Not easy – Blades gut out 4-2 victory over Broncos

WHL basement dwellers make Saskatoon earn win

The Blades celebrate a third period goal from Elias Pul.

On paper, it appeared to be a “get right game” for the Saskatoon Blades.

In their last two outings on January 9 and Wednesday, the Blades dropped respective decisions to the Edmonton Oil Kings and Brandon Wheat Kings by identical 3-1 scores. The Oil Kings are sitting inside the top four in the WHL, while the Wheat Kings are in the top eight of the major junior circuit.

Looking to put an end to a two-game skid that came against quality opponents, the Blades welcomed the Swift Current Broncos to the SaskTel Centre for a WHL regular season clash. The Broncos sit firmly in the basement of the entire WHL. In their last outing, the Broncos were drubbed by the Pats in Regina 7-0 on Wednesday.

Elias Pul had the winning goal for the Blades on Friday.

However, the WHL is not NCAA college football where quality teams can get their collective confidence back by steamrolling a foe at the bottom of the standings. In the WHL, all teams can be competitive on any given night, so you can’t just pencil in a notch in the win column against foes near or at the bottom of the standings.

On Friday night, the Blades found themselves locked in a 2-2 draw with the lowly Broncos for much of the third period. Saskatoon entered the third holding a 2-1 lead, but that changed when Broncos 18-year-old centre Parker Rondeau scored 92 seconds into the frame.

Working on the forecheck in the Saskatoon zone, Rondeau threw the puck to the front of the Saskatoon net, got to the front of the net to retrieve the puck and scored the equalizer off a spin around shot. Rondeau’s goal came when both teams were playing four-versus-four hockey due to off-setting penalties.

Aiden Eskit stopped 32-of-35 shots in goal for the Broncos.

With 7:11 remaining in the third, Blades 19-year-old rookie import left-winger Elias Pul proved to be opportunistic at just the right time. As the hosts were applying pressure in the Swift Current zone, Pul pounced on a loose puck sitting in front of the Broncos goal and wired home his fourth of the campaign to put the Blades in front 3-2.

The tally was Pul’s first goal as a member of the Blades after being acquired in a significant trade with the Spokane Chiefs on December 9, 2025. Pul was playing in just his third game with the Blades after returning to the WHL having played for Germany’s entry at world juniors.

Saskatoon’s victory was finally sealed when captain Tyler Parr scored into an empty net with 42.2 seconds to play in the third to round out the 4-2 win to the delight of the 3,497 spectators in attendance. The win allowed the Blades to improve to 22-16-2-1 to sixth overall in the Eastern Conference.

Evan Gardner (#35) makes one of his 26 saves for the Blades.

The Broncos fell to 9-30-3 to continue to sit last in the entire WHL, and they are winless in their last five straight games recording four regulation losses and an overtime setback over that stretch.

When Friday’s contest started, it appeared an early good omen for the Saskatoon side might foreshadow a feel good night. The Blades jumped in front 1-0 just 1:48 into the first period as 18-year-old centre Kazden Mathies slid home his 12^th of the season from the front of the Swift Current net. The officials at first ruled no goal on the ice as Mathies drew contact with Broncos netminder Aiden Eskit.

The video review showed Mathies was guided into the Broncos puck stopper by a Swift Current skater, and the officials reversed the original ruling on the ice calling the goal good to allow the hosts take their one-goal edge.

Kazden Mathies had the Blades first goal on Friday.

Mathies’s tally did not spark a surge where the Blades would fill the Swift Current net with pucks. Instead, Eskit and Blades 19-year-old star netminder Evan Gardner played really sound. The Blades exited the opening 20 minutes with their 1-0 lead with the shots on goal being even at 11-11.

In the second period, the Broncos showed they weren’t going to mail Friday’s game in and evened the score at 1-1 at the 9:26 mark of the frame. Swift Current captain Hudson Darby gloved down a high Blades clear attempt at the Saskatoon blue line to create the scoring chance.

Darby skated in and put a shot on goal that was kicked out by Gardner. The rebound was directed out to Broncos rookie import left-winger Stepan Kuryachenkov. Kuryachenkov quickly potted home his eighth of the campaign for the equalizer.

Stepan Kuryachenkov scored the Broncos first goal on Friday.

Swift Current’s push back was strong enough to build a 21-16 edge in shots on goal with 10:17 remaining in the second.

However, momentum would jump back on Saskatoon’s side before the stanza came to an end. With 3:36 remaining in the second, the Blades pulled ahead 2-1 scoring on a two-man advantage.

Working the puck in the Swift Current zone, Blades standout centre Cooper Williams found himself with the puck off to the right of the Bronco net. Williams centred a pass to 20-year-old linemate Rowan Calvert in front of the Swift Current net. Calvert redirected the puck past Eskit for his team-leading 22^nd tally of the season for the power-play marker.

After 40 minutes, the Blades were still holding their 2-1 edge and had a 26-23 advantage in shots on goal. That set the stage for the dramatics in the third period.

Rowan Calvert netted a power-play goal for the Blades.

Gardner stopped 26 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Eskit turned away 32-of-35 shots to take the setback in net for the Broncos. The 17-year-old rookie netminder is still in search of his first career WHL regular season victory.

Pul had an assist to go with his goal. His assist came from a smart pass that helped set Mathies on a path to score the first goal of the contest. Blades 18-year-old import left-winger David Lewandowski, who was also a member of Germany’s entry at world juniors, picked up two assists in Friday’s win.

The Blades picked up the win they were expected to pick up on Friday, but improving to 4-0 against Swift Current head-to-head didn’t come easy. That has kind of been a bit of a theme for the Blades at home this season as they now have a 10-9-0-1 record at the SaskTel Centre. Saskatoon’s home record rates 16^th among the WHL’s 23 clubs.

On the road, the Blades are 12-7-2, which rates as the ninth best road record in the WHL. They hope their luck on the road will continue on Saturday, when they travel to Swift Current to face the Broncos again at 7 p.m. at the Innovationplex.

The Blades salute their fans after their win on Friday.

While the Blades have experienced some success on the road, the Broncos will likely do their best to make it difficult for the Saskatoon side to continue that success.

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