Saturday 30 March 2024

Lakovic delivers Warriors OT win, 2-0 series lead on Wheaties

Brayden Yager had a goal for the Warriors on Saturday.
Lynden Lakovic ensured the Moose Jaw Warriors held serve at home.

On Saturday night, the Warriors found themselves locked in a 4-4 draw in overtime taking on the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings in Game 2 of a first round series in the WHL Playoffs between the two sides. Just 2:15 into the extra session, Warriors 19-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic stole the puck from a Wheat Kings defenceman in the left corner of the Brandon zone.

Kovacevic backhanded a pass to the front of the Brandon net to Lakovic. The 17-year-old sophomore left-winger made no mistake burying the overtime winner to deliver the Warriors to a 5-4 victory before an elated 3,557 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

The win allowed the Warriors to take a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-seven set. Moose Jaw claimed Game 1 on home ice Friday by a 7-4 score.

In Saturday’s clash, Warriors star centre Brayden Yager gave the host side a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. Later on in the first, Wheat Kings import centre Dominik Petr and 17-year-old centre Roger McQueen scored goals six second apart from each other to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage.

With 3:42 remaining in the first, Warriors star 20-year-old centre Atley Calvert potted a short-handed goal to even the score at 2-2.

In the second, Wheat Kings 19-year-old Rylen Roersma tallied a short-handed marker and McQueen potted his second of the contest to give Brandon a 4-2 advantage.

Inside the final two minutes of the second, the Warriors scored two goals 23 seconds apart coming from the sticks of star centre Matthew Savoie and left-winger Pavel McKenzie to even the score at 4-4.

The two sides played through a scoreless third period leading up to Lakovic’s winner. The Wheat Kings got the first four shots on goal in overtime before Lakovic tallied on Moose Jaw’s first shot on net of the extra frame.

Jackson Unger stopped 30 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors. Carson Bjarnason turned away 34 shots to take the setback in net for the Wheat Kings.

Calvert collected a pair of assists to go with his goal putting up a three-point night for the Warriors. Savoie had an assist to go with his goal. Warriors 20-year-old defenceman Brenton Lucas picked up a pair of assists in the win.

Roersma had an assist to go with his goal for the Wheat Kings.

The series now shifts to Brandon for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively for a 7 p.m. local start time on both nights at Westoba Place.

The Warriors finished second overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference in the regular season with a 44-21-0-3 mark. They are the third seed in the conference for the first round of the playoffs due to not finishing first in a division. The Wheat Kings placed sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 33-28-6-1 record.

Broncos outlast Hurricanes 4-3 in Game 2

Josh Filmon scored for the Broncos on Saturday.
The Swift Current Broncos are showing early signs that they might be giving their fans another spring to remember.

On Saturday before a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the InnovationPlex, the host Broncos took a 4-3 thriller over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in Game 2 of a best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs between the two sides. With the win, the Broncos take a 2-0 lead in the set. Swift Current took Game 1 of the series 3-0 win on home ice on Friday.

In Saturday’s encounter between the two sides, the Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead early in the first period on a goal by 18-year-old right-winger Leo Braillard.

The visitors held their lead until the 14:24 mark of the second when Broncos star left-winger Josh Filmon tallied on the power play to even the score at 1-1.

Just under three minutes later, Hurricanes 20-year-old centre Sean Tschigerl popped home his first of the post-season to give the visitors a 2-1 edge heading into the second intermission.

At the 2:38 mark of the third, Broncos 20-year-old defenceman Ryan McCleary netted the equalizer that forced a 2-2 tie. Just under three minutes later, Broncos star 19-year-old right-winger Connor Hvidston scored on the power-play to put the host side in front 3-2.

The Broncos then appeared to have iced the game when star centre Conor Geekie scored into an empty-net with 2:14 remaining in the third to push the host’s advantage out to 4-2. Just four seconds later, Hayden Pakkala scored for the Hurricanes to cut the Broncos lead to 4-3.

The Hurricanes weren’t able to find the equalizer after that.

Reid Dyck made 29 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Broncos. Harrison Meneghin turned away 32-of-35 shot to take the setback in net for the Hurricanes.

Left-winger Luke Mistelbacker had a pair of helpers for Swift Current.

The Broncos are making their first appearance in the WHL Playoffs since their WHL championship winning season in 2018. They topped the Central Division this season posting a 40-22-4-2 mark.

The Hurricanes finished seventh in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 33-28-7 record.

The series now shifts to Lethbridge for Game 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively to be held at 7 p.m. local time both nights at the Enmax Centre.

McKenna powers Tigers past Rebels, other notes

Gavin McKenna had a goal and two assists for the Tigers.
Gavin McKenna broke out the biggest post-season outing of his young WHL career to power his Medicine Hat Tigers to a big rebound win.

On Saturday night, the Tigers star 16-year-old rookie left-winger scored 21 seconds into Game 2 of the Tigers first round series against the Red Deer Rebels. McKenna picked up assists on the Tigers two goals in the second frame as they down the visiting Rebels 3-1 before an appreciative crowd of 4,175 spectators at Co-op Place.

The win allows the Tigers to even the best-of-seven series with the Rebels at 1-1. In Game 1 at Co-op Place on Friday, the Tigers jumped out to 4-0 only to see the Rebels rally back and claim a 5-4 victory in double overtime.

In Game 2 on Saturday, McKenna gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead scoring 21 seconds into the game potting a rebound at the right side of the Rebels net from a shot taken by linemate Hunter St. Martin.

At the 9:22 mark of the second, McKenna and Tigers 18-year-old star left-winger Andrew Basha combined to set up 18-year-old offensive-defenceman Reid Andresen for his first goal of the post-season to push Medicine Hat’s advantage out to 2-0.

Working on the power play with 4:32 remaining in the second, Basha and McKenna combined to set up sophomore star centre Cayden Lindstrom, who turned 18-years-old in February, for his first of the playoffs. Lindstrom’s tally pushed the Tigers lead out to 3-0 going into the second intermission.

After 40 minutes, the Tigers held their 3-0 edge while building a 23-13 advantage in shots on goal.

The Rebels came with a big push back in the third holding an 18-3 edge in shots on goal for the frame. The visitors were only able to get one goal coming from the stick of sophomore centre Ollie Josephson coming at the 6:32 mark of the period.

Zach Zahara stopped 30 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers. Chase Wutzke turned away 23 shots to take the setback in net for the Rebels.

As a rookie, McKenna led the Tigers in regular season scoring with 97 points coming off 34 goals and 63 assists. His 97 points are a Tigers team record for most points scored in one season by a 16-year-old.

He finished 12th in the WHL’s scoring race. Due to being born in late December, McKenna isn’t eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2026.

The Tigers finished fourth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference in the regular season with a 37-23-6-2 mark. The Rebels were fifth overall in the conference with a 33-26-3-6 record.

The series between the Tigers and Rebels now shifts to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively at 7 p.m. both nights at the Peavey Mart Centrium.

  • On Saturday in Prince George, centre Riley Heidt had three assists as his host Cougars downed the Spokane Chiefs 7-4 in Game 2 of their first round series. Layton Feist scored twice for the Chiefs. The Cougars, who finished second overall in the WHL regular season with a 49-15-1-3 mark, lead the series 2-0.
  • On Saturday in Portland, the host Winterhawks dumped the Victoria Royals 5-1 in Game 2 of their first round series. James Stefan had a pair of goals and an assist for the Winterhawks, while Gabe Klassen picked up three assists in the win. The Winterhawks, who finished third overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 48-15-4-1 mark, lead the series 2-0.
  • On Saturday in Everett, the host Silvertips got a pair of goals from Austin Roest to down the Vancouver Giants 2-1 in Game 2 of their first round series. Brett Mirwald made 53 saves taking the setback in goal for the Giants. The best-of-seven series between these two clubs is tied 1-1.
  • On Saturday in Wenatchee, the host Wild fell 3-1 to the Kelowna Rockets in Game 2 of their first round series. Caden Price picked up assists on all three goals for the Rockets. The best-of-seven series between these two squads is tied 1-1.
  • On Friday, the WHL announced Brandon Wheat Kings 19-year-old physical left-winger Matt Henry has been suspended eight games for a first-time violation of the CHL’s Anti-Doping Policy. Henry appeared in 37 regular season games for the Wheat Kings this season collecting one assist and 100 penalty minutes.

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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Friday 29 March 2024

Gardner gets Blades on even terms with Raiders

Goalie makes 31 saves to win first WHL post-season start

Blades G Evan Gardner (#35) stops Raiders C Brayden Dube.
Evan Gardner was as good as gold for the Saskatoon Blades.

On Friday night, the breakout rookie netminder made 31 saves in his first career post-season start to back his Blades to a 4-1 victory over their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders in Game 2 of a best-of-seven series in the WHL Playoffs. With the win in a game played before 8,242 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades even the series 1-1.

The only time Gardner got beat was when Raiders veteran right-winger Niall Crocker scored on an abbreviated five-on-three power play with 46.1 seconds remaining in the third period. That tally rounded out the final score in favour of the host side.

Evan Gardner (#35) makes one of his 31 saves on Friday.
When the dust settled, Gardner was happy to pick up the win for his squad and shrugged off seeing the shutout bid end inside the final 50 seconds of the third period.

“It would have obviously been kind of cool, but that is not something I am looking for,” said Gardner, who turned 18-years-old in late January. “I’m looking more for the wins, because that is all that matters at this time of year.”

Gardner was tasked with helping the Blades get a big bounce back victory after dropping Game 1 of the series 4-3 on Thursday night at the SaskTel Centre. In that contest, Blades star starting netminder Austin Elliott stopped 16-of-20 shots fired his way, while Raiders star goalie Max Hildebrand turned away 41 shots to pick up the win.

Evan Gardners first WHL post-season start was a winning one.
The Blades entered the series having finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 50-13-2-3 record. The Raiders came into the series capturing eighth place and the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 31-32-2-3 mark. Prince Albert placed 14th in the WHL’s overall standings.

Gardner had an outstanding rookie campaign appearing in 30 games posting a 21-5-2 record, a 1.91 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and four shutouts. He has the lowest goals against average in the WHL and the best save percentage on the circuit.

The Lake Country, B.C., product had been battling illness throughout the week, but he was ready to go when Friday’s Game 2 came around.

John Babcock scored the Blades first goal on Friday.
“I really didn’t look at it any different than any other start that I’ve had throughout the year,” said Gardner, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 174 pounds. “Obviously, the atmosphere in there was electric.

“That is kind of playoff hockey for you. I didn’t prepare any different for this game. I actually felt more calm than usual.”

It also helped the Blades got a quick start on the scoreboard.

Just 2:02 into the opening frame, Blades defensive- defenceman John Babcock placed a smart shot from the left point through a screen past Hildebrand to give the host side a 1-0 lead. The tally was the 19-year-old rearguard’s first career WHL post-season goal, and it came on the Blades second shot of the contest.

Fans at the SaskTel Centre cheer on the Blades on Friday.
The Raiders came with a big push back firing nine shots on Gardner. He made a number of big saves to keep the visitors off the scoreboard and thought the early barrage was also helpful.

“It was good,” said Gardner. “Obviously, I haven’t been on the ice a whole lot these past few days just being ill.

“I think it was best case scenario for me was getting lots of rubber early in the game. That is what I am there for, and I’m just going to stop everything they put towards me.”

After that flurry, the Blades almost increased their lead on a positive bounce play. Blades 17-year-old rookie winger William James dumped the puck into the Prince Albert zone and puck took a crazy bounce off the back boards straight out in front of the Raiders net.

Egor Sidorov had a goal and an assist for the Blades on Friday.
Blades 18-year-old centre Misha Volotovskii tried to put the puck into an open net as Hildebrand was out of position due to the crazy bounce. Volotovskii put the puck off the post of the Prince Albert net.

A short time later, Hildebrand robbed Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov with a glove stop at the right side of the Prince Albert net.

Gardner proceeded to counter with a glove save on Raiders 19-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker.

Before the opening frame expired, Hildebrand swallowed up a shot from Sidorov on a Blades three-on-one chance.

Easton Armstrong had a goal and an assist for the Blades on Friday.
After 20 minutes, the Raiders held a 13-7 edge in shots on goal. Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt liked the effort his side put into Friday’s game and thought his squad was haunted by not being able to convert scoring chances around the Blades net.

“We didn’t finish off,” said Truitt. “We had some looks, but we didn’t finish.

“It was a hard game. It is playoffs. We knew they were going to respond after Game 1.

“Our push back was there being physical and generating some stuff. It doesn’t surprise me a little bit about the emotions. Both teams want this, and they’re going to work hard to get it.”

Niall Crocker (#24) and Charlie Wright engage in a stare down.
At the 3:15 mark of the second, the Blades pushed their edge out to 2-0 thanks to a power play goal from Sidorov. Blades captain Trevor Wong won a faceoff back to Sidorov on the point. Sidorov came down the right wing and roofed a backhander past Hildebrand to the top left corner of the Prince Albert goal to give the Blades their two goal edge.

The goal went to a video review because Blades overage star left-winger Easton Armstrong knocked Raiders player into Hildebrand on the play. The officials rightly ruled Sidorov’s goal went into the net before the contact with Hildebrand occurred.

Shortly after that tally, Sidorov rang the post on another Blades power play chance, which could have allowed the host side to seize further control of the contest.

Aiden Oiring (#19) and Lukas Hansen engage in a fight.
Near the end of that power-play opportunity, Hildebrand stoned Blades left-winger Tyler Parr on a redirection shot from the front of the Raiders net. Hildebrand later turned away Blades centre Lukas Hansen on a close in chance.

The Raiders proceeded to go on the power play with under five minutes to play in the second. On that opportunity, Gardner came up with a big stop on Raiders centre Brayden Dube when he cut across the front of the Saskatoon net for a shot opportunity.

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne was pleased with how Gardner played on Friday.

“I’m very proud of him,” said Sonne. “He has had a tough week.

The Blades celebrate a goal from Tyler Parr (#20).
“He was pretty sick earlier in the week, so he didn’t get practice time with team. For him to prepare just with some morning ice and with our goalie coach Jeff Harvey who does such a good job preparing these guys, I thought he did really, really well. When you miss practices and stuff like that, you’re not getting a tonne of touches with the puck.

“He did a great job considering the week he had.”

Right before the second frame ended, Raiders captain Eric Johnston leveled Sidorov with an open ice hit, which drew cheers from the Raiders fans in the crowd.

The Blades sealed victory scoring their second power-play goal at the 4:16 mark of the third. Sidorov one-timed a shot from the right wing that was deflected home by Armstrong in front of the Raiders net to the Blades up 3-0.

With 5:36 remaining in the third, Parr deflected in a shot from Blades star centre Fraser Minten for Saskatoon’s third power-play goal of the contest to push the Blades lead to 4-0. The Blades went 3-for-4 with the man advantage on Friday, while the Raiders were 1-for-5 on the power play.

The Raiders foil a scoring chance from Misha Volotovskii (#17).
Sidorov and Armstrong each had a goal and an assist in the win.

Hildebrand turned away 19 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders.

Babcock said it was big for the Blades to get a strong performance from Gardner in goal.

“He was solid, very solid tonight,” said Babcock. “It is good that you can trust him back there.”

The second and third periods of Friday’s contest did have some testy moments between the two sides. With 8:50 remaining in the third, Raiders center Aiden Oiring and Hansen went at it in a fight that ended with Hansen getting a takedown.

Sloan Stanick jets up ice for the Raiders.
The two squads now go on a three day break before the series shifts to Prince Albert. They resume their series on Tuesday, when Game 3 will be held at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

Truitt was pleased his club was able to split the first two games of the series in Saskatoon. He believes the series will be an intense battle the rest of the way.

“Coming in here, it is a tough building to play in against a very good team,” said Truitt. “Getting Game 1 was great.

The Blades celebrate their win on Friday.
“It is far from what we want to accomplish here, and we know that we have a mountain to climb. They’re a powerful team – very explosive. We have to play a real good style and a disciplined style and a close checking style in order to win.”

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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Thursday 28 March 2024

Raiders’ Hildebrand robs Blades with 41-save sizzler

Prince Albert upsets Saskatoon 4-3 in Game 1

Raiders G Max Hildebrand stops Blades captain Trevor Wong.
Max Hildebrand should have been hauled away by the Saskatoon Police Service for grand larceny.

However, Saskatoon’s top cop in Patrick Nogier is now the chief of the Prince Albert Police Service, so that means Hildebrand has the freedom to be as heroic as he wants as a goalie. On Thursday night at the SaskTel Centre, Hildebrand was sensational making 41 saves helping his heavy underdog Prince Albert Raiders down their archrivals in the host Saskatoon Blades 4-3.

Most of the 6,757 spectators in attendance exited the building in stunned silence outside of the sizable contingent that came down from Prince Albert to support the Raiders. The win allowed the Raiders to take the opening contest in a best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs against the Blades. The two sides go at it again in Game 2 on Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Max Hildebrand (#30) makes a pad save on Egor Sidorov.
The Blades enter the series having finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 50-13-2-3 record. The Raiders came into the series capturing eighth place and the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 31-32-2-3 mark. Prince Albert placed 14th in the WHL’s overall standings.

The two sides started out Thursday’s game playing fairly evenly. With 8:41 remaining in the first, the Blades held a slim 5-4 edge in shots on goal.

Max Hildebrand made 41 saves to power the Raiders to victory.
The host side proceeded to on come with huge pressure forcing Hildebrand to make a number of big saves. On one sequence in a short time span, Hildebrand stoned Blades centre Lukas Hansen on a wraparound, robbed left-winger Hudson Kibblewhite at the right side of the goal and put up a wall on right-winger Vaughn Watterodt from the front of the Raiders net.

With 20.2 seconds remaining in the first, the Blades finally broke through on the scoreboard. While working on the power play, Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov got the puck on the right side boards from offensive –defenceman Tanner Molendyk.

Sidorov skated just pass the right faceoff dot and snapped home the game’s opening goal to give the Blades a 1-0 lead.

Max Hildebrand pushes a puck out of the way of harm.
From that point, it appeared the Blades were going to roll.

Just 59 seconds into the second, Blades import star right-winger Alexander Suzdalev found himself alone at the left side of the Prince Albert net. Suzdalev slid a shot between the legs of Hildebrand to put the hosts up 2-0.

On the play, Suzdalev got one handed clipped in the face by the stick belonging to Raiders star left-winger Sloan Stanick. Stanick was given a double minor for high sticking which will be reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The first half of the double minor was eaten up on Suzdalev’s goal as a delayed penalty tally. The Blades were unable to increase their lead on the second half of the double minor.

The Raiders proceeded to put the brakes on the Blades momentum with a huge push back. At the 8:41 mark of the second, Raiders 18-year-old centre Aiden Oiring fired a midrange shot past Blades star netminder Austin Elliott to cut the Blades lead to 2-1. Oiring’s drive was the Raiders seventh shot on goal of the contest.

Max Hildebrand, left, and Sloan Stanick share a fun moment.
With 9:07 remaining in the second, Raiders 19-year-old defenceman Easton Kovacs floated a long shot from the left boards that deflected off a Blades skater past Elliott to even the score 2-2. Kovacs’ tally came on the Raiders eighth shot of the game.

A short time later, the Raiders found themselves on the power play after the Blades were penalized for having too many men on the ice. On that power play, Raiders star right-winger Ryder Ritchie wired the go-ahead goal past Elliott to put the visitors up 3-2. An initial shot taken by Stanick deflected off a Blades player to Ritchie in a prime scoring spot, and Ritchie made no mistake in giving the Raiders the lead.

The Blades attempted to push back.

The Raiders and Blades engage in a scrum.
Early in the third, Molendyk placed a shot on the Prince Albert goal through a screen that Hildebrand was somehow able to see and make a glove save on to keep the Raiders in the lead. A short time later, Hildebrand turned away Blades veteran winger Tyler Parr on a prime scoring chance after Parr made a slick toe-drag move.

At the 8:13 mark of the third, the Raiders pushed their edge out to 4-2 scoring on the power play. Ritchie took a shot from the right side of the Blades net that Elliott stopped, but Raiders 19-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker popped home the rebound from the front of the Saskatoon net to give the visitors their two-goal edge.

Egor Sidorov fires home the Blades first goal on Thursday.
The Blades didn’t give up and continued to press their attack against Hildebrand, who continued to protect the fort. That included Hildebrand robbing Molendyk, who was alone in front of the Prince Albert net when Saskatoon was working on a fifth power-play chance.

With Elliott pulled for an extra attacker, Blades 20-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright got the puck over to Sidorov at the right wing. Sidorov skated to the top of the right faceoff and snapped home a shot to the top right corner of Prince Albert net to cut the Raiders lead to 4-3 on his team’s 40th shot on goal.

Hildebrand proceeded to slam the door from there. That included making three big saves inside the final 10 seconds of the third, when the Blades again had Elliott pulled for an extra attacker.

Alexander Suzdalev had the Blades second goal on Thursday.
With 5.7 seconds remaining in the third, Hildebrand swallowed up a close in drive from Wong. After the Blades won the ensuing faceoff, Hildebrand turned away Wong again from the right side of the Prince Albert net.

The rebound of that shot came to Blades star centre Fraser Minten in front of the Prince Albert net. Minten was denied by Hildebrand, who covered the puck for another faceoff in the Prince Albert zone with 1.3 seconds remaining in the third.

The Raiders won that draw and burned of the rest of the third period clock holding on to the puck behind their own goal.

Elliott turned away 16 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades.

Ryder Ritchie had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.
A bigger concern for the Blades in goal is that Elliott looks to have followed a not so good tread from last year’s post-season. In the 2023 WHL Playoffs, Saskatoon advance to the Eastern Conference Championship Series falling to the Winnipeg Ice.

The Blades won a first round series against Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats in seven games and a second round series against the Red Deer Rebels in seven games. The Blades trailed the Rebels 3-0 and became just the third team in the history of the WHL rally back from that type of series deficit to win the set.

Elliott was the Blades starting goalie at the beginning of both those series falling behind the Pats 2-0 and the Rebels 3-0. To turn the tide, the Blades began starting Ethan Chadwick to get both those series in goal, and Elliott ultimately came back to get the Game 7 wins to finish off those sets.

Aiden Oiring had the Raiders first goal on Thursday.
Before the start of the 2023-24 campaign, the Blades dealt Chadwick to the Everett Silvertips electing to pair rookie Evan Gardner, who turned 18-year-olds in late January, as a backup to Elliott as the starter.

Gardner improved a tonne as the season went along appearing in 30 games posting a 21-5-2 record, a 1.91 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and four shutouts. He has the lowest goals against average in the WHL and the best save percentage on the circuit.

Elliott still had a great regular season for the Blades appearing in 43 games posting a 29-8-3 record, a 2.39 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and four shutouts.

Still, the Raiders got championship level goaltending from Hildebrand in Game 1, and Elliott wasn’t on that level in that contest. You have to wonder if the Blades will turn to Gardner as the series goes on.

The Raiders begin celebrating their win on Thursday.
Overall on an objective front, the Blades should have won Game 1 against the Raiders on Thursday and should have scored more goals than they did.

Hildebrand ensured none of those things came to pass, and now the Raiders have some extra real belief they can create some major misery for their archrivals.

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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Wednesday 27 March 2024

Believe – It’s déjà vu to 2011 as Raiders enter post-season

Blades RW Egor Sidorov battles past Raiders LW Sloan Stanick.
When the Prince Albert Raiders were seemingly the biggest of underdogs, Bruce Vance and his team in the club’s business office might have done their most memorable work.

Back in March of 2011, the Raiders entered the WHL Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 31-36-2-3 record after having missed the post-season in the three previous campaigns. They would face their archrivals in the Saskatoon Blades in a best-of-seven first round series.

The Blades put up their best regular season in team history going 56-13-1-2 to finish first overall in the WHL standings. With all-world centre Brayden Schenn being the big trade deadline acquisition for Saskatoon, it was a foregone conclusion that the Blades were going to sweep the series.

Vance and the Raiders business office came up with the simple playoff slogan, “Believe.” The slogan was introduced with a clip of the United States 4-3 upset victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

The video went to a graphic showing the first round matchup between the Raiders and Blades and asked the question, “Do you believe?”

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

Saturday 23 March 2024

Flowers and milestones come to Blades to close regular season

Tensions rising with Raiders on cusp of playoff series

The Blades mob Egor Sidorov (#19) after he scores his 50th goal.
The flowers and milestones came to the Saskatoon Blades in bunches.

On Saturday night before a season high 13,004 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, Blades blanked their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders 5-0 in the final WHL regular season game of the 2023-24 campaign for both clubs. It was a night that was beyond memorable for “The Bridge City Bunch” as rare special moments seemingly poured in.

First, the night began with the Blades being presented the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for locking up first place overall in the WHL standings for the fifth time in team history. Saskatoon officially clinched first overall one night earlier with a 5-1 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert.

Fans cheer Egor Sidorov getting his 50th goal of the season.
With Saturday’s win, the Blades complete their regular season schedule posting a 50-13-2-3 record in topping the WHL standings. That marked the third time in team history the Blades have won 50 or more games in a regular season with the other two occasions coming in a 72-game regular campaign.

The Blades first won 50-or-more games back in the 1982-83 season when they topped the WHL standings with a record of 52 wins, 19 losses and one draw. They set their franchise record for wins in a season at 56 back in the 2010-11 campaign when they placed first overall with a 56-13-1-2 mark.

Trevor Wong (#38) enjoys recording his 100th point.
Blades captain Trevor Wong collected one goal and one assist to hit the 100-point plateau for the first time in his WHL career. He concluded the regular season posting 101 points coming off 15 goals and a WHL leading 86 assists to go with a plus-22 rating in the plus-minus department.

He became the first Blades player to hit the 100-point barrier in a regular season since three Blades pulled off that accomplishment back in the 1995-96 campaign. In the 1995-96 campaign, centre Mark Deyell led the Blades and the WHL with 159 points coming off 61 goals and 98 assists.

Blades players embrace Trevor Wong (#38) after he gets his 100th point.
Right-winger Frank Banham, whose number 39 was recently retired by the Blades, finished second in team and league scoring with 152 points coming off a team record 83 goals 69 assists. Centre Clarke Wilm was the third Blades player to hit the 100-plateau in 1995-96 with 110 points coming off 49 goals and 61 assists.

Also on Saturday, Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov got his team’s final goal with 35.3 seconds remaining in the third period. That tally gave Sidorov 50 goals on the campaign. He became the first Blades player to score 50-or-more goals in a season since Deyell and Banham put up their goal totals in the 1995-96 campaign.

The Blades receive the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy.
Blades rookie goaltender Evan Gardner, who turned 18-years-old in late January, stopped all 27 shots he faced to pick up his fourth shutout of the season. In 30 appearances with the Blades, Gardner posted a 21-5-2 record, a 1.91 goals against average, and a .927 save percentage to go with his shutouts. His goals against average and save percentage topped the WHL.

The night ended with the Blades honouring three overage players in Wong, left-winger Easton Armstrong and defensive-defenceman Charlie Wright. All three were given special personalized art paintings at the end of the game.

Egor Sidorov recorded 50 goals and 88 points in the regular season.
The night’s festivities allowed the Blades, who have won three straight, to enter the post-season on the highest of high notes.

While Saturday’s game was the last regular season game for the Blades and Raiders before they meet in a best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs, the contest was highly competitive.

The Blades opened the game’s scoring at the 6:29 mark of the opening frame working on the power play on tally from 18-year-old centre Rowan Calvert.

Calvert was positioned in front of the Prince Albert net and tried to deflect home a shot from the right point by import right-winger Alexander Suzdalev. The deflection shot was stopped by Raiders rookie goalie Nathan Preston, but Calvert potted the rebound for his 10 goal of the season that put the host side up 1-0.

Trevor Wong finished the regular season recording 101 points.
Just 42 seconds into the second, the Blades increased their edge to 2-0 when star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong slipped home a shot from a bad angle at the right side of the Prince Albert net into the Raiders goal. On the play, Preston drifted a ways out of his crease and was brushed into by Blades star centre Fraser Minten and was unable to recover to prevent the Saskatoon tally.

The Blades helped Wong achieve hitting the 100-point plateau at the start of the third while working on the power play. Off the opening faceoff for the frame, Armstrong took the draw for the Blades and drove the puck into an open space on the left wing.

Wong raced on to the puck and jetted into the Prince Albert zone. Just as he entered the left faceoff circle, Wong wired home his 15th goal of the season to the top left corner of the Prince Albert goal to put the Blades up 3-0 just six seconds into the stanza. 

Justice Christensen (#7) disrupted numerous shots for the Raiders.
That tally was Wong’s 100th point of the campaign, and he was pretty happy to say the least during the celebration.

At the 11:52 mark of the third, Minten collected his 22nd goal of the campaign putting a shot home between Preston’s legs to push the Blades advantage out to 4-0.

Throughout the contest, the Blades had been doing their hardest to get Sidorov to 50 goals for the season. The Raiders seemed intent on spoiling that venture, which included seeing offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen block at least three of the winger’s shots. Often, the Raiders players would knock Sidorov to the ice after he taken a shot.

Rowan Calvert (#23) scores the Blades first goal on Saturday.
It could be argued the attention the Raiders paid to Sidorov was great than what the NFL’s New England Patriots paid to Chicago Bears iconic running back Walter Payton way back in Super Bowl XX played on January 26, 1986. While the Patriots were successful at stopping Payton, the Bears won that contest 46-10 at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Blades seemingly last chance to get Sidorov to 50 goals came during a late third period power play. On that man advantage, Wong and Wright got the puck to Sidorov.

Easton Armstrong had a goal and two assists for the Blades.
Sidorov skated down the blue-line and floated an accurate off speed shot from the left point through a screen setup by Armstrong for goal number 50 with 35.3 seconds remaining in the frame to round out the 5-0 final score in favour of the host side. It was the ninth shot on goal Sidorov had in the contest.

On the season, Sidorov posted 50 goals, 38 assists, 88 points and a plus-eight rating. His goals, assists and points totals are career highs.

Armstrong finished the contest collecting two assists to go with his goal.

Preston turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders. The Raiders finished the regular season with a 31-32-2-23 record to sit eighth overall and hold the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Grady Martin (#28) and Morgan Tastad (#52) start to go at it.
Saturday’s clash was the 10th head-to-head encounter between the Blades and Raiders and Saskatoon claimed victory in eight of those contests. Tensions been the two sides got high on the ice in the third period resulting in three separate fights.

Just 15 seconds into the third, Raiders veteran defenceman Terrell Goldsmith faced Blades veteran forward Tyler Parr in one bout. With 5:24 remaining in the third, Raiders overage centre Turner McMillan and Blades veteran defenceman Grayden Siepmann went at it in another bout.

After the third period buzzer sounded, Raiders sophomore left-winger Grady Martin went at it with Blades rookie defenceman Morgan Tastad.

Those fights likely foreshadowed more ill feeling that will come up between the two sides in the post-season. Game 1 of the series between the Blades and Raiders is set for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

The Blades enjoy some post-game fun on Saturday.
While the post-season head-to-head battles are up next, Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre belonged to the Blades.

They got to relish the rewards from a spectacular regular season.

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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Friday 22 March 2024

Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy runnin’ back to Saskatoon

Blades lock up first overall in WHL

The Blades begin to celebrate a first overall finish in the WHL.
PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - For the first time in 13 years the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy is runnin’ back to “The Bridge City.”

On Friday before 3,049 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre, the visiting Saskatoon Blades dumped their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders 5-1 in the second last WHL regular season contest for both sides of the 2023-24 campaign. With the win, the Blades improve 49-13-2-3 and lock up first overall in the WHL regular season standings to claim the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. They will have home ice advantage through the WHL Playoffs.

The last time the Blades finished first overall in the WHL was back in the 2010-11 campaign when they posted a 56-13-1-2 record. The 56 victories are a Blades franchise record for wins in one regular season.

The Blades begin to mob netminder Austin Elliott after their win.
Overall, the Blades have finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings five times. They are still in search of their first WHL championship entering the circuit back in its inaugurals season in 1966-67.

With the loss, the Raiders fell to 31-31-2-3, but they were able to still clinch the final playoff berth locking up an eighth place finish in the Eastern Conference. Out in Swift Current, the host and Central Division champion Broncos outlasted the Calgary Hitmen 7-6.

Hitmen fell to 27-31-8-1 and were eliminated from post-season contention as they are locked into a ninth place finish in the Eastern Conference.

Brandon Lisowsky scored twice for the Blades on Friday.
As for Friday’s game between the Raiders and Blades, the Raiders jumped ahead 1-0 scoring just 95 seconds into the opening frame on a goal from 18-year-old centre Aiden Oiring. Raiders star 20-year-old left-winger Sloan Stanick centered the puck from the left corner to the Saskatoon zone to Oiring in front of the net. Oiring wired home his 21st of the season to give the Raiders their one-goal edge.

After the host side went ahead, the Blades responded with a big push back going ahead 3-1 heading into the first intermission. 

At the 7:25 mark of the opening frame, Blades 19-year-old left-winger Rhett Melnyk fired a shot through a screen to even the score at 1-1.

Egor Sidorov (#19) tries to get past Sloan Stanick.
Just under two minutes later with the teams playing four-versus-four hockey due to coincidental penalties, Blades star offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk wired home a shot from the front of the net after receiving a beauty setup pass from star import right-winger Egor Sidorov to put the visitors up 2-1. The tally was Molendyk’s 10th goal of the campaign.

Blades 18-year-old centre Misha Volotovskii completed the surge tallying at the 11:35 mark of the opening frame to put the visitors up 3-1.

With 7:19 remaining in the first, Raiders captain Eric Johnston engaged Blades star centre Fraser Minten in a fight. The short bout ended with Johnston getting the take down.

Aiden Oiring had the Raiders lone goal on Friday.
The Blades continued bringing the pressure in the second outshooting the Raiders 20-7 in the frame. Thanks to the play of Raiders star 19-year-old netminder Max Hildebrand, the Blades were limited to picking up just one goal late in the frame.

With 2:28 remaining in the second and working on the power play, Blades star 19-year-old winger Brandon Lisowsky scored backdoor at the right side of the Prince Albert net after receiving a pass from the left point by 20-year-old rearguard Charlie Wright. That tally allowed the Blades to go ahead 4-1, which caused the Raiders faithful to be fairly quiet for the rest of the contest from that point onward.

At the 13:29 mark of the second, Raiders rookie 17-year-old defenceman Doogan Pederson was given a double minor for slew-footing, and that infraction will automatically be reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The Blade and Raiders combined for 60 penalty minutes on Friday.
Lisowsky would add his second of the contest in the third to round out the 5-1 final in favour of the Blades. 

The NHL Entry Draft selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs now has 42 goals on the season for the Blades.

Hildebrand turned away 32 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders. 

Austin Elliott stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades.

Sidorov finished the night picking up a pair of assists for the Blades. He now has career highs in goals (49), assists (38) and points (87).

Tanner Molendyk scored for the Blades on Friday.
The two sides go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon to close out their respective regular season schedules. They have met nine times this season, and the Blades have won seven of those head-to-head encounters.

With Friday’s results in the books, the Blades and Raiders know they are now locked in to meet in a best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs. Game 1 of that series is set for this coming Thursday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

It is highly likely the intensity in the rivalry between the two sides will be cranked up to new heights over the next two weeks. The two clubs combined for 60 penalty minutes in Friday night’s encounter.

The Blades celebrate their win on Friday night.
For the moment, the Blades are relishing what is there most memorable win at the Art Hauser Centre with their win on Friday that clinched first place overall in the WHL standings.

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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Wednesday 20 March 2024

Lisowsky delivers in OT, Blades on cusp of clinching first overall

Hitmen manage to stay alive in WHL post-season race

The Blades celebrate an OT winner from Brandon Lisowsky (#8).
Brandon Lisowsky’s 40th goal of the season couldn’t have come at a bigger time for the Saskatoon Blades.

On Wednesday night at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades found themselves going to overtime locked in a 3-3 tie with the visiting Calgary Hitmen in a WHL regular season encounter. In the three-versus-three extra session, Blades star center Fraser Minten stole a pass from a Hitmen player just inside the Calgary blue-line.

Minten got the puck to Lisowsky springing the 19-year-old star winger in on a breakaway. Lisowsky roofed home the winner to the top left corner of the Calgary goal giving the Blades a 4-3 victory just 65 seconds into overtime to the delight of the 4,271 spectators in attendance.

The overtime winner was Lisowsky’s second goal of the night and 40th of the campaign. That marks the first time the Port Coquitlam, B.C., product hit the 40-goal plateau in his WHL career.

Brandon Lisowsky scored twice for the Blades on Wednesday.
On the campaign, Lisowsky has 40 goals, 38 assists, 78 points and a plus-25 rating in the plus-minus department. All of those statistics are career highs. 

With the win, the WHL leading Blades improve to 48-13-3-2. They just need two more standing points over their final two regular season games to lock up first overall in the WHL for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign. That can quickly be accomplished with one more win.

Saskatoon sits three points up on the B.C. Division champion Prince George Cougars (47-15-1-3) and five points ahead of the U.S. Division champion Portland Winterhawks (46-15-3-1).

The Blades will get their first chance to clinch top spot on the major junior circuit on Friday, when they travel to Prince Albert to face their archrivals the 31-30-2-3 Raiders (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre). Those two clubs close their respective regular season schedules facing each other on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Carter Yakemchuk had a goal for the Hitmen.
As for Wednesday’s clash with Calgary, the Hitmen got the early jump on the Blades. Just 2:29 into the opening frame, Hitmen import 19-year-old left-winger Maxim Muranov ripped home a shot low shot to the left side of the Saskatoon net and stick side on Blades netminder Evan Gardner to give the visitors a 1-0 edge. The tally was Muranov’s 22nd tally of the campaign.

The Blades came with a push back after the Hitmen went ahead which included Lisowsky getting robbed at point blank range by the right side of the Calgary net by Hitmen netminder Ethan Buenaventura.

The opening 20 minutes was fairly evenly played as the Hitmen exited the frame with their 1-0 lead and holding a 13-11 edge in shots on goal.

The Hitmen came out with some jump to start the second period getting the first three shot on goal in the frame.

Easton Armstrong had a goal for the Blades.
The Blade got their legs going after they went on the power play, even though they were unable to score with the man advantage. After the power play ended, Blades 18-year-old centre Misha Volotovskii was sprung on a breakaway but he was turned away by Buenaventura.

With 3:11 remaining in the second, the Blades evened the score at 1-1 on a power-play goal by star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong. Armstrong received a pass in front of the Calgary goal from Blades captain Trevor Wong and slid a shot home into the right low corner of the Hitmen net for his 33rd tally of the campaign.

At the close of the second period, the Blades held a 25-20 edge in shots on goal.

Just 51 seconds into the third, Hitmen star offensive-defenceman Carter Yakemchuk fired home a shot from the left point for his 28th goal of the season to put the Hitmen back out in front 2-1.

Maxim Muranov netted 22nd goal of the season.
At the 4:32 mark of the third, Wong wired home his 14th goal of the campaign from the front of the Calgary net to once again even the score at 2-2.

The Blades proceeded to jump ahead 3-2 with 5:40 remaining in the third period, when Lisowsky tipped home a point shot from offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk for a power-play marker.

With 64 seconds remaining in the third, Hitmen left-winger Connor Dale, who turned 19-years-old in January, slipped home a bad angle shot from the left side of the Saskatoon net to even the score 3-3 and force overtime.

That set the stage for Lisowsky to come through with his winner in the extra session.

Gardner stopped 22 shots to pick up his 20th win in goal for the Blades, who are rated sixth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings. Buenaventura turned away 43 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Hitmen.

The Blades celebrate their win on Wednesday night.
The Hitmen saw their record move to 27-30-8-1 as they sit ninth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. Calgary sits four points back of the Raiders for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the conference.

In order for the Hitmen to be able to stay alive in the race to make the WHL Playoffs, they need to win their final two regular season games and the Raiders must lost their final two regular season games in regulation. If that happens, a standings tiebreaking game would be held at a date to be determined in Prince Albert as the Raiders are guaranteed to finish with more wins than the Hitmen.

The Hitmen get back at it on Friday when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos (7 p.m., InnovationPlex). Those two squads close their respective regular season schedules facing each other on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome at 6 p.m. local time.

Raiders rock Regina 5-1, sit one point from playoff clinch

Ryder Ritchie had a goal and two assists for the Raiders.
The Prince Albert Raiders were on a mission, and it spelled doom for the Regina Pats.

On Wednesday night before 2,447 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders rocked the visiting Pats 5-1 in a WHL regular season clash. The win allowed the Raiders to end a three-game losing streak and improve to 31-30-2-3 to strengthen their grip on eighth place and the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

Combined with the Calgary Hitmen falling 4-3 in overtime to the WHL leading Blades in Saskatoon on Wednesday, the Raiders need to earn one more point in the standings to lock up a berth in the WHL Playoffs. Prince Albert sits four points up on the Hitmen (27-30-8-1), who are ninth overall in the conference.

The Raiders with have their first chance to clinch a post-season berth on Friday when they host their archrivals in the Blades (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre). Those two clubs close their respective regular season schedules facing each other on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

In order for the Hitmen to be able to stay alive in the race to make the WHL Playoffs, they need to win their final two regular season games and the Raiders must lost their final two regular season games in regulation. If that happens, a standings tiebreaking game would be held in at a date to be determined in Prince Albert as the Raiders are guaranteed to finish with more wins than the Hitmen.

The Hitmen get back at it on Friday when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos (7 p.m., InnovationPlex). Those two squads close their respective regular season schedules facing each other on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome at 6 p.m. local time.

As for Wednesday’s encounter between the Raiders and the Pats, the Raiders stormed out to a 4-0 lead in the first period with goals coming from the sticks of offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen, 18-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube, star 17-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie and 18-year-old centre Aiden Oiring. The tallies from Dube and Oiring came on the power play.

The Raiders held a 16-8 edge in shots on goal after 20 minutes.

Oiring again tallied on the power-play at the 5:52 mark of the second. That tally was also the sophomore’s 20th goal of the campaign marking the first time he has hit the 20-goal plateau in his WHL career.

The Pats finally hit the scoreboard with 5:07 remaining in the third, when captain Tanner Howe scored on the power play to round out the 5-1 final score in favour of the Raiders.

Max Hildebrand stopped 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Ritchie had a pair of assists to go with his goal. Christensen had a helper to go with his tally.

Kelton Pyne turned away 32 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats, who fell to 22-38-4-2 as they play out the string.

The Pats return to action on Friday when they return home to face the Brandon Wheat Kings (7 p.m., Brandt Centre).

Broncos claim first division title since 2001

The surprising Swift Current Broncos are WHL division champions for the first time since 2001.

On Wednesday, the Broncos downed the visiting Red Deer Rebels 6-3 at the InnovationPlex before an overjoyed crowd of 2,371 spectators. The win allowed the Broncos to improve to 39-21-4-2 to lock up first place in the WHL’s Central Division.

Wednesday’s win marked the first time the Broncos have won a division title since they claimed first in the East Division back in the 2000-01 campaign, when they posted a record of 43 wins, 20 losses, seven ties and two overtime losses. The Broncos made it to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series in that campaign falling in six games to the Rebels, who went on to win the WHL title and the Memorial Cup as CHL champions.

Swift Current never did win a division title in the club’s last WHL championship winning season in 2017-18. In that campaign, the Broncos finished second overall in the WHL and second in the East Division behind the Moose Jaw Warriors, who posted a 52-15-2-3 mark. The Broncos eliminated the Warriors in seven games in a second round series in the 2018 post-season.

The Broncos did actually win the Central Division title on one other occasion back in the 1995-96 campaign, when they posted a record of 36 wins, 31 losses and five ties. Swift Current fell in six games in a first round series to Red Deer.

In Wednesday’s meeting between the Broncos and Rebels, it appeared for a time in the opening frame the Rebels would be spoilers. Rookie import centre Samuel Drancak, who turned 18-years-old in February, scored on the power play at the 6:33 mark for the Rebels to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

With 48 seconds remaining in the first, Broncos breakout left-winger Clarke Caswell was sprung on a breakaway and he slipped home a low shot to the left side of the Red Deer net to even the score at 1-1.

Red Deer held a 17-8 edge in shots on goal after 20 minutes.

At the 11:43 mark of the second, Broncos veteran 20-year-old defenceman Ryan McCleary fired home a shot from the left slot for his 11th tally of the season to put the host side up 2-1. McCleary completed a crisp passing play from Caswell and star centre Conor Geekie.

Broncos star centre Mathew Ward tallied at the 5:37 mark of the third to put the Broncos up 3-1. Just 18-seconds later, Ward’s linemate in star right-winger Josh Filmon netted his 27th goal of the season to push Swift Current’s advantage out to 4-1.

That led to the third ending with a crazy final eight minutes. With 7:42 remaining in the third, Rebels right-winger Talon Brigley scored his 20th of the campaign to cut the Broncos lead to 4-2.

Following that tally, Broncos 18-year-old centre Connor Gabriel scored for the host side to push the Broncos lead out to 5-2. Red Deer scored again with 3:10 remaining in the third thanks to a power-play goal from right-winger Jhett Larson that trimmed Swift Current’s lead to 5-3.

Just four seconds later, Broncos star right-winger Connor Hvidston put the puck into an empty Rebels net for his 27th goal of the season to round out the 6-3 final score in favour of the host side.

Reid Dyck stopped 30 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Broncos. Rhett Stoesser turned away 21-of-26 shots to take the setback in net for the Rebels (33-24-3-6).

With Wednesday’s results, the Rebels got locked into a best-of-seven first round playoff series with the Medicine Hat Tigers (36-2-3-5-2). The Tigers will have home ice advantage being locked into fourth overall in the Eastern Conference, while the Rebels are locked into fifth overall.

The Broncos return to action on Friday when they host the 27-30-8-1 Calgary Hitmen (7 p.m., InnovationPlex).

The Rebels get back it on Saturday when they host the 25-37-3-1 Edmonton Oil Kings (7 p.m. local time, Peavey Mart Centrium).

The Broncos had a rocky beginning to the 2023-24 campaign. They started 9-9-1 under head coach Devan Praught. On Nov. 14, 2023, Praught was suspended for violating WHL Standards of Conduct for an on ice incident at practice on day earlier.

Taras McEwen was named the interim head coach. Praught, who is 36-years-old, would never return to coach the Broncos as he and the team later agreed to mutually part ways.

With the 33-year-old McEwen behind the bench as interim head coach, the Broncos have posted a 30-12-3-2 mark. McEwen’s father, Brad McEwen, was the Broncos head coach and general manager when they won the East Division title in 2000-01. Brad McEwen currently scouts for the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.

The Broncos are slated to move to the East Division before the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

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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