Blades, Raiders focused on the right now in WHL post-season

Saskatoon tries eliminate rival Prince Albert in Game 5

Blades HC Brennan Sonne wants his team to focus on the present.

For Brennan Sonne, it is all about right now for his Saskatoon Blades.

On Friday, the Blades have a chance to close out their best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs against their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders. The two sides will do battle in Game 5 at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

The Raiders claimed victory in the first game of the series, and the Blades have won three straight since then to lead the set 3-1. Sonne, who is the Blades head coach, said his team has to have their total focus on winning Game 5.

“It is just every game is its own beast,” said Sonne. “We just have to reset and refocus, not live in the past, not live in the future and just live in the present and be ready for the start of the first period in Game 5.”

Raiders HC Jeff Truitt passes on instruction to his players.

Entering the first round series between Saskatoon and Prince Albert, the Blades came into the set as heavy favourites. They finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Raiders entered the WHL Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 31-32-2-3 mark.

Prince Albert claimed Game 1 of the series 4-3 back on March 28 to give belief that an upset is possible. The Raiders dropped a 4-3 overtime heartbreaker in Game 3 of the series at home on Tuesday. If the Raiders would have won that contest, the complexion heading into the series for Game 5 would have been different.

Max Hildebrand has a .903 save percentage in the playoffs.

Facing elimination, the Raiders lone goal is to force a Game 6 back at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert on Saturday. They are well aware their backs are against the wall.

“She is one day at a time, and one period at a time,” said Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt. “Now, it has to be at our best.

“We’ve won in that building before. We’ll see where it goes.”

Raiders star netminder Max Hildebrand has done his best to give his team a chance to win on a nightly basis. He has stopped 130-of-144 shots in the series for a .903 save percentage.

The Blades have gotten great goaltending from breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner. Since entering the series at the start of Game 2, Gardner, who turned 18-years-old in January, has stopped 64-of-69 shots for a .928 save percentage.

Evan Gardner has a .928 save percentage in the playoffs

Raiders star 17-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie has been stellar in the series leading his club in scoring with six points coming on three goals and three assists. Truitt said Ritchie has found another level.

“I see a little bit of expansion to his game,” said Truitt. “He is in tight quarters.

“He is being very elusive with the puck. He is putting himself in opportunities to shoot the puck and get goals. He is also doing a good job of distributing the pucks and staying in motion.

“He is just not standing still. He is distributing and giving himself some space and putting himself in good situations to get perhaps a second opportunity. He has been great.”

Ryder Ritchie has six points in four post-season games.

Blades star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong was a member of the Winnipeg Ice last season when they advanced to the WHL Championship Series falling to the Seattle Thunderbirds in five games. When the Ice franchise moved to Wenatchee to become the Wenatchee Wild, Armstrong followed the club to the state of Washington.

He played four regular season games with the Wild at the start of the 2023-24 campaign before the Blades acquired him in a trade on October 10, 2023. The Blades gave up a third round selection in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and a conditional sixth round pick in the 2027 Prospects Draft to get Armstrong.

The Los Angeles, Calif., product said he has enjoyed his time with both franchises, and he believes the Blades have an intangible special feeling going on.

Easton Armstrong has seven points in four post-season games.

“Both teams have been unbelievable,” said Armstrong. “It has been such a good experience.

“I think this is one of the best cultures I’ve ever been a part of. That has been unbelievable. I don’t think I can really compare the two teams, because it is two complete different teams.

“I think the culture here is unbelievable.”

When the Blades took both Games 3 and 4 in Prince Albert, Armstrong was so strong in both those contest he became the target of boos from the Raiders faithful. In Game 3, Armstrong had a hat trick including the winner in the 4-3 overtime triumph. He was later credited with an assist on the Blades third goal.

The Raiders tackle Blades LW Easton Armstrong.

In Game 4 on Wednesday, Armstrong scored with 1.7 seconds to play in the first period to start the Blades on their way to a 4-1 victory.

Armstrong said it would be big for the Blades to eliminate the Raiders on Friday. At the moment, it appears the first round of the WHL’s post-season could be a quick one.

Out of the eight first round series, four of them have already ended in sweeps. In the Eastern Conference bracket, the Central Division champion Swift Current Broncos swept away the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Blades and Raiders players get tangles up.

On Thursday in Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors dumped the host Wheat Kings 6-2 to take Game 4 of that series and close out a sweep. The Warriors jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first period and cruised to victory from there.

The other four series in the first round all have the potential to conclude in Game 5.

Armstrong said it is big his squad is in a position to close things out at home.

“It is huge,” said Armstrong, who leads the Blades with seven points in the post-season coming on five goals and two assists. “If we get an opportunity to win on Friday night, then we get a little bit of a break towards the next series.

The Blades and Raiders engage in some rough stuff.

“That would be pretty huge going into round two if we were able to finish it.”

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