted his 12^th tally of the season. Defenceman Easton Kovacs and 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ryder Ritchie picked up assists on the tally.

In the second, Stanick, who is the Raiders star 19-year-old left-winger, went to work scoring at even strength at the 10:23 mark and short-handed at the 12:44 mark to put the visitors up 3-0. Those tallies allowed Stanick to his the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his WHL career.

Pats star import defenceman Stanislav Svozil scored at the 2:59 mark of the third to cut the Raiders lead to 3-1.

Just 76 seconds after Svozil’s tally, Stanick completed his hat trick to put the Raiders up 4-1. At the 8:54 mark of the third, Raiders overage captain Evan Herman potted his 18^th goal of the season to increase the visitors’ edge to 5-1.

Landon Kosior had 63 points this season for the Raiders.

Star 17-year-old left-winger Tanner Howe and Bedard replied with singles for the Pats to round out the game’s scoring.

With his hat trick, Stanick finished up the 2022-23 campaign as the Raiders leading scorer posting 64 points coming off 31 goals and 33 assists to go with an even rating appearing in 67 games. Landon Kosior, who is the Raiders star 20-year-old offensive-defenceman, finished second in team scoring with 63 points coming off 17 goals and 46 assists to go with a plus-three rating in 60 appearances.

Ritchie finished the contest recording a pair of assists for the Raiders. He finished third in team scoring with 55 points coming off 20 goals and 35 assists in 61 appearances.

Import netminder Tikhon Chaika stopped 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Kelton Pyne turned away 25 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats.

The Pats finish sixth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 34-30-3-1 mark and will face the Saskatoon Blades (48-15-4-1) in a best-of-seven first round playoff series. Game 1 of that series set for this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at SaskTel Centre.

The last time the Blades and Pats met in the post-season came back in the 2006 WHL Playoffs, where the Blades claimed a best-of-seven first round series 4-2.

The Raiders finished 10 points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers (30-29-8-1) for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

• The Winnipeg Ice topped the WHL overall standings with a 57-10-1 mark and their 57 wins and 115 standings points are both team records. The Ice’s old records of 53 wins and 111 standings points were set last season when they went 53-10-3-2 to finish first overall in the WHL.
• The Seattle Thunderbirds finished second overall in the WHL with a 54-11-1-2 mark and their 54 wins and 111 standings points are both team records. The Thunderbirds old records of 52 wins and 111 standings points were set back in the 1989-90 season. In 1989-90, the Thunderbirds finished second overall in the WHL with a record of 52 wins, 17 losses and 3 ties.
• Prince George Cougars star centre and Saskatoon product Riley Heidt, who turned 18-years-old on Saturday, finished fifth in the WHL scoring race with 97 points coming off 25 goals and 72 assists appearing in all his teams 68 regular season games. Heidt’s assists total of 72 tied for tops in the league with Regina Pats 17-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard.

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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Raiders’ 20-year-old class kept club on track

Helped team navigate pandemic rough waters

Landon Kosior in action for the Raiders on March 14.

Evan Herman, Landon Kosior and Keaton Sorensen had a special commitment that helped the Prince Albert Raiders navigate unforeseen rough waves that were beyond the team’s control.

Actually, the entire WHL should be thankful for the overage class of 2022-23. This group of players felt the effects that came with the various stops and starts when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world in earnest in March of 2020. Thanks to the commitment of this season’s 20-year-old player class, the WHL got to experience its first what can be termed normal season since the 2018-19 campaign.

Last Saturday, the Raiders were officially eliminated from post-season contention with a 4-1 loss to the WHL leading Ice in Winnipeg. While there was disappointment among the Raiders faithful there would be no action in the WHL Playoffs in 2023, a youthful Raiders squad fought hard enough that the team would only experience three games where it would be playing out the string.

After Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Ice in Winnipeg, the Raiders have two games left on their regular season schedule. On Friday, they will host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. On Saturday, the Raiders wrap up the 2022-23 season traveling to Regina to take on Connor Bedard and the Pats.

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

Beauty sight to see SaskTel Centre packed for WHL

Blades bring in record crowd for Bedard, Pats visit

Connor Bedard scored his 70th goal of the season on Sunday.

Thanks to Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats, the Saskatoon Blades played in front of a home crowd the likes they had never seen before.

On Sunday, the Blades and Pats went at it in a WHL regular season clash in front of a sellout crowd of 14,768 spectators. The attendance was a team record for the host Blades.

The Blades old single game attendance record came back on February 9, 2013 when 12,588 spectators turned out see Saskatoon down the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-2. Sunday’s encounter marked the first time the Blades sold out a game in the SaskTel Centre’s current configuration, when more seats were added to the inside of the building to host world juniors during the 2009-10 campaign.

Saskatoon’s WHL franchise came fairly close to hitting the SaskTel Centre’s record attendance for a single sporting event. That record continues to be held by the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush, who pulled in 15,192 spectators on May 21, 2016 for their 12-9 victory over the Calgary Roughnecks in Game 2 of a best-of-three West Division semifinal series that they swept 2-0.

The Rush were able to pull in more spectators mainly due to holding a party alley in one of the SaskTel Centre’s vehicle entrances leading to the venue’s playing surface. That party alley has the vibe of a mini nightclub with a mingling area and bar underneath the stands. At Blades games, the vehicle entrances leading to the playing surface are usually filled with rink attendants and the team’s game night staff.

The SaskTel Centre’s record attendance for a single event comes from a concert due to the fact you can use floor seating. On September 15, 2018, Metallica drew a SaskTel Centre record attendance of 16,874 spectators for their concert that night.

Heading into Sunday’s action in the WHL, the Blades had averaged 3,865 spectators a game after 32 regular season home games. With Sunday’s game in the books, the Blades average attendance grew to 4,195 spectators per game over 33 home dates.

That average attendance number will grow again when the Blades will host Bedard and the Pats once more on Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre to close the home part of their regular season schedule. As of Sunday, there are only 200 tickets remaining for sale for that contest. That is the next game up for both teams.

When the Blades and Pats met on Sunday, it was one of those rare times the action on the ice took a backseat to the crowd that was in the stands. The atmosphere was electric, and you could feel it during the national anthem.

Brandon Lisowsky had a pair of goals for the Blades on Sunday

The appearance of Bedard brought in a tonne of casual fans that had either not seen a live WHL game for some time or hadn’t seen a live WHL game at all. While Bedard was the draw, the crowd was behind the Blades, and it is hoped the newcomers enjoyed themselves enough that they will come out for other games.

As for the game itself, the Pats ultimately prevailed 4-2, and Bedard delivered his 70^th goal of the season and an assist. After a scoreless opening frame, the 17-year-old phenom centre set up the Pats first goal to open the game’s scoring.

With the puck by the left side of the Saskatoon net, Bedard centred a pass across the face of the Blades goal to Pats star import right-winger Alexander Suzdalev. Suzdalev, who turned 19-years-old on March 5, tapped in the backdoor feed for his 38^th goal of the season.

After the Pats took a 3-1 lead in the third, Suzdalev returned the favour setting up Bedard for his 70^th goal. Suzdalev was cutting to the Saskatoon net with the puck and made a sweet drop pass to Bedard, who was set up on top of the right faceoff circle. Bedard one-timed home the shot to give the Pats a 4-1 lead.

The North Vancouver, B.C., product was given polite applause by the crowd for his milestone tally.

Bedard became the first Pats player to score 70 or more goals in a season since centre Dale Derkatch recorded 72 goals and 87 assists for 159 points in 62 regular season games in the 1983-84 campaign.

The last player to score 70-or-more goals in a WHL campaign was Moose Jaw Warriors centre Jayden Halbgewachs in the 2017-18 season. Halbgewachs appeared in all of the Warriors 72 regular season contests in 2017-18 posting 70 goals and 59 assists for 129 points.

This season, Bedard leads the WHL in goals (70), assists (72) and points (142) to go with a plus-42 rating in the plus-minus department in 55 regular season appearances.

Left-winger Tanner Howe scored at the 15:07 mark of the second period for the Pats to give them a 2-0 lead.

Blades star 18-year-old winger Brandon Lisowsky had both goals for the host side. Lisowsky has career highs in goals (35), assists (32) and points (67) to go with a plus-16 rating in 63 regular season appearances.

Tanner Howe had a goal for the Pats on Sunday.

His first tally at the 7:46 mark of the third to cut the Pats lead to 2-1 was met with huge cheers. Star centre Trevor Wong and captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere picked up assists on Lisowsky’s first tally.

The Pats proceeded to pull away as 18-year-old rookie left-winger Brayden Barnett scored at the 10:48 mark of the third and Bedard posted his 70^th goal of the campaign at the 14:47 mark of the third to give the visitors a 4-1 lead.

With 1:59 remaining in the third and the Blades having pulled netminder Austin Elliott for an extra attacker, Lisowsky potted his second of the contest to round out the 4-2 final. Offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk and star right-winger Conner Roulette picked up assists on Lisowsky’s second tally.

Elliott turned away 18 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades. Kelton Pyne stole the game in goal for the Pats making 42 saves for a well-earned victory.

As it appears now, the SaskTel Centre could host more Bedard games in the first round of the WHL Playoffs. A first round series between the Blades and Pats is close to being locked up.

With the setback on Sunday, the Blades fell to 46-15-4-1, but they sit second overall in the Eastern Conference.

 In the conference playoff format used by the WHL, the two division winners are given the first and second seeds in the first round. From the second round onwards, the teams are reseeded by standings points.

In the Eastern Conference, the WHL leading Winnipeg Ice (55-9-1) have top spot in the conference and the East Division locked up. The Red Deer Rebels (42-18-3-3) have secured first in the Central Division and are cemented as the third place team in the Eastern Conference. They will be the top two seeds in the first round of the playoffs.

The Blades are cemented as the third seed for the opening round of the post-season in the Eastern Conference.

The Pats improved to 34-28-3-1 to sit sixth in the Eastern Conference, and they can’t be passed for that position. As soon as the Lethbridge Hurricanes (35-24-3-3) earn one more standings point, the Pats will be locked into finishing sixth overall in the Eastern Conference and face the Blades in a best-of-seven first round series.

Trevor Wong had an assist for the Blades.

In the big picture of things, it was great to see a sellout crowd turn out to the SaskTel Centre for a Blades home date. It would be cool if crowds of over 10,000 turned out frequently for Blades games after Bedard graduates from the junior ranks.

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

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Blades lock up second in WHL’s Eastern Conference

Saskatoon downs desperate Wheat Kings 3-2

Blades LW Justin Lies hands a souvenir stick to a birthday girl.

Starting in the second round of the WHL Playoffs, the Saskatoon Blades picked up a victory on Saturday night that could prove crucial.

Playing before 3,887 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades slipped past a desperate visiting Brandon Wheat Kings side 3-2 in a WHL regular season clash. The win allowed the Blades to improve to 46-14-4-1 to lock up second place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

In the conference playoff format used by the WHL, the two division winners are given the first and second seeds in the first round. From the second round onwards, the teams are reseeded by standings points.

In the Eastern Conference, the WHL leading Winnipeg Ice (54-9-1) have top spot in the conference and the East Division locked up. The Red Deer Rebels (42-18-3-3) have secured first in the Central Division and are cemented as the third place team in the Eastern Conference.

Justin Lies had the winning goal for the Blades on Saturday.

Thanks to finishing second in the Eastern Conference, the Blades would have home ice advantage for any post-season meetings with the Rebels.

The Blades current total of 46 wins marks the most victories the club has posted in a season since posting a team record 56 victories in 2010-11, when the squad put up a 56-13-1-2 mark to finish first in the WHL.

Saskatoon is also guaranteed a fourth place finish in the WHL’s overall standings. The Blades, who have three games remaining on their regular season schedule, could potentially still finish third in the circuit’s overall standings, but Saskatoon trails the Memorial Cup hosting and B.C. Division champion Kamloops Blazers (47-11-4-2) by three points for third overall. The Blazers have four regular season contests left to play.

Blades C Trevor Wong, left, battles Wheat Kings RW Evan Groening.

The setback put a big dagger in the Wheat Kings post-season hopes as they fell to 26-32-8 with a fourth straight loss to sit 10^th overall in the Eastern Conference with two games remaining on their regular season schedule.

The Wheat Kings trail the Calgary Hitmen (28-28-5-3) by four points for eighth place in the Eastern Conference and the conference’s final playoff berth. The Hitmen need to earn one more standings point in their last four regular season games to eliminate the Wheat Kings from playoff contention.

In Saturday’s clash between the Blades and Wheat Kings, Saskatoon jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a goal from 19-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright at the 9:13 mark of the opening frame and a power-play goal from 21-year-old left-winger Josh Pillar at the 12:34 mark of the first.

Jake Chiasson had a pair of assists for the Blades on Saturday.

Blades 19-year-old left-winger Jake Chiasson picked up assists on both goals after signing a three-year NHL entry-level contract earlier in the day with the Edmonton Oilers.

The Wheat Kings battled back to even the score at 2-2 heading into the first intermission. Right-winger and Saskatoon product Nolan Flamand netted the Wheat Kings first tally with 2:12 to play in the opening frame. 

Rookie left-winger Caleb Hadland, who turned 17-years-old on March 6, potted the equalizer with 43.7 seconds remaining in the first to force the 2-2 draw. Right-winger Evan Groening picked up assists on both Brandon goals.

With 3:56 remaining in the second, Blades 18-year-old left-winger Justin Lies netted his eighth goal of the season which stood up as the winner in Saskatoon’s 3-2 victory. 

Charlie Wright has the Blades first goal on Saturday.

Lies’s tally was set up by some great work by Blades 17-year-old rookie right-winger Rowan Calvert.

Calvert intercepted a Wheat Kings pass in the right corner of the Brandon zone. He quickly fed a pass to the front of the Brandon goal to Lies, who buried the winner.

Lies played a strong two-way game for the Blades in being named the first star of the contest. After being named the first star of the contest at game’s end, Lies gave a souvenir stick to a birthday girl in the crowd.

In the third, the Wheat Kings showed their desperation outshooting the Blades 11-4 in the frame.

Netminder Ethan Chadwick turned away all 11 shots he faced in the third and 23 shots over the whole contest to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Nicholas Jones turned away 23 shots taking the setback in net for the Wheat Kings.

The contest ended with a big scrum when time expired in the third period. 

The Blades celebrate their victory on Saturday night.

The officials handed out penalties to only two players giving Blades right-winger Vaughn Watterodt, who turned 19-years-old in February, and Wheat Kings 20-year-old left-winger Calder Anderson double minors for roughing and 10-minute misconducts.

The Blades return to action on Sunday when they host 17-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats (33-28-3-1) in a highly anticipated match up at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Bedard leads the WHL in goals (69), assists (71) and points (140).

The Wheat Kings get back at it on Friday, when they host the Ice (7 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

Raiders eliminated from playoff contention, other notes

Tikhon Chaika made 23 saves for the Raiders on Saturday.

It took seemingly death by 1,000 paper cuts to bring the Prince Albert Raiders post-season hopes to an end, and they were officially brought to an end on Saturday.

On Saturday, the Raiders played the second of a three games in three nights road trip falling to the WHL leading Ice 4-1 in a regular season clash played before 1,746 spectators at the Wayne Fleming Arena. The game was 45 minutes late in starting due to the Raiders bus encountering mechanical issues, while traveling from Brandon to Winnipeg. The Raiders opened their trip on Friday in Brandon downing the host Wheat Kings 4-3.

The Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention with their loss to the Ice and the Calgary Hitmen blanking the Tigers in Medicine Hat 2-0 on Saturday night. Prince Albert fell to 27-35-3 to sit 11^th in the Eastern Conference and can no longer move into eighth in the conference to take the conference’s final playoff berth.

The Hitmen sit eight in the Eastern Conference and hold the conference’s last playoff berth improving to 28-28-5-3.

Landon Kosior had an assist for the Raiders on Saturday.

The win for the Ice improved their winning streak to six games as they continue to top the WHL’s overall standings with a 54-9-1 mark. The Ice sit two points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds (52-9-1-2), and both clubs have four contests remaining on their respective regular season schedules.

The 54 wins are a new franchise record for the Ice for most victories in one season. Their previous record was set last season, when the Ice topped the WHL standings with a 53-10-3-2 mark.

In Saturday’s clash between the Raiders and Ice, the teams played through a scoreless opening 20 minutes. Ice star centre Zack Ostapchuk opening the game’s scoring at the 10:26 mark of the second to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

Ice increased their advantage to 4-0 in the third with singles coming off the sticks of Evan Friesen, Ben Zloty and Connor McClennon. McClennon’s goal was his 44^th tally of the season and he had an assist to go with his goal.

Carter Anderson had the Raiders lone goal on Saturday.

Ice star centre Matthew Savoie had three assists in the win.

Carter Anderson, who is an 18-year-old left-winger, netted the Raiders lone reply coming with 4:28 remaining in the third to round out the 4-1 final score. Raiders star offensive-defenceman Landon Kosior, who is in his 20-year-old season, picked up the lone assist on Anderson’s goal.

Star netminder Daniel Hauser stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Ice. Import netminder Tikhon Chaika turned away 23 shots to take the setback in the Raiders net.

The Ice had won all five head-to-head meetings with the Raiders this season.

The two sides go at it again on Sunday at 5 p.m. local time at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

• The Saskatoon Blades will set a new SaskTel Centre single game team attendance record when they face Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats at 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Blades, who have sold out that clash with the Pats, won’t break the SaskTel Centre’s record attendance for a single sporting event. That record will continue to be held by the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush, who pulled in 15,192 spectators on May 21, 2016 for their 12-9 victory over the Calgary Roughnecks in Game 2 of a best-of-three West Division semifinal series that they swept 2-0. The Rush are able to hold a party alley in one of the SaskTel Centre’s vehicle entrances leading to the venue’s playing surface. At Blades games, the vehicle entrances leading to the playing surface are usually filled with rink attendants and the team’s game night staff. There is also part of one section of seats that can’t be used for the building’s configuration for hockey games, but can be used for lacrosse games. Due to missing that party alley and being unable to use part of one section of seats, the attendance at Sunday’s game isn’t expected to surpass 15,000.
• Due to being able to use floor seating, the SaskTel Centre’s record attendance for a single event comes from a concert. On September 15, 2018, Metallica drew a record attendance of 16,874 spectators for their concert that night. The band dedicated their performance of “Nothing Else Matters” to those who died in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6, 2018.
• After 32 regular season home games, the Saskatoon Blades are averaging 3,865 spectators a game. That number will go up as the Blades final two home games on Sunday and this coming Friday are against Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats.
• The Regina Pats officially locked up a berth in the WHL Playoffs with their 7-3 over the Warriors in Moose Jaw in a game played before 4,965 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Pats 17-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard had a hat trick, three assists and posted a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department in that contest.
• The U.S. Division champion Seattle Thunderbirds (52-9-1-2) need to earn just two more standings points in their last four games to lock up first overall in the Western Conference.

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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