Blades get much needed win, down visiting Wild 4-2

The Blades celebrate a goal from Rowan Calvert (#23).

The Saskatoon Blades got something that had escaped their grasp for a frustrating stretch – a solid win.

On Friday night at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades scored first and led the visiting Wenatchee Wild 2-1 after 20 minutes. The hosts proceeded to push their edge out to 4-1 at the second intermission, and they then closed out a 4-2 victory to the delight of the 3,905 spectators in attendance.

That marked the Blades first regulation time win since downing the Warriors in Moose Jaw 4-2 back on January 4. In the eight games between that victory over the Warriors and Friday’s triumph over the Wild, the Blades posted two overtime wins, an overtime loss, a setback after a tiebreaking shootout and four regulations defeats.

In the six games they lost, the Blades had moments in each of those contests where carried momentum for enough of a stretch that they could have realized victory. Friday’s win was a much needed outing where the Blades posted a textbook victory.

Hunter Laing scored the Blades first goal on Friday.

While they dealt away a number of key veterans for younger players and draft capital leading to the WHL trade deadline on January 9, the Blades still on paper have a solid squad. They needed a solid win to get a little confidence going as the clubs’ relatively new lineup works to find chemistry.

The Wild came out of the gates getting the first three shots on goal in the contest, but the Blades would break onto the scoreboard first. 

At the 4:52 mark of first, Blades 18-year-old right-winger Hunter Laing blew home a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle to give the host side a 1-0 edge. Laing’s goal came on his club’s second shot on goal of the contest.

Cooper Williams reacts to scoring the Blades second goal.

Wenatchee pulled even at 1-1 at the 7:34 mark of the opening frame when 20-year-old centre Tye Spencer deflected a puck past Blades netminder Ethan McCallum from the front of the Saskatoon net. Spencer converted a smart setup pass from linemate Luka Shcherbyna.

The Blades proceeded to answer back.

With 2:01 remaining in the first, Blades 16-year-old rookie centre Cooper Williams stole the puck from Wild 19-year-old right-winger Shaun Rios from just inside the Wenatchee blue-line. Williams drove in alone to the left side of Wenatchee net, cut across the front of the goal and put a backhand shot between the legs of Wild netminder Brendan Gee to give the Blades a 2-1 lead.

Tye Spencer scored the first goal for the Wild.

Saskatoon exited the first period with that 2-1 edge holding a 14-9 edge in shots on goal.

In the second, a couple of the Blades steady veterans found the back of the net. At the 13:21 mark of the frame, Blades right-winger Tyler Parr, who turned 20-years-old on Thursday, converted a backdoor feed at the right side of the Wenatchee net to push the host side’s edge out to 3-1. Sophomore 17-year-old centre Hudson Kibblewhite made a beauty pass from the left side of the Wenatchee net across the face of the goal to set up Parr for his marker.

Just under five minutes later, Blade 19-year-old left-winger Rowan Calvert collected a rebound from one of his own shots in front of the Wenatchee net and put home a backhand shot to give the Blades a 4-1 advantage.

Tyler Parr had one goal and one assist for the Blades.

Slovakian 19-year-old centre Frantisek Dej, who was playing his sixth game for the Blades, picked up an assist on Calvert’s goal for his first point in the WHL. Dej spent last season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL.

With less than 30 seconds to play in the second, Dej was cross checked from behind in the lower back by Wild 20-year-old captain Evan Friesen away from the puck and behind the play. The officials stopped play with 15.7 seconds remaining in the frame for the Blades trainers to attend to Dej.

Dej was helped off the ice and returned to finish the game in the third period. No penalty was assessed to Friesen, and nothing else came from that moment in a contest that was fairly tame when it came to the rough stuff.

Ethan McCallum made 25 saves in goal for the Blades.

Saskatoon held that three-goal lead going into the second intermission as well as 23-18 edge in shots on goal.

The Wild, who are in a big battle for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference, came with a push back in the third period. At the 3:28 mark of the frame, Wild 19-year-old right-winger Dawson Seitz blew past the Blades defenders to get a breakaway and tucked home a power-play goal to trim Saskatoon’s lead to 4-2.

That was as close as the Wild got as the Blades shut things down defensively the rest of the way.

McCallum stopped 25 shots in goal for the Blades. Gee turned away 23 shots to take the setback in net for the Wild.

Williams and Parr each finished with one goal and one assist on the night for the Blades.

The Blades celebrate their win on Friday.

The Wild fell to 17-25-3-1 with the loss to sit one point behind the Kamloops Blazers (18-25-3) for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. The Wenatchee side returns to action on Saturday, when they travel to Prince Albert to take on the 26-25-3-1 Raiders (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Blades improved to 24-16-3-3 to sit two points back of the Raiders for first place in the East Division. “The Bridge City Bunch” gets back at it on Sunday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (4 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Going forward, Saskatoon still has the potential to be a team that turns head before the current WHL campaign comes to a close. Friday’s win provides a good step to start moving in that direction.

Lazaruk honoured with bobblehead doll

A Les Lazaruk bobblehead doll.

“Hi ho, let’s go!”

The Saskatoon Blades home game on Friday night at the SaskTel Centre was bobblehead night for Les Lazaruk, who is the team’s iconic play-by-play voice. Lazaruk, who will turn 66-years-old in late February, became the Blades play-by-play voice at the start of the 1994-95 campaign.

Friday’s 4-2 victory over the visiting Wenatchee Wild was the 2,250^th game Lazaruk has called as the Blades play-by-play voice. He was also the play-by-play voice for a time of the CJFL’s storied Saskatoon Hilltops.

During his 31 years as play-by-play voice of the Blades, Lazaruk is best known for developing a list of catch phrase calls including “winner, winner, chicken dinner” for overtime winners scored by the Saskatoon side.

Les Lazaruk, centre, performs the ceremonial faceoff on Friday.

Before Friday’s clash with the Wild, the Blades gave out 1,000 Lazaruk bobblehead dolls to those in attendance. He dropped the puck for the pre-game ceremonial faceoff and sung national anthems of both the United States and Canada before the start of the contest.

The Blades played catch phase goal calls from Lazaruk before giving the official announcements for the club’s goals. A song also played during the first intermission that was written about Lazaruk.

Before coming to Saskatoon, Lazaruk, who is from Winnipeg, spent 15 years working in the media in Manitoba. That included working just over 10-and-a-half years hosting the hour-long pre-game and post-game shows for NHL games of the original Winnipeg Jets that aired on CJOB radio.

Lazaruk was part of the play-by-play team for the Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball team during their inaugural season in the Northern League in the spring and summer of 1994 before coming to Saskatoon to be the play-by-play voice of the Blades. Last summer, Lazaruk served as the play-by-play voice of the Saskatoon Berries baseball team for their inaugural WCBL campaign.

Parents Weekend for Blades

Blades players meet their parents and billet parents pre-game.

This weekend is also Parents Weekend for the Saskatoon Blades.

Before their 4-2 home ice victory over the Wenatchee Wild on Friday night at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades honoured the parents and billet parents of the Blades players. During pre-game festivities, the parents and billet parents of the Blades players came out on to the ice.

The players met up with their respective parents and billet parents and stood by them for a video presentation and the singing of the national anthems of the United States and Canada. The video presentation showed the Blades players saying good things about their parents and billet parents.

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Lodewyk powers Raiders with Gordie Howe hat trick

Prince Albert knocks off visiting Pats 5-2

Harrison Lodewyk (#29) celebrates his Gordie Howe hat trick goal.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Harrison Lodewyk admitted he was oblivious at first to the fact he got a Gordie Howe hat trick.

On Wednesday night playing before 2,395 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre, the 19-year-old centre picked up one goal, one assist and one fighting major to power his Prince Albert Raiders past the visiting Regina Pats 5-2 in a WHL regular season clash. The win allowed the Raiders to improve to 26-15-3-1 to push their lead for first place in the East Division to four points over the idle Saskatoon Blades (23-16-3-3).

With the Raiders holding a 2-0 lead on the Pats in the second period of Wednesday’s contest, Lodewyk already had an assist coming on his club’s first goal and a fight. On a rush into the offensive zone, Lodewyk drove down the left wing to the net.

Harrison Lodewyk had a goal, an assist and a fight on Wednesday.

A linemate in 20-year-old left-winger Niall Crocker came with the puck down the right wing and put a pass across the face of the Regina net to Lodewyk. Lodewyk converted the backdoor tap to put the Raiders up 3-0 at the 10:36 mark of the frame and complete the Gordie Howe hat trick in the process.

“It didn’t pop in my mind right away,” said Lodewyk, whose goal ended up being the game winner. “I was just happy that my teammates made a great play, and I got the goal.”

The Red Deer product said he decided against trying anything fancy, which ultimately helped him get the goal to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick.

Harrison Lodewyk (#29) takes down John Babcock (#5).

“I was thinking maybe I’ll just pull it back and go backhand there, but then I know that is not my game,” said Lodewyk, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 193 pounds. “I just thought why don’t I just redirect it and hope for the best there.”

Lodewyk picked up his assist on the Raiders opening goal at the 13:34 mark of the opening frame that was banged home from the front of the Regina net by 19-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube. The tally was Dube’s 22^nd goal of the season and it came off the rebound of a Lodewyk shot.

With 4:28 remaining in the first, Lodewyk engaged Pats 20-year-old defenceman John Babcock in a fight. The bout was a quick one with both players throwing about a couple of shots each before Lodewyk got the take down.

Raider HC Jeff Truitt, centre, returned after a medical leave.

“He (Lodewyk) does a lot of things for us,” said Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt. “He is a leader in our room.

“He is a guy who is one of the hardest workers that you’ll ever meet. He is very effective on the ice, faceoffs and penalty kills. He has got responsibilities that way.

“He can pitch in on the offence. He does a lot of everything. He is probably a very underrated player in our league.”

The feistiness of the contest continued early in the second period as Pats 17-year-old defenceman Reese Hamilton took down Raiders rookie left-winger Ethan Bibeau, who turned 18-years-old on January 1, with a high stick. Raiders rookie 18-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett immediately engaged Hamilton in a fight.

Brayden Dube scored the Raiders first goal on Wednesday.

Just over four minutes after that fight, the Raiders went ahead 2-0, when rookie 16-year-old right-winger Ty Meunier had the puck at the left side of the Regina net roofed home his 10^th marker of the campaign to the top right corner of the goal. Meunier converted a sweet setup pass from 16-year-old rookie right-winger Riley Boychuk on the play.

Lodewyk would record his Gordie Howe hat trick goal just 40 seconds after Meunier’s tally. The veteran, who has been with the Raiders since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, was pumped to pick up that milestone on Wednesday.

“It was pretty awesome,” said Lodewyk. “I mean you don’t go into a game hoping for those things.

Reese Hamilton, left, and Linden Burrett engage in a fight.

“You’re just hoping for the win and do the things you need to do to be successful. You’ve got to love the results.”

Before the second period ended, the Pats battled back with left-wingers Cohen Klassen and Keets Fawcett picking up singles to cut the Raiders lead to 3-2 heading into the second intermission.

Just 38 seconds into the third, Raiders had to kill off a double minor assessed to 20-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic for high sticking.

Shortly after that kill, Raiders 18-year-old centre Evan Smith tipped the puck home from the front of the Regina net to give the host side a 4-2 advantage. Smith got his stick on a smart setup pass from linemate Oli Chenier to record his first goal as a member of the Raiders since being acquired in a trade with the Red Deer Rebels.

Ty Meunier had the Raiders second goal on Wednesday.

Raiders star centre Aiden Oiring rounded out the game’s scoring picking up his 20^th goal of the season with 2:28 remaining in the third period.

With 90 seconds remaining in the third, Boychuk picked up a double minor for high sticking, which the Raiders were able to kill off. The double minors for high sticking given to Kovacevic and Boychuk will be automatically review by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Max Hildebrand stopped 31 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Ewan Huet turned away 32 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats (13-27-4-2).

Raiders 19-year-old defenceman Matteo Fabrizi picked a pair of assists in the win.

The Raiders celebrate a goal from Evan Smith (#21).

Wednesday’s game mark the first time Truitt was working behind the Raiders bench as head coach after missing 15 games for a medical leave to have eye surgery.  

He said it felt real good to be back behind the bench for his Prince Albert side.

“That is where you’re most comfortable is behind there and operating things and reading the game that way,” said Truitt. “The kids make it easy.

“It is just junior hockey. Sometimes, it gets a little hairy at times, but I like the way that we managed the puck, especially later on in the game. At times, we let teams back in.

“We didn’t let them back in. The two points is what we needed, and we got it.”

Aiden Oiring had the Raiders fifth goal on Wednesday.

With Wednesday’s game in the books, the Pats return to action on Friday when they host the Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m., Brandt Centre).

The Raiders get back at it on Saturday when they host the Wenatchee Wild (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Truitt is looking forward to his team’s next game, and he said things are feeling normal for him now that he is back coaching.

“You’ve done it for so long that you get back in a comfort area, and that is where it is,” said Truitt. “You have prepared for the last couple of days the same way that we always have.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

“Then, we have our meetings, and you are on the bench and you’re reading off of things and making sure that you’re getting the right guys out at the right time as much as you can. It wasn’t like it was totally different, but it just feels right.”

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Kiazyk thrown into fire, picks up first NLL win with Rush

Rush goalie Thomas Kiazyk get the ice water dunk after his first win. 

Getting ice water dunked never felt so sweet for Saskatchewan Rush rookie goalie Thomas Kiazyk.

On Saturday, Kiazyk made his first career start in an NLL regular season game as the Rush battled the Albany Firewolves. The 20-year-old netminder admitted his start wasn’t a work of art. When the dust settled, he made 39 saves to backstop the Rush to a 17-13 victory to the appreciative roars of the engaged 5,768 spectators in attendance.

Following the contest, Kiazyk was doing a post-game interview on the floor in front of the fans in attendance. During the interview, his Rush teammates snuck up behind him and doused him with cold water coming out of an assortment of water bottles.

Thomas Kiazyk made his first career NLL start on Saturday.

“It kind of snuck up on me a little bit,” said Kiazyk, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 180 pounds. “It was super special.

“Those guys are the world to me, and I’m really happy just to get the win for them. They battled out for me, so I just want to match that energy all the time.”

The Rush improved to 5-2 with the win, while the Firewolves fell to 2-6.

Kiazyk said he found out on Wednesday that he might end up starting Saturday’s contest, because there was a chance Rush starting goalie Frank Scigliano wasn’t going to be available. Scigliano’s wife was expected to give birth to the couple’s new child on game day. Ultimately, Scigliano’s special family situation kept him away from the SaskTel Centre.

Thomas Kiazyk, left, made 39 saves in goal for the Rush.

Rush defender Keegan Bell dressed as the team’s backup goalie on Saturday. The Rush wanted to sign Saskatoon product Laine Hruska on Saturday to be the team’s backup, but an NLL rule prevents clubs from signing new players on game days. Hruska, who has been a past Rush backup goaltender, helped out the Rush coaches behind the bench as part of the club’s support personnel.

While Kiazyk likes to pride himself on his confidence, he did have an attack of the nerves at the start of Saturday’s game. As a result, the Firewolves jumped out to a 4-0 lead just 5:06 into the opening quarter.

“I was trying to say that, like, I didn’t have nerves at all,” said Kiazyk. “I kept telling myself that, but I 100 per cent did.

Robert Church celebrates scoring the fifth of his five goals.

“I mean trying to get to the first TV timeout was obviously the goal every time, taking five minutes at a time. It was a little slow on my half. We all kind of had to do a little bit of adjusting and figuring out, but (we had a) quick response and our coaches prepared really well for that.

“We just made a great in game adjustment and responded.”

The Rush battled back and exited the first quarter locked in a 5-5 tie. Rush all-time great forward Robert Church potted the equalizer that forced the 5-5 even score with 2.6 seconds remaining in the stanza.

From that point, the host side got the game to halftime holding a 9-8 lead, and after three quarters, the Rush were holding a 13-12 edge. Saskatchewan pulled away in the fourth quarter to post the four-goal victory.

Ryan Keenan had two goals and seven assists for the Rush.

As the game went on, Kiazyk said he started to experiences times when the contest did start to feel like a normal game for him.

“I feel like in the first period I had moments of that,” said Kiazyk. “In the fourth quarter, I feel like after we killed one of the penalties I feel like we were just so locked in.

“I feel like I let in a few crappy goals here and there and that happens. You just have to look past it and look forward to what is next.”

When the fourth quarter clock expired, Kiazyk was pumped he was able to get a win in his first career NLL start. He said that was a memory he will take with him for the rest of his life.

The Rush faithful celebrate a goal scored by the host side.

“I’m super happy about it,” said Kiazyk. “I mean so many people have gotten me to this point in my life.

“I’m super happy to be able to get that win not only for myself but for all the people who supported me along the way.”

Rush co-head coach Jimmy Quinlan said you could see Kiazyk improve as the game went on. The bench boss said the young goalie has a really good confidence and moxie to him. When things don’t go well, Quinlan said that Kiazyk works to battle his way back.

“He has just got a great head on his shoulder and works at it, works at it and works at it,” said Quinlan. “The guys love him.

The O16 Electric Crew performs during a break in the action.

“He is never not in the net not taking shots. We actually have to get him off the floor a lot of times, so it was nice to see him work.”

Rush veteran forward Austin Shanks said his squad allowed the coaches and players that were involved with the goalies work with Kiazyk. When the Firewolves got up 4-0 early in the first quarter, Shanks said the Rush players didn’t panic and showed confidence those involved with the goalies would help Kiazyk get settled down.

“He (Kiazyk) let those four in quick, but then, he held it for the next 10 minutes to one,” said Shanks, who had one goal and four assists in the win. “He stepped up big.

Alex Simmons had two goals and five assists for the Firewolves.

“We realized he was stepping up. We had to go do our job. It was our turn to step up and start throwing some punches.”

Church said the team was pretty excited to see Kiazyk get his first win.

“He is such a great guy and a locker room presence even as a young guy,” said Church. “For us to be able to get him that win, and not even us get him that win like him give us that win, he shut the door.”

Church figured Kiazyk would have some early nerves, and the long time veteran figured the rookie would get to the point the contest would start feeling like a normal game.

The Rush faithful got to celebrate 17 goals on Saturday.

“It is expected, right,” said Church. “He is only 20-years-old, and he started his first game.

“He is going to have jitters. We saw that early, but he settled right in and was unreal down the stretch. He has got a future.

“He is a good goalie. He is a better guy.”

In Saturday’s clash, Church recorded 10 points in the win coming off five goals and five assists. Rush captain Ryan Keenan posted nine points coming off two goals and seven assists.

Zach Manns (#2) scored a pair of goals for the Rush.

Jake Boudreau, Clark Walter and Zach Manns each scored twice for the Rush, while Mike Triolo, Brock Haley and Adam Jay picked up singles. Boudreau’s second tally was scored into an empty net. 

The 17 goals the Rush scored were a team high for the current campaign, and they are also 4-0 this season when their opponents score first.

Forward Alex Simmons topped the Firewolves with seven points coming off two goals and five assists. Dyson Williams had a hat trick for Albany, and Ethan Walker and Sam Firth each had two goal outings for the visitors. Zac Masson, Will Johansen, Tye Kurtz and John Piatelli each had singles for the Firewolves.

The Rush celebrate a goal from Jake Boudreau (#17).

Doug Jamieson started in net and turned away 37-of-52 shots to take the setback for the Firewolves. Andrew Kidd saw spot duty in net for the Firewolves turning aside 4-of-5 shots sent his way.

The Rush return to action on Saturday, February 1, when they travel to San Diego to take on the 3-4 Seals (7 p.m. local time, Pechanga Arena).

Kiazyk could potentially get his second career start in that road encounter with the Seals. Whenever he gets the call next to guard the Rush net, Kiazyk said the fact he got his first start under his belt and picked up a win in the process will help him the next time he sees action on the floor.

“I think it is huge,” said Kiazyk. “Obviously, I don’t want to get my head too big.

The Rush salute their fans after their win on Saturday night.

“It is just one step in the right direction and one step closer to me becoming a better goalie. I can look back on this. I have game film now, and I can tweak some things.

“I can go over it with Kirky (goalie coach Evan Kirk) and Frankie (Frank Scigliano) and everyone and just look to get better and look to improve for the future.”

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Raiders rock Hauser, down Blades 6-3 for fifth straight win

Prince Albert takes slim edge for first in East Division  

It was a great night to be a fan of the Prince Albert Raiders outside of a bit of a mid-length scare.

On Friday night, the host Raiders stormed out to an early 4-1 lead and downed their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades 6-3 in a WHL regular season clash to the delight of a standing room crowd of 2,919 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre. The win was the fifth straight for the Raiders allowing them to improve to 24-15-3 to hold the slim edge for first place in the WHL’s East Division.

The Raiders and Blades, who fell to 23-16-2-3, have the same amount of standings points at 51, but the Prince Albert side holds the standings tiebreaker due having more wins. The squad from “Hockey Town North” also has a pair of games in hand on “The Bridge City Bunch.” After the Blades traded away their three best veteran players to get some quality younger players and acquire WHL Prospects Draft capital, the Raiders faithful were waiting for their Saskatoon rivals to fall back to the pack.

The Blades have recorded just one win and one standings point from an extra time setback in their last six games. During the losses over this six game stretch including Friday’s clash, the Blades did have their momentum carrying moments where it appeared they would potential steal a win before ultimately falling on the scoreboard.

In Friday’s contest between the Raiders and Blades, it appeared for a time the music operators in the Prince Albert side’s storied home rink might start playing The Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” at an early juncture. As has been the tradition in Prince Albert for a lengthy stretch of time, the song “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” is played every time the Raiders, the Prince Albert Mintos under-18 AAA team and the Prince Albert Northern Bears under-18 AAA female squad defeat their respective rival foes from Saskatoon.

Just 2:31 into Friday’s encounter, Raiders standout 16-year-old rookie defenceman Daxon Rudolph scored to give the host’s a 1-0 lead. At the 5:42 mark of the opening frame, Raiders 19-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube potted his 20^th goal of the campaign to push Prince Albert’s edge out to 2-0. Raiders 16-year-old rookie right-winger Riley Boychuk proceeded to put his squad up 3-0 at the 13:34 mark of the first as the Art Hauser Centre was rocking.

The Blades broke through on the scoreboard just 33 seconds after Boychuk’s tally with standout 16-year-old rookie centre Cooper Williams potting his 13^th goal of the season to trim the Raiders lead to 3-1.

Raiders 19-year-old star centre Aiden Oiring restored the host side’s three-goal edge netting his 19^th goal of the campaign with 70 seconds remaining in the first.

At that point, the Blades proceeded to put a scare into the Raiders and their fans. Inside the final minute of the first, the Blades scored twice to cut the Raiders advantage to 4-3. Blades sophomore centre Hayden Harsanyi tallied with 43.8 seconds remaining in the first and 18-year-old right-winger Hunter Laing recorded his 12^th of the campaign with 12 seconds remaining in the opening frame.

The Blades came out buzzing in the second period holding a 16-5 edge in shots on goal and pinning the Raiders inside their own zone for lengthy stretches of time. Raiders star 20-year-old Max Hildebrand made a number of big saves to ensure his squad still held a 4-3 lead going into the second intermission.

The Raiders found their stride again and closed the contest out in a fairly evenly played third period.

With 4:16 remaining in the third, Raiders 18-year-old rookie centre Jackson Kostiuk scored his first career WHL goal to push the Raiders lead out to 5-3. Kostiuk joined the Raiders on January 10 after starting the current campaign in the junior A ranks with the Steinback Pistons of the MJHL.

Raiders star left-winger Tomas Mrsic rounded out the game’s scoring with an empty-net goal with 35.1 seconds remaining in the third.

Hildebrandt stopped 32 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Evan Gardner turned away 26-of-31 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

Both Oiring and Mrsic finished the night recording one goal and two assists for three points.

The Raiders get back at it on Saturday, when they travel to Regina to take on the 12-26-4-2 Pats (6 p.m., Brandt Centre). The Blades are idle on Saturday.

The Raiders and Blades will tangle again on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

Tigers rally past Chiefs for eighth straight victory  

The Medicine Hat Tigers needed some late game heroics to pull out their eighth straight win and keep topping the WHL’s Eastern Conference and Central Division.

On Friday playing on the road before 7,134 spectators at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, the Tigers found themselves trailing the host Chiefs 2-0. Medicine Hat proceeded to rally with three straight goals in the final 10 minutes of the third period to pull out a 3-2 victory.

Just 31 seconds into the contest, Chiefs star 20-year-old left-winger Shea Van Olm opened the game’s scoring with his 34^th goal of the campaign to give the host side a 1-0 edge. The Chiefs pushed their advantage out to 2-0 at the 5:17 mark of the third on a goal by import 18-year-old rookie right-winger Assanali Sarkenov.

At that point, the Tigers offence came alive. With 9:58 remaining in the third, Tigers 20-year-old defenceman Josh Van Mulligen netted his second goal of the campaign to cut the Chiefs lead to 2-1.

Working on the power play with 6:54 remaining in the third, Tigers star 17-year-old left-winger Gavin McKenna one-timed home a power-play goal on a nice setup pass from 16-year-old centre Markus Ruck to even the score at 2-2.

With 4:57 remaining in the third, Tigers offensive-defenceman Jonas Woo potted the winner that gave the visitors their 3-2 victory.

Harrison Meneghin stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers. Dawson Cowan turned away 27 shots to take the setback in net for the Chiefs.

McKenna had a pair of assists to go with his goal. Van Mulligen had an assist to go with his tally and Tigers star 18-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie picked up a pair of helpers.

Chiefs star 19-year-old right-winger Andrew Cristall picked up an assist and leads the WHL in scoring with 78 points coming off 31 goals and 47 assists. McKenna sits second in the league scoring race with 76 points coming off 21 goals and 55 assists.

With their eighth straight win, the Tigers improved to 29-15-2 to lead the Eastern Conference and Central Division by two points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes (28-14-1-1). The Hurricanes have two games in hand on the Tigers.

The Calgary Hitmen (26-12-3-2) sit three points back of the Tigers and one point back of the Hurricanes. The Hitmen have three games in hand on the Tigers and one game in hand on the Hurricanes.

The Chiefs fell to 30-16 and remain second overall in the Western Conference and the U.S. Division.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday when they travel to Kennewick, Washington, to take on the 22-17-3-1 Tri-City Americans (6 p.m. local time, Toyota Centre).

The Chiefs are off until Friday, January 31, when they will host the Victoria Royals (7 p.m. local time, Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena).

Braillard’s hatty keeps Hurricanes on heater, other notes  

Leo Braillard ensured the Lethbridge Hurricanes stayed red hot.

On Friday night playing before 3,927 spectators at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena, Braillard, who is a 19-year-old import right-winger, picked up hat trick to power his host Hurricanes past the Red Deer Rebels 4-1. The victory was the ninth straight for the Hurricanes, who improved to 28-14-1-1 to sit two points back of the Medicine Hat Tigers (29-15-2) for top spot in the Eastern Conference and the Central Division. Lethbridge has two games in hand on Medicine Hat.

In Friday’s clash with the Rebels, Braillard opened the game’s scoring netting a pair of power-play goals 14 seconds apart from each other just before the nine-minute mark of the first period.

Hurricanes star 19-year-old left-winger Logan Wormald recorded his 27^th tally of the campaign before the first period came to a wrap to push his squad’s advantage out to 3-0.

At the 2:03 mark of the second, Rebels 19-year-old right-winger Talon Brigley netted his fifth goal of the campaign to cut the Hurricanes advantage to 3-1.

Braillard completed his hat trick tallying at the 5:12 mark of the third to round out the scoring in the contest.

Koen Cleaver, who is a 17-year-old rookie, stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Hurricanes. Peyton Shore, who is a 16-year-old rookie, turned away 32 shots to take the setback in net for the Rebels.

Wormald had a pair of assists to go with his goal.

The Hurricanes went 3-for-7 on the power play in the win, while the Rebels failed to score on their three power-play opportunities.

The Rebels fell to 15-23-4-2 and haven’t posted a win over their last 13 contests picking three standings points in extra time setbacks over that span of games.

The Hurricanes return to action on Saturday host the Calgary Hitmen (26-12-3-2) at 6 p.m. local time at VisitLethbridge.com Arena. The Hitmen sit one standings point back of the Hurricanes.

The Rebels also get back at it on Saturday hosting the Moose Jaw Warriors (10-29-4-2) at 7 p.m. local time at the Peavey Mart Centrium.

• On Friday in Kamloops, captain Emmitt Finnie of the host Blazers had a pair of goals including the overtime winner and an assist in a 4-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. That result gave Blazers head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston his 580^th career regular season head coaching victory in the WHL. He needs two more wins to equal Marc Habscheid, who is best remembered for serving as head coach for the Rockets and Prince Albert Raiders, for fifth on the all-time list at 582 victories.
• On Friday in Edmonton, 17-year-old right-winger Lukas Sawchyn had a pair of goals and an assist to power the host Oil Kings to a 5-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. The win was a third in a row for the Oil Kings who improve to 25-16-1-2.
• On Friday in Prince George, star 20-year-old right-winger Koehn Ziemmer had the winning goal and an assist to lead the host Cougars past the Brandon Wheat Kings 3-2. Star 18-year-old netminder Joshua Ravensbergen made 29 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Cougars.
• On Friday in Wenatchee, 19-year-old right-winger Dawson Seitz scored the overtime winner to give the host Wild a 3-2 upset victory over the WHL leading Everett Silvertips. The Wild improved to 17-22-3-1 to sit eighth overall and hold the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. The Silvertips record moved to 32-6-4-3.

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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Rush spectacle still there

NLL squad’s game nights remain a tonne of fun  

The Rush head to the SaskTel Centre turf for pre-game intros.

Saskatchewan Rush game nights are still the most entertaining put out by any sports organization in the province.

When the Rush franchise first came over from Edmonton and set up shop in the SaskTel Centre before the start of the 2016 NLL season, their game nights became a spectacle that you had to see. From performances from the dance team, various pre-game festivities with videos and pyrotechnics, fun in game promotions and theme nights, Rush contests had it all.

Plus, the style of box lacrosse played by the NLL is fast paced, and an in house DJ is always pumping tunes that match and add to the hectic pace of the action.

In the current day, Rush games are still the best time out. They are sitting there waiting to be rediscovered by fans.

This past December 28, the Rush hosted their second home game of the current campaign, and it was the team’s “Sask Vegas Night” that was presented by the Dakota Dunes.

Fans play casino games during the Rush’s“Sask Vegas Night.”

The O16 Lounge in the SaskTel Centre was set up with various casino style games, where those attending the contest got to play for prizes. Singer, songwriter and guitar player Kris Klyne was on hand to provide music that created an upbeat mood.

Leading up to game time, everything you have come to expect from Rush games is still there. The O16 Electric Crew dance team started all the pre-game festivities with an energetic dance routine. It can’t be understated how good those ladies really are, and they perform a couple of other times as the night goes on.

The Rush had their classic pyrotechnics and light show going as they came out for pre-game introductions. They also had a “burn song” to introduce the visitors, who happened to be the Philadelphia Wings on this night.

The O16 Electric Crew performs before opening faceoff.

The rink also had a couple of party zones to watch the contest from including the “Outlaws Corral.” The “Outlaws Corral” has been the traditional party zone for Rush games set up in the Zamboni entrance in the southwest corner of the facility. That area includes the DJs who play music throughout the action of the game.

The NLL game itself is still as fast paced as ever. Of course, fans in attendance love getting to do the trademark chest thumping celebration that is performed every time the Rush score a goal. They also have unique food items at their concessions like bison burgers.

 The Rush ultimately fell 12-11 in overtime on this night with Wings forward Holden Cattoni potting the winner 95 seconds into extra time. Even with the loss, fans could come away from the contest feeling both their time and their money was well spent.

Following the contest as has been a tradition since the Rush arrived in Saskatoon, fans could go down to field level and autographs from various players that night. The Rush also have a cool mascot to mingle with in Rowdy the Bison.

Ryan Keenan is the veteran captain of the Rush.

Despite the fact Rush game nights are still a great time, their games haven’t had the hype they have had in the past. One of the big factors for that comes from the fact the Rush haven’t been winning like they did when the first came to Saskatchewan.

The Rush arrived in Saskatoon after winning the NLL championship during their final season as the Edmonton Rush playing out of the Alberta capital city in 2015. Unable to secure a long term lease deal for the brand new Rogers Place in Edmonton, then owner Bruce Urban relocated the Rush to Saskatoon and the club was branded as the Saskatchewan Rush for the 2016 campaign.

The Rush arrived in Saskatchewan with one of the best teams the NLL had ever seen. They were in one of the best runs the circuit had ever seen too.

Another NLL title followed for the Rush in their first season calling Saskatchewan home in 2016. They fell in the league final in 2017 and reclaimed the NLL title in 2018.

Zach Manns is one of the top scorers on the Rush.

Over that time, players like Zack Greer, Aaron Bold, Mark Matthews, captain Chris Corbeil, Jeff Cornwall, Jeremy Thompson, Robert Church, Ryan Keenan, Jeff Shattler and Evan Kirk all became household names along with head coach and general manager Derek Keenan. Thanks to the fan following around Thompson, most Rush supporters, who had never seen box lacrosse until the NLL came to Saskatchewan, picked up an eye-opening appreciation for all the little gritty things a good transition player does for a team.

The party was seemingly going on every night as an average of over 13,400 spectators regularly came out per game.

On a provincial level, the Rush truly became a provincial team and were like a miniature version of the province’s CFL franchise in the Saskatchewan Roughriders based out of the province’s capital city of Regina. It was common for Rush games to be covered by nine to 15 media members from various communities around the province.

The town of Chamberlain located on Highway 11 between Saskatoon and Regina used to have a billboard that stated, “This highway flows; south for the Riders, north for the Rush.”

Rush fans do their traditional chest bump celebration after a goal.

A very small number of folks might have wondered at the time how things would look when the franchise had to undergo an inevitable rebuild. Those thoughts were quickly forgotten, and it was easy to get wrapped up in the success of the time.

Everything got disrupted when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit in March of 2020. The Rush were 7-3 at the time and looked poised to make a run at another NLL title. The rest of that NLL campaign was cancelled along with the 2021 season.

On May 10, 2021, Urban sold the Rush to the Priestner family, who owned the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. The Rush, Blades and WCBL’s Saskatoon Berries are operated under the umbrella company of the Sask Entertainment Group.

The sale of the Rush allowed the Urban family, who are based in Calgary, to focus on running the Western RV Group of Companies. The Priestners had more staffers living in Saskatoon including Colin Priestner, who is best known as general manager and president of the Blades. The presence of staffers helped with a restart after the pandemic.

Mike Messenger in one of the Rush’s long time veterans.

When the NLL got going again for the 2022 campaign, the rebuild started for the Rush. Actually, it was more like a reload as the club never bottomed out and posted 8-10 regular season marks in each the 2022, 2023 and 2024 campaigns, where they just missed out on the playoffs.

Average attendance fell to 8,743 in 2022, 8,606 in 2023 and 8,085 in 2024. In three home dates in the current campaign, the Rush have attracted attendances of 5,661, 6,016 and 5,558 spectators.

The media gatherings have shrunk to about two or three persons outside of Rush team staff and the staff of the visiting squads on game night.

The holdovers from the 2018 championship team include Church, now captain Ryan Keenan, Mike Messenger and Matt Hossack. Derek Keenan is still the general manager and is a co-head coach along with Jimmy Quinlan. The Rush have new stars who are turning heads in Zach Manns, Austin Shanks and Brock Haley.

Two youngsters lead a Rush autograph session happy.

They have gotten out to a 4-2 start and host the 2-5 Albany Firewolves on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Rush will be hosting a retro night promotion where the team wears special jerseys, and there will be retro arcade games, a photo booth and tattoos from tattoo artists available on the concourse. Overall, another fun night out should be on tap.

The Rush are waiting to be rediscovered. Their game days continue to be worth the price of admission.

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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Draisaitl, Morrissey and Scott locks on Raiders quarter century team

Ian Scott makes a kick save during a 2019 post-season game in Edmonton.

A Prince Albert Raiders quarter century all-star team from 2000-25 would be anchored by a trio who are automatics.

Leon Draisaitl, Josh Morrissey and Ian Scott would be locks on the Raiders quarter century team. Draisaitl is the high scoring centre and Morrissey is one of the best to ever play defence for the Raiders and both have had outstanding NHL careers.

In my 26 seasons covering the WHL, Scott would be one of the top three money goalies I’ve seen in my time on the overall circuit. He backstopped the Raiders to the WHL championship in the 2018-19 campaign, and I believe he would have had a long stint in the NHL had injury not cut short his playing career.

Since the calendar flipped over to 2025, various sports bodies and teams have been producing quarter century all-star teams. I was just recently looking at one created for the Prairie Football Conference of the CJFL produced by an independent outlet.

I’ve seen lists come out for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and some NHL teams. Jason Kerr here at the Herald suggested maybe I should come up with one for the Raiders.

It didn’t take me long to agree that it would be a fun idea. At some point, I think a lot of WHL teams will likely have a contest or create a marketing angle to select quarter-century all-star teams.

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

Fun was had in 2024 but chase element specter loomed

Carter Beck hits a triple for the cycle on August 10, 2024.

I had unique plans for my first idea for a look back post on 2024.

Originally, I wanted to put together a “the year in pictures” post taking inspiration from finding some old “the year in pictures” issues from Sports Illustrated. In what seems like the days of long ago, Sports Illustrated, when it was in its prime, used to put together magazines at the end of the year that contained picture highlights the publication’s photographers captured throughout the year.

Unfortunately or fortunately in some cases, my life calendar kept getting filled up, and that idea got pushed back until it never happened. As a result, this column is being typed out in instead on January 20, 2025.

Just to time stamp on what is happening in the world as I write this, it is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. If you have been in Platform X on this day, you realize for some it is the day of anxiety fearing it is the rise of “The Galactic Empire” with Donald Trump being inaugurated as the President of the United States of America once again. Some others are celebrating this as one of the greatest moments in the history of the human race.

For myself, I am trying to determine if Elon Musk might actually be the de facto President of the United States of America and how his political influence might shape the world. He seems to want to have political influence in a few countries. Musk might ultimately for some end up being Emperor Palpatine and Trump might just be an apprentice.

The 1995 Sports Illustrated “The Year In Pictures.”

For now, that might end up being a discussion for another day.

Outside of doing posts for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex social media lines, I have stayed off social media today. That has become more of a welcome habit for me in 2024 and one I hope to continue in 2025.

Social media breaks have allowed me to accomplish more in my day. Throughout 2024, I’ve constantly needed more hours in my day.

This hasn’t been just a 2024 thing. Since the 2023 edition of the WHL Playoffs came to an end, I feel like I have been in chase mode with my schedule. I handle whatever priority comes up in that day, and I am playing catch up on various fronts.

Due to the fact the Saskatoon Blades played and won two straight seven-game series coming out of the gates in the 2023 WHL Playoffs, I was often catching up archiving photos from all the WHL post-season games I worked. I actually finished my catch up on that front days before the 2023-24 WHL campaign started.

In 2024, I was determined to not get far behind on that front. I felt I was constantly pushing things off as I caught up on photos, but I estimate the most I ever got behind was two weeks. I spent a lot of energy staying on top of things on that front.

On top of that, I felt like I was going from busy thing to busy thing. I went from covering WHL Playoffs to covering the end of Saskatoon Valkyries season as they won a fourth consecutive WWCFL title and a ninth league crown overall.

The Berries salute their faithful on August 13, 2024.

From there, the summer came around, and I found myself around the WCBL’s Saskatoon Berries more than I expected as they played their inaugural campaign. That bled right into the Saskatoon Hilltops CJFL season and the beginning of the 2024-25 WHL campaign.

Also on the football front, I think the high school football season is the most followed season on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex’s social media lines, so that kept my calendar occupied, because you knew eyes were looking for that content. I believe at least two or three independents were covering high school football with social media content, and everything that was put out on that front was viewed, which was great for high school football.

With the sports commitments, projects around the house I wanted to get to didn’t happen. I don’t have a load of lumber that has been sitting in the basement for three or four years waiting to be used for a home renovation like I know has happened to a lot of sports coaches and administrators.

I have more things I want to display and potentially sell on the collectables front. I also have things I just want to get out of the house like an old exercise bike that has had it and has been replaced. It is still sitting in the basement taking up space.

The Warriors celebrate winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup on May 15, 2024.

Even now, I am still chasing. I am hoping tonight I can finish editing and archiving photos from a WHL game between the Portland Winterhawks and Blades as I watch the NCAA football championship game between the Ohio State University Buckeyes and the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While I am chasing, I still think my catch up is getting done in a timely fashion, but there always seems to be more catch up to do.

Away from that chase, 2024 had lots of highlights.

One of my favourite moments of 2024 came on August 10 in Game 1 of the WCBL’s East Division final between the Saskatoon Berries and Moose Jaw Miller Express, which the Berries took 14-1. Berries centre-fielder Carter Beck went 4-for 5 at the plate with three runs batted in hitting for the cycle at Cairns Field.

For those not familiar with baseball terms, hitting for the cycle means a hitter collected a single, a double, a triple and a home run in one game. It is one of the most difficult statistical feats to accomplish in baseball.

Warriors fans celebrate their team’s WHL title win on May 15, 2024.

In that clash with the Express, Beck needed to hit the triple to complete the cycle. I went down the third base line hoping to get Beck pictured making a milestone hit.

I was pumped to get the shot of him connecting on the triple that allowed him to complete the cycle. It was the type of moment I might never shoot again in sports, so I will always remember getting that photo.

It also might sound strange, but I was more pumped for Berries team photographer Steve Hiscock for getting Beck’s celebration reaction after sliding into third base to get the triple to complete the cycle. 

Hiscock was positioned down the first base line, which meant between the two of us we had this moment locked down in the photo department. Beck turned towards the infield after his slide into third, which meant his back was to me during the celebration, but Hiscock perfectly had the whole front view of that moment.

The Express ultimately won the best-of-three series in three games.

The Valkyries celebrate a WWCFL title win on June 23, 2024.

Another big highlight was being in the Moose Jaw Events Centre, which is also known as “The Hangar,” on the night the Moose Jaw Warriors won their first WHL title on May 15. I always had a soft spot in my heart for Warriors fans, and it was cool to see them enjoy watching their Warriors win the WHL title and raise the Ed Chynoweth Cup at home.

I also lost my hearing temporarily for a short time at the end of the game because the 4,732 spectators in attendance made that much noise. The Warriors swept the best-of-seven final 4-0 against the Winterhawks and claimed Game 4 by a 4-2 final score, which meant the Warriors faithful got to relish the championship end result that was coming as the final seconds of the clock ticked away.

An even bigger highlight came after the contest. I was staying with long time friends Bill and Carole Harris, and Bill had an involvement with the Warriors dating back to their start in Moose Jaw in 1984. He also served as the team’s president for a time.

I wrote my game stories from their home after I returned from the rink. I was on the ice for two-and-a-half hours after the time expired on the clock doing interviews and getting photos of the celebration. When I got back to the Harris’s home, a celebration was going on there too.

Danielle Girolami makes a tackle for the Valkyries on June 23, 2024.

Whitney Harris, who was one of Bill and Carole’s sons, made it home to Moose Jaw from Calgary to watch the Warriors win the WHL title in person. Whitney was there along with a gathering of friends.

Before crafting my story, I visited for an hour and drank a couple of glasses of champagne to commemorate the moment. During that visit, it was so cool to see how happy Bill was.

He put a lot of time into that team, and it was special that he got to see them win the WHL title. That is a highlight I will always remember for the rest of my life.

The champagne corks were popped in Regina on June 23, 2024 when the Valkyries downed the host Riot 36-21 in the WWCFL Championship game. Sisters in receiver Haley and defensive back Danielle Girolami had big nights in that win.

With covering the WHL and work responsibilities at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, I didn’t get to see as much of the Valkyries season as I wanted. My focused coverage came when they started their playoff run.

Zane Litzenberger reacts to his winning TD catch on June 23, 2019.

When I made it to the field for practices and games, the Valkyries were happy I was there. I’ve covered them since 2015, and I have so many long lasting ties to that group. For me, they are family, and these championship moments never get old.

The fourth big sports moment for me I will never forget in 2024 came on November 9 of that year at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. On that day, the Prince Albert Carlton Comprehensive High School Crusaders won their first ever provincial title. In an all-time classic, the Crusaders got past Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints 35-34 to take the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association’s 5A championship.

With 72 seconds remaining in the contest, Crusaders star quarterback Sullivan Smith-Windsor hit standout receiver Zane Litzenberger on a five-yard slant pass for a touchdown that put the Prince Albert side up by the 35-34 final score. I lived in Prince Albert from 2001 to 2004 working as a sports writer for the Prince Albert Daily Herald, and it was amazing to see an iconic sports moment for that city play out.

There were tough times in 2024 too with the passing of my uncle Wally Chomitzky in March and the passing of long time friend, former Raiders business executive and Prince Albert community icon Bruce Vance. Those passings make me cherish the memories made with both that much more.

As I go forward in life, I don’t try and put expectations on things. As long time late Raiders head coach and hockey executive Donn Clark told me you have to play the cards that are dealt your way the best you can in life and do the best with what you can control.

The Crusaders raise the provincial championship trophy on Nov. 9, 2024.

With that said, more of a focus turns to seeing what 2025 brings.

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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.