Sweep away - Blades turn out the lights on Rebels

Saskatoon advances to WHL Eastern Conference final

Alexander Suzdalev (#91) chases down a puck. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

Like a young Mike Tyson, the Saskatoon Blades landed the knockout blow early.

“The Bridge City Bunch” pounced on a host Red Deer Rebels side that was compromised entering Game 4 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the two sides. For the second straight night, the Rebels played a game without both of their regular goaltenders.

Second-year netminder Rhett Stoesser was out due to an undisclosed ailment. Stoesser has yet to dress for a game in the series against the Blades.

Breakout rookie puck stopper Chase Wutzke was out with an undisclosed injury. In the Blades 2-1 overtime victory in Game 2 on Sunday in Saskatoon, Wutzke was bowled over by Blades overage star left-winger Easton Armstrong on an offensive rush at the 5:59 mark of the third when the contest was tied 1-1.

Armstrong was given a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct. On Monday, he was suspended by the WHL, and the league finalized that suspension at four games on Wednesday. Wutzke finished Game 2 playing heroically making 47 saves in the extra time setback.

With Stoesser and Wutzke out, the Rebels started associate player call up Taylor Tabashniuk, who turned 17-years-old in March, in net for a second straight night. He played this season with the Regina Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team before joining the Rebels.

Peyton Shore suited up as the Rebels backup goalie as an associated player call up. Shore, who is 15-years-old, played this season for the Rink Hockey Academy’s Under-17 team in his hometown of Winnipeg, Man.

On top of the netminders who were out, the Rebels were without overage defenceman Elias Carmichael with a lower body injury. Carmichael did not appear at all in the 2024 WHL post-season.

Ben Saunderson (#2) makes a poke check. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

Also, Rebels import right-winger Frantisek Formanek was out serving a one-game league imposed suspension for being assessed a spearing major and a game misconduct in the third period of the Blades 8-5 victory in Game 3 on Tuesday. Associate player call up Steven Steranka, who is 16-years-old, suited up for his first WHL game be it the regular season or playoffs after playing all of this past season with the Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team before joining the Rebels.

In Game 4 on Wednesday, the Blades stormed out to a 4-0 lead in the first period and cruised to a 7-0 victory before 4,415 spectators. The win allowed the Blades to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0.

For a second straight year, the Blades advance to the Eastern Conference Championship series. They will play the winner of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos.

The Warriors downed the Broncos 5-2 in Game 4 of that series on Wednesday at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current to take a 3-1 lead in that set. The Warriors will try and close out that series Friday when they host the Broncos at 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, which is also known as “The Hangar.”

Saskatoon’s series win over Red Deer means the Eastern Conference Championship series will be an all-Saskatchewan battle for the first time since 1993. Back in 1993, the Broncos swept the Regina Pats 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Championships Series. Swift Current advanced to the WHL Championship Series where they got past the Portland Winterhawks in seven games.

As for Wednesday’s encounter between the Blades and Rebels, Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov played the role of Tyson in Wednesday’s romp recording a hat trick, two assists and a plus-five rating in the plus-minus department. He got things started wiring home his first of the contest from the top of the left faceoff circle just 3:12 into the opening frame to put the visitors up 1-0.

With Sidorov’s first goal, the Blades have now opened the scoring in all nine of their games in the 2024 post-season.

The Blades and Rebels scrum it up. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

Just under three minutes later, the Blades pushed their lead out to 2-0 on a short-handed goal by centre Rowan Calvert. Left-winger Misha Volotovskii sprung Calvert on a breakaway, and he went forehand to backhand putting his second of the post-season by Tabashniuk to give the Blades their two-goal edge.

With 3:12 remaining in the opening frame, Sidorov netted his second of the contest to give the Blades a 3-0 advantage. The 19-year-old, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks, came in on the right side of the Red Deer net and put home a spinorama backhand shot.

Sidorov proceeded to pick up his first assist of the night on the Blades fourth goal. With 72 seconds remaining in the first, Sidorov got the puck to star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky. Lisowsky broke into the Red Deer zone and slipped a backhand shot five-hole on Tabashniuk to put the Blades up 4-0 heading into the first intermission.

The Blades built their 4-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes holding a 12-6 edge in shots on goal.

Just 2:15 into the second, Sidorov completed his hat trick. He jetted in the Red Deer zone chasing a dump in or a missed stretch pass from offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk.

The puck hit the back boards in the Red Deer zone and bounced right out to an approaching Sidorov. Sidorov potted home a shot where he put his stick between his legs for his 10^th goal of the post-season to give the Blades a 5-0 edge.

At the 13:03 mark of the third, Sidorov had a sweet helper on the tally that put the Blades in front 6-0 on the scoreboard. Holding the puck inside the icing line in the Red Deer end off to the right of the Rebels goal, Sidorov made a smart pass to Blades star centre Fraser Minten. Minten slid home his fifth of the post-season to give the Blades their six-goal edge.

Nicholas Andrusiak (#53) sets defensively. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

The Rebels ran into more tough luck as offensive-defenceman Hunter Mayo was given a double minor for high-sticking at the 3:33 mark of the third. That infraction will be automatically be reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

On the first half of the four-minute power-play, Blades import right-winger Alexander Suzdalev rounded out the game’s scoring potting home a shot from a sharp angle at the left side of the Red Deer net at the 4:52 mark of the third.

Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner had a solid night stopping all 26 shots he faced to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Blades. He made a huge stop on a Rebels power-play opportunity late in the third period to preserve his shutout bid.

Rebels offensive-defenceman Mats Lindgren sprung Rebels overage winger Carson Latimer on a contested breakaway. Latimer fired a shot on goal that was denied by a blocker stop from Gardner.

Lisowsky had a pair of assists to go with his goal. Blades defencemen Ben Saunderson and Nicholas Andrusiak each had two assists. Saskatoon was without utility forward Tyler Parr who has missed the team’s last five games with an undisclosed injury.

Tabashniuk turned away 24 shots to take the setback in net for the Rebels. His post-season starts in Games 3 and 4 were his first two career WHL games played in either the regular season or post-season.

Coming into the series between the Blades and Rebels, the Blades were tabbed as the favourites. They topped the WHL’s overall standings with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

The Rebels had an up and down regular season finishing fifth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and eighth overall on the circuit with a 33-26-3-6 mark.

Last year when the Blades and Rebels met in an Eastern Conference semifinal, the Rebels claimed the first three games of the set, and the Blades rallied back to take the next four games to take the series 4-3. The Blades became just the third team in this history of the WHL to face an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series to rally back to take the set 4-3.

The Blades and Rebels shake hands. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

This year, the Blades didn’t need any comeback dramatics to eliminate the Rebels from the post-season. Outside of chaotic win in Game 3, the Blades played strong hockey and were full marks in sweeping the Rebels out of the WHL Playoffs.

The Blades were also opportunistic. When the Rebels encountered some rotten luck due to injuries and ailments on the goaltending front, an injury to an overage defensive-defenceman in Carmichael and a suspension to key winger in Formanek, the Blades showed no mercy when it came to piling up the goals.

When the moment came to eliminate a foe with short-handed roster, the Blades cashed in. Now, they move on to play a post-season series where the winner gets a trophy and a banner.

Huge thanks to Lachance for photo help

A big thank you goes out to Red Deer Rebels team photographer Taylor Lachance for the photos that appear in this post.

He did a tremendous job with these photos. The WHL has a tonne of talented team photographers, and they do an outstanding job of capturing memorable moments on the major junior circuit.

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

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Blades outgun Rebels 8-5

Saskatoon takes commanding 3-0 series lead on Red Deer

Ben Saunderson (#2) battles on the boards. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

It hadn’t been this easy to score since the original Woodstock in 1969.

On Tuesday night at the Peavey Mart Centrium, the goals came in bunches as the Saskatoon Blades faced the host Red Deer Rebels in Game 3 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. The game was an entertaining one for the 4,411 spectators in attendance, but it was also likely a nightmare for the coaching staffs of both teams.

When the dust settled, the Blades skated away with an 8-5 victory and a seventh straight win in the WHL Playoffs. With the win, the Blades take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Saskatoon will attempt to close out the series in Game 4 set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time at the Peavey Mart Centrium.

Game 3 began with a surprise as associate player call up Taylor Tabashniuk, who turned 17-years-old in March, started the contest in goal for Red Deer. Tabashniuk was playing his first career WHL game in either the regular season or post-season. He played this season with the Regina Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team before joining the Rebels.

Peyton Shore suited up as the Rebels backup goalie as an associated player call up. Shore, who is 15-years-old, played this season for the Rink Hockey Academy’s Under-17 team in his hometown of Winnipeg, Man.

The Rebels had to dress the associated player call ups as both of their regular netminders were out of the lineup. Second-year netminder Rhett Stoesser was out due to an undisclosed ailment. Stoesser has yet to dress for a game in the series against the Blades.

Breakout rookie puck stopper Chase Wutzke was out with an undisclosed injury. In the Blades 2-1 overtime victory in Game 2 on Sunday in Saskatoon, Wutzke was bowled over by Blades overage star left-winger Easton Armstrong on an offensive rush at the 5:59 mark of the third when the contest was tied 1-1.

Armstrong was given a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct. On Monday, he was suspended by the WHL with the length of the suspension to be determined.

Tanner Molendyk (#24) controls the puck. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

Wutzke finished Game 2 playing heroically making 47 saves in the extra time setback.

In Game 3, the Rebels were thwarted on the first scoring chance of the contest just 13 seconds into the game. Rebels gritty left-winger Carson Birnie backhanded centred a pass from the right wing of the Saskatoon zone to the front of the Blades net to Rebels star centre and captain Kai Uchacz.

The puck deflected off Uchacz’s skate towards the Saskatoon net, but Blades breakout star rookie netiminder Evan Gardner made a sharp stop to keep the game scoreless. No one could have suspected the goal gusher that was to come at that time.

Shortly after that stop, the flood of goals started. Just 2:36 into the opening frame, Blades 20-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright fired home a shot from the left faceoff dot to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

The Rebels responded 14 seconds later when overage winger Carson Latimer, who was a one-time member of the Prince Albert Raiders, slid home a low shot to the right side of the Saskatoon net to even the score at 1-1. The officials video reviewed the tally and confirmed the goal did indeed count.

At the 7:31 mark of the first, Blades centre Rowan Calvert fired home a shot from the left faceoff circle to put the visitors back in front 2-1. 

Just 20 seconds later, Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov blew down the right wing and got in alone on the Red Deer net. He snapped home a shot to the low left side of the Red Deer goal to give the Blades a 3-1 advantage.

With 8:24 remaining in the first, Birnie scored a short-handed goal off a midrange shot from the right wing boards to cut the Blades lead to 3-2.

The offensive surge continued in the second. Just 2:16 into the frame, Rebels second-year defenceman Quentin Bourne, who was playing right wing, fired home his first career WHL goal in either the WHL regular season or post-season to even the score at 3-3.

Kai Uchacz (#19) gets tied up. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

The Blades jumped back out in front 4-3 just 41 seconds later on the smart play by captain Trevor Wong. Rebels offensive-defenceman Mats Lindgren was slow to get possession of a loose puck in his own zone, and Wong stole the puck right out from under the rearguard. Wong quickly snapped a shot past Tabashniuk to give the visitors a one-goal edge once again.

With the teams playing four-versus-four hockey due to off-setting penalties, Sidorov scored his second of the contest to push the Blades lead out to 5-3.

As is a traditional Rebels trait, they didn’t quit. With 4:58 remaining in the second, Rebels star winger Kalan Lind scored on a wraparound to cut the Blades lead to 5-4.

After Lind’s goal, the Blades elected to pull Gardner. He stopped 16-of-20 shots sent his way. Austin Elliott turned away 16-of-17 shots playing the rest of the way in relief and would end up picking up the win in goal for the visitors.

Following the goaltender change, Sidorov proceeded to complete his hat trick tallying with 1:25 remaining in the second to give the Blades a 6-4 advantage heading into the second intermission.

The Blades pushed their edge out to 7-4 at the 6:27 mark of the third. Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky received a smart pass in the left slot from Wong and fired home his third of the post-season to give the visitors their three-goal edge.

At that point, the Rebels appeared to be sinking in quicksand. With 10:42 remaining in the third, Rebels import right-winger Frantisek Formanek pitch forked Blades defensive centre Lukas Hansen in the gut.

Formanek was given a major penalty for spearing and a game misconduct. His infraction will be automatically be reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The Rebels proceeded to show more resilience as gritty left-winger Talon Brigley elected to make the highlight reels. While working the kill for Formanek’s major, Brigley took the puck away from Sidorov in the Red Deer zone.

Talon Brigley had a sweet goal. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

Brigley jetting down the ice into the Saskatoon zone down the left wing, put a spinorama move on Blades offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk and roofed home a shot to the top right corner of the Saskatoon net for a short-handed goal to trim the visitor’s lead to 7-5. The Blades finished 1-for-4 on the power play in the contest, while giving up two short-handed goals.

A short time after Brigley’s goal, Uchacz had a dangerous chance to score, but he was stopped by Elliott, who was able to freeze the puck. Blades head coach Brennan Sonne called a timeout after that chance to settle his players down and get them to refocus for the rest of the frame.

With 3:13 remaining in the third, the Rebels pulled Tabashniuk for an extra attacker. Hansen scored his first of the post-season into an empty net with 1:20 remaining in the third to round out the 8-5 final in favour of the Blades.

Tabashniuk turned away 31-of-38 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels.

Wong collected three assists to go with his goal for a four-point night. Lisowsky had a pair of assists to go with his goal for a three-point night.

If the Blades are able to wrap up the series in Game 4 on Wednesday, they will ensure the Eastern Conference Championship Series will be an all-Saskatchewan battle for the first time since 1993. The winner of the series between the Blades and Rebels will face the winner of the other Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos.

On Tuesday, the Warriors downed the Broncos 5-3 in Swift Current in Game 3 of that series to take a 2-1 lead in that set.

Back in 1993, the Broncos swept the Regina Pats 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Championships Series. Swift Current advanced to the WHL Championship Series where they got past the Portland Winterhawks in seven games.

Coming into the series between the Blades and Rebels, the Blades were tabbed as the favourites. They topped the WHL’s overall standings with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. They took down their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders 4-1 in a first round series.

The Blades celebrate their win. (Photo: Taylor Lachance)

The Rebels had an up and down regular season finishing fifth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and eighth overall on the circuit with a 33-26-3-6 mark. They took out one of their biggest rivals in the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1 in a first round series.

Last year when the Blades and Rebels met in an Eastern Conference semifinal, the Rebels claimed the first three games of the set, and the Blades rallied back to take the next four games to take the series 4-3. The Blades became just the third team in this history of the WHL to face an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series to rally back to take the set 4-3.

The Rebels face a bigger challenge to rally back to win this year’s series than the Blades did a year ago. Red Deer will try to make a series comeback, but it appears the Blades have way too much in their favour to let this one slip away.

Huge thanks to Lachance for photo help

A big thank you goes out to Red Deer Rebels team photographer Taylor Lachance for the first five photos that appear in this post.

He did a tremendous job with these photos. The WHL has a tonne of talented team photographers, and they do an outstanding job of capturing memorable moments on the major junior circuit.

Armstrong’s suspension could linger for Blades, other notes

Easton Armstrong in action on Sunday for the Blades.

Everyone on the Saskatoon Blades might be holding their collective breath with regards to how long Easton Armstrong’s latest suspension could run.

On Monday, the WHL suspended Armstrong for a length still to be determined for receiving a charging major and a game misconduct in the Blades 2-1 overtime victory over the Red Deer Rebels in Game 2 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series. Armstrong, who is the Blades star overage left-winger, was suspended for bowling over Rebels breakout rookie netminder Chase Wutzke at the 5:59 mark of the third period, when the contest was tied 1-1.

Wutzke finished that contest making 47 saves in a heroic performance. He missed the Rebels 8-5 setback in Game 3 on Tuesday in Red Deer against the Blades with an undisclosed injury.

Armstrong’s suspension on Monday marks the third time in the last two seasons where he has been suspended by the WHL. In the Blades 3-2 regular season victory over the Broncos in Swift Current on February 10, Armstrong was given a major penalty for goaltender interference and a game misconduct resulting in a two game suspension.

In February of 2023, Armstrong served a two-game suspension for receiving a charging major and a game misconduct as a member of the Winnipeg Ice.

The WHL is likely evaluating Armstrong’s status as a repeat offender before offering an official ruling on his latest suspension.

Armstrong was acquired by the Blades in a trade very early in the 2023-24 campaign with the Wenatchee Wild. In 62 regular season games played between the Wild and Blades, Armstrong had career highs in goals (34), assists (22), points (56) and plus-minus rating (plus-24).

In six post-season games with the Blades, Armstrong has posted five goals, three assists and a plus-four rating.

• Offensive-defenceman and captain Denton Mateychuk had a pair of goals including the winner and an assist to power the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-3 victory over the Broncos in Swift Current in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday. The Warriors took a 2-1 lead in the set. Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current.
• Left-winger Matteo Danis score 82 seconds into overtime to deliver the Prince George Cougars to a 4-3 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna in Game 3 of a Western Conference semifinal series. With the win, the Cougars lead the series 3-0. Prince George will try to close out the set in Game 4 on Wednesday set for 7 p.m. local time at Prospera Place in Kelowna.
• The Portland Winterhawks are leading their Western Conference semifinal 3-0 over the Everett Silvertips. They will try to close out the set in Game 4 on Friday at 7 p.m. local time at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. The Winterhawks took Game 3 of the series 4-3 in overtime in Game 3 on Monday. Offensive-defenceman Carter Sotheran had the overtime winner for the Winterhawks. The series between the Winterhawks and Silvertips has faced the challenge of having to schedule around events at Everett’s rink.

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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Thunderbirds one win away from WHL title

Seattle downs Ice 4-2 for frantic Game 4 victory

The Thunderbirds are one win away from claiming the WHL title.

Dylan Guenther picked an opportune time to break the Ice.

On Wednesday night at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., the host Seattle Thunderbirds were locked in a 2-2 tie with the Winnipeg Ice in Game 4 of the WHL Championship Series going into the third period. During most of the first seven minutes of the third, the Ice had the Thunderbirds pinned in their own zone and at one point held a 6-1 edge in shots on goal for the frame.

It seemed like the Ice were in the groove to get the go-ahead goal to take the contest and even the best-of-seven series at 2-2.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Guenther helped the Thunderbirds flip the script. At the 7:47 mark of the third, Thunderbirds standout left-winger Reid Schaefer got the puck in the right corner in the Winnipeg zone.

Schaefer centred the puck to Guenther, who one-timed a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle past Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser to put the Thunderbirds up 3-2. That tally, which was Guenther’s WHL leading 16^th of the post-season, energized the host side, and the Thunderbirds carried play for most of the rest of the frame.

Thunderbirds standout left-winger Nico Myatovic scored into an empty net with 7.4 seconds remaining in the third to seal a 4-2 victory to the delight of a raucous gathering of 4,104 spectators.

With the win, the Thunderbirds take a 3-1 lead in the series. They will try to close out the set and win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions when they host Game 5 on Friday at the Accesso ShoWare Centre for a 7 p.m. local start time.

The Thunderbirds only WHL title came back in the 2016-17 campaign when Mathew Barzal and Ethan Bear were starring for the team. Seattle captured the WHL title that season with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 6 of the championship series in Regina against the host Pats courtesy of Alexander True’s winner.

Thomas Milic made 31 saves for the Thunderbirds on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s Game 4 clash between the Thunderbirds and the Ice was an outstanding contest that showcased the WHL at its best. The game could have turned into a 1980s firewagon style shootout, but the star netminders on both sides were on fire.

Thomas Milic made 31 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds, who have won the last three straight games in the series. Hauser turned away 33-of-36 shots to take the setback in net for the Ice.

Winnipeg came out flying at the start of Wednesday’s game. Early in the first period, Ice right-winger Owen Pederson jetted into the Seattle zone on a breakaway, but he missed the net with his shot. A short time later, Ice star centre Matthew Savoie and import left-winger Vladislav Shilo were stopped on back-to-back close in chances by Milic.

The visitors finally broke through on the scoreboard with 3:35 remaining in the first period thanks to some great hustle by Ice standout right-winger Carson Latimer. Ice defenceman Graham Sward made a high clear into the Seattle zone and the puck sat loose halfway between the blue-line and goal-line.

Latimer beat Thunderbirds offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel in a race for the puck and popped a close in shot to the top right corner of the Seattle net to give the Ice a 1-0 lead.

The Thunderbirds evened the score at 1-1, when star offensive-defenceman Kevin Korchinski wired home a midrange shot through a screen with 16.3 seconds remaining in the opening frame.

At the 4:31 mark of the second, the Thunderbirds struck on the power play thanks to a friendly bounce off the boards. Hanzel fired a shot from the point that bounced off the boards behind the Winnipeg goal right to Thunderbirds standout rookie centre Gracyn Sawchyn at the doorstep on the left side of the Winnipeg net.

Carson Latimer scored for the Ice on Wednesday.

Sawchyn quickly popped the puck home to give the host side a 2-1 edge.

Just over four minutes later, Ice star offensive-defenceman Ben Zloty, who turned 21-years-old in February, directed a shot on goal from the point and the rebound came out to hard working Ice left-winger Evan Friesen, who was left alone in front of the Seattle net. Friesen slipped home the equalizer that evened the score at 2-2.

With 9:06 remaining in the second, Latimer thought he scored his second of the contest to put the Ice in front 3-2 knocking a mid-level high puck home past Milic. The officials went to a video review and concluded Latimer knocked the puck home with his right glove and disallowed the goal to cause the contest to remain even at 2-2.

That set the stage for the dramatics in the third period.

The WHL final between the Ice and Thunderbirds is expected to be a heavyweight tilt.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

Daniel Hauser made 33 saves for the Ice on Wednesday.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams and seven players who participated in the last world juniors. Winnipeg’s roster contained eight players who have been drafted by NHL teams and one player who participated in the last world juniors.

Each side has played the first four games of the WHL final with one notable absence each due to injury.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson, who turned 19-years-old in January. During the Thunderbirds six-game Western Conference Championship Series win over the Kamloops Blazers, it is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of that set claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3.

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Due to the fact the Thunderbirds have never clinched a WHL Championship Series at home, it is expected the Accesso ShoWare Centre will be more raucous than normal with fans hoping to see a trophy presentation and enjoy the championship celebrations well into the night.

The Ice for their part should not be written off. If they can win Game 5, the final two games of the series will be played at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. If needed, Game 6 is scheduled for a 7 p.m. local time start at the Canada Life Centre.

Gracyn Sawchyn scored for the Thunderbirds on Wednesday.

At the moment, the Ice are looking to just get one win to make the series shift back to Winnipeg. The Thunderbirds will be looking to get the party started on Friday night raising the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions for a second time.

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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Fly Thunderbirds fly

Seattle storms past Ice 6-3 in Game 3 of WHL final

The Thunderbirds celebrated scoring six goals on Tuesday.

It was a great night to cheer for the Seattle Thunderbirds.

On Tuesday night, the Thunderbirds created numerous reasons for the 5,505 spectators in attendance at their home rink in the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., to cheer. Just 25 seconds into Game 3 of the WHL Championship Series, star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic scored to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead.

After the Ice evened the score 1-1 a short time later, the Thunderbirds surged ahead 4-1 scoring three times in a span of 45 seconds starting at the 13:24 mark of the opening frame. The Thunderbirds rode the momentum of that surge to a 6-3 victory.

With their second straight win in the series, the Thunderbirds take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven set against the Ice. Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time at the Access ShoWare Center.

The definite final score in favour of the Thunderbirds came as a bit of a surprise as the first two games of the series played at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg were tight battles. The Ice took Game 1 this past Friday 3-2, while the Thunderbirds claimed Game 2 this past Saturday 4-2.

On Tuesday, the Thunderbirds came out looking to play a track meet rush up and down the ice type of contest that usually favours the Ice. Shortly after the opening faceoff, Thunderbirds offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel passed the puck from deep in his own zone to Crnkovic at centre ice to start a rush into the Winnipeg zone.

Crnkovic passed the puck over to linemate and Seattle captain Lucas Ciona, and the two forwards found themselves on a two-one-one break into the offensive zone. Ciona made a backhand pass to Crnkovic, who was rushing down the left side of the Winnipeg net, and Crnkovic fired home the puck to the top left corner of the Winnipeg goal to give the hosts a 1-0 edge 25 seconds into the contest.

The Thunderbirds faithful at the Accesso ShoWare Center were raucous after Crnkovic’s goal. Just 62 seconds later, the Ice took all of the air out of the building.

Jeremy Hanzel had a two goals and an assist on Tuesday.

Thunderbirds defenceman Bryce Pickford was controlling the puck just inside his own blue-line, but he had it stolen off him by Ice star centre Conor Geekie. Geekie broke in on the left side of the Seattle goal along with linemate Carson Latimer on a two against the goalie break.

Geekie put a pass across the front of the Seattle net to Latimer at the right side of the goal. Latimer tapped the puck into an open cage to even the score at 1-1.

Following Latimer’s goal, the Ice applied all sorts of pressure in the Seattle zone looking to go ahead on the scoreboard. That pressure included a breakaway chance by Ice star centre Matthew Savoie, but he was turned away by Thunderbirds star netminder Thomas Milic.

At the 13:24 mark of the opening frame, momentum proceeded to swing in the Thunderbirds favour in a big way. With Seattle working on the power play, Hanzel skated the puck to the top of the left faceoff circle and blew a shot home to the top left corner of the Winnipeg net through a screen to give the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead.

Just 23 seconds later, the Thunderbirds pushed their lead out to 3-1. Thunderbirds left-winger Reid Schaefer had the puck at the left side boards in his one zone and he hit linemate in star centre Brad Lambert skating down the right wing with a long stretch pass just before the Winnipeg blue-line.

Lambert blew past Ice star defenceman Ben Zloty, cut across the front of the Winnipeg net and put home a backhand shot to give the host side a two-goal edge.

The Thunderbirds capped the surge scoring on a beauty transition rush 22 seconds later that was finished by a goal from star 20-year-old centre Jared Davidson. 

Davidson received a backhand pass at the left side of the Winnipeg net from linemate Nico Myatovic and snapped a shot past the glove hand of Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser to give the host side a 4-1 edge. The tally was the 11^th goal of the post-season for Davidson.

Zach Benson had a goal and an assist for the Ice on Tuesday.

The noise at the Accesso ShoWare Center was deafening after Davidson’s tally. The Ice called a timeout after Davidson’s goal in order to regroup. When the first period came to an end, Winnipeg held a 14-10 edge in shots on goal but trailed 4-1 on the scoreboard.

The Thunderbirds were intent on not allowing the Ice to get back into the contest over the final 40 minutes. At the 8:09 mark of the second, Seattle scored for the second time on the power play to go up 5-1.

Thunderbirds star right-winger Dylan Guenther collected the rebound of a Lambert shot at the left side of the Winnipeg net and popped home his 15^th tally of the post-season to give Seattle a four-goal advantage.

At the 13:42 mark of the second, Ice star right-winger Zach Benson scored with the two sides playing four-versus-four due to off-setting penalties to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 5-2. Benson tapped home a puck at the left side of the Seattle goal converting a beauty set up pass from Savoie.

With 1:35 remaining in the second, Hanzel blasted home a midrange shot to push the Thunderbirds advantage out to 6-2 completing a personal three-point night with two goals and one assist.

The Ice pulled Hauser for the start of the third period. He turned away 16-of-22 shots to take the setback in net for the Ice. Mason Beaupit walled off all 11 shots he faced playing the entire third frame.

Winnipeg rounded out the game’s scoring with a power-play goal coming with 7:48 remaining in the third. Ice centre Zack Ostapchuk tapped home a sweet backdoor setup from Benson at the left side of the Seattle net to close out the 6-3 final outcome.

Milic stopped 35 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds.

Colton Dach had a pair of assists for the Thunderbirds on Tuesday.

Crnkovic, Lambert and Guenther each had an assist to go with their respective goals. Thunderbirds power forward Colton Dach had a pair of assists on Tuesday. Benson had a two-point night for the Ice with one goal and one assist.

The WHL final between the Ice and Thunderbirds is expected to be a heavyweight tilt.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams and seven players who participated in the last world juniors. Winnipeg’s roster contained eight players who have been drafted by NHL teams and one player who participated in the last world juniors.

Each side has played the first three games of the WHL final with one notable absence each due to injury.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson, who turned 19-years-old in January. During the Thunderbirds six-game Western Conference Championship Series win over the Kamloops Blazers, it is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of that set claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3.

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Dylan Guenther had a goal and an assist for Seattle on Tuesday.

Tuesday night ended up being a great one for the Thunderbirds and their fans. You can expect the Ice won’t dwell on that contest and make a big push back in Game 4. This WHL final should have a few more twists and turns before the Ed Chynoweth Cup is ultimately presented to the series winner.

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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Ice hold off Thunderbirds 3-2 in Game 1 of WHL final

Latimer ultimately gets winner for Winnipeg

Carson Latimer, right, celebrates his winning goal for the Ice.

WINNIPEG, Man. - Carson Latimer is hot when it comes to pitching in on winning goals for the Winnipeg Ice.

In the opening game of the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series played on Friday at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Latimer scored at the 7:02 mark of the second period to give the Ice 3-0 lead to the delight of the 5,531 spectators in attendance. After a power play had just expired, Ice star left-winger Owen Pederson had the puck behind the Seattle net and centred a pass to Latimer, who was just off to the right of the Thunderbirds net.

Latimer wired home his second tally of the post-season to give the Ice their 3-0 advantage. That tally proved to be a critical goal as the Thunderbirds mounted a furious rally in the third period, but the Ice ultimately held on for a 3-2 victory.

The Ice celebrate a second period goal from Carson Latimer (#22).

“It always feels good to contribute and help the team out,” said Latimer, whose Ice host Game 2 of the series on Saturday at 6 p.m. local time at the Canada Life Centre. “I’m happy that I was able to do that.

“At the same time, I think what a great play by Pete (Pederson) behind the net. It is everyone out there that makes it happen.”

Latimer was acquired by the Ice in a trade with the Prince Albert Raiders on December 31, 2022 in order to bolster the depth of the Winnipeg side. With the Ice, Latimer doesn’t play in a top-six forward role like he did with the Raiders, but he is contributing for Winnipeg at key times in an unsung hero role in the post-season.

Reid Schaefer scored 28 seconds into the third for Seattle.

When the Ice swept the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series, Latimer assisted on Briley Wood’s series winning goal in the Ice’s 3-2 victory in Game 4 of that set on May 3 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

“We have a deep group,” said Latimer, who had 14 goals and 26 assists in 53 combined regular season games with the Raiders and Ice in 2022-23. “There are a lot of talented hockey players (on the Ice).

“When I’m out there, I’m just trying to do the best I can and just support everyone when I am not. Being able to contribute feels good. It is something I want to continue to do.”

Connor McClennon had the first Ice goal on Friday.

While the Ice looked like they were going to cruise to victory after Latimer scored, things looked like they were going to come unraveled for the host side in the third period. Just 28 seconds into the third, Thunderbirds star right-winger Dylan Guenther fired a shot from the right side boards in the Winnipeg zone that was deflected home by standout left-winger Reid Schaefer to cut the Ice lead to 3-1.

“Obviously, it was not the start we wanted in the first and second,” said Schaefer. “We really keyed on to a big start in the third.

“Getting that goal, I think it was a real team booster. It gave us a little bit of life. We just continued to play hard, and we knew it wasn’t over.”

Kevin Korchinski scored for the Thunderbirds on Friday.

The Thunderbirds pulled star netminder Thomas Milic for an extra attacker with about 2:40 remaining in the third. With 1:42 left in the third, Thunderbirds star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic had the puck down low by the right post of the Winnipeg goal. He passed the puck across the face of the net that was tapped home by Thunderbirds star offensive-defenceman Kevin Korchinski to cut the Ice advantage to 3-2.

Just seconds after Korchinski’s goal after pulling Milic once again, Thunderbirds star 20-year-old centre Jared Davidson wired a shot off the crossbar of the Winnipeg goal. A short time after that chance, Thunderbirds star right-winger Dylan Guenther drove hard to the Winnipeg goal pushing Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser and the puck into the Winnipeg cage with 51.2 seconds remaining in the third. The officials immediately waved off the tally.

Evan Friesen scored for the second Ice goal on Friday.

The Thunderbirds had about three other near misses during scrambles around the Winnipeg net in the final 51.2 seconds of the third but were unable to find the equalizer.

For the most part, Ice head coach James Patrick, whose club had eight days off after eliminating the Blades, was satisfied with Friday’s outing.

“I like the way we started,” said Patrick. “Coming off the eight days off, you always wonder about it.

“I liked a lot of things we did. There are still some areas we have to clean up. Probably the last three-and-a-half minutes there, that was a bit of a concern, but outside of that, there was a lot of good tonight.”

Owen Pederson had a pair of assists for the Ice on Friday.

The Ice broke through on the scoreboard working on the power play at the 9:13 mark of the first period when star 20-year-old right-winger Connor McClennon wired home a shot from the right faceoff dot to give the host side a 1-0 lead. The tally was McClennon’s 14^th goal of the post-season to go with the 46 markers he had in the regular season.

“Anytime you get the first goal it is huge,” said McClennon. “We kind of I guess fed off that.”

McClennon’s tally got the crowd engaged in the contest, and the Wainwright, Alta., product said his side could feel that energy on the ice. In the WHL final, the Ice were able to move their home games to the Canada Life Centre that is the home of the NHL’s Winnipeg  Jets and can seat over 16,000 after playing their home dates previous to the WHL title series at the Wayne Fleming Arena that seats over 1,700 on the University of Manitoba campus.

Kyle Crnkovic set up a late third period goal for Seattle.

“It was super exciting to get to play in this building,” said McClennon. “I think we kind of fed off the crowd early.

“It was huge to get that first goal and get the 3-0 lead. They kind of helped us all night long.”

With 4:38 remaining in the opening frame, the Ice pushed their edge out to 2-0. Pederson fired a shot on goal that was stopped by Milic but the rebound came out to the left side of the net to left-winger Evan Friesen. Friesen potted the puck into an empty cage to give the hosts their two-goal edge.

That set the stage for Latimer to score in the second and for Schaefer and Korchinski to reply in the third.

Daniel Hauser made 27 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Ice.

Hauser stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Ice. Milic turned away 25 shots to take the setback in net for the Thunderbirds.

“It wasn’t our best game,” said Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette. “We were slow out of the gates.

“We probably got better as the game went on. I thought they executed well and cashed in on their chances in the first part of the game. That was the difference.

“We got going as the game went on, and it wasn’t enough in the end.”

A part of the 5,531 fans that came out to support the Ice on Friday.

The WHL final between the Ice and Thunderbirds is expected to be a heavyweight tilt.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

The Seattle coaches direct their players during a timeout.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams and seven players who participated in the last world juniors. Winnipeg’s roster contained eight players who have been drafted by NHL teams and one player who participated in the last world juniors.

Each side started the WHL final with one notable absence each due to injury.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson. During the Thunderbirds six-game Western Conference Championship Series win over the Kamloops Blazers, it is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Jeremy Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of that set claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3.

Zach Benson jets up ice for the Ice.

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

While the Ice took the first round in their league championship battle with the Thunderbirds, Lucas Ciona, who is the captain of the Seattle side, said his squad is looking forward to being reset for Game 2 on Saturday.

“We’re still confident,” said Ciona. “It is disappointing not getting the first one right off the start.

“We had a solid third period, and we just build off of that and create life for us. The first goal Reido (Reid Schaefer) and you get Kevin’s (Korchinski’s) goal you just create more life. Coming in tomorrow, we know we can play like that and continue that.

The Ice celebrate their win on Friday.

“We are adjusting really well right now. It is just coming in tomorrow fired up and ready to go.”

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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No Fear - Blades and their fans should just go for it

The Blades take the ice for Game 7 versus the Pats on April 10.

At this point in the WHL Playoffs, you might as well go after it with no fear.

The Saskatoon Blades and their fans should do everything possible to make the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series something they will never forget. 

The Blades will host Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference final on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively for a 7 p.m. start both nights against the powerful Winnipeg Ice.

The Ice lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 taking the first two contests in Winnipeg this past Friday and Saturday. Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

The Blades finished fourth in the overall WHL regular season standings with a 48-15-4-1 record and were rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Saskatoon is appearing in the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 1994.

How long ago was 1994?

Jean Chretien was the Prime Minister of Canada, Bill Clinton was the President of the United States, Mark Messier captained the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup final win since 1940, the MLB season wasn’t completed due to a players’ strike with the Montreal Expos in first place and the British Columbia Lions won the Grey Cup over a Baltimore team that went by the name CFLers.

Fans cheer on the Blades at the SaskTel Centre.

The popular video game systems of the time saw Super Nintendo going against the Sega Genesis. In Canada, the most popular video game was likely NHL ’94.

In the music world, 1994 was best remembered for death of Nirvana founder, lead vocalist, guitarist and primary song writer Kurt Cobain died by suicide.

The Blades that year were lead in scoring by left-winger Andy MacIntyre, who had 89 points coming off 54 goals and 35 assists. Saskatoon’s roster included the likes of Derek Tibbatts, Paul Buczkowski, Trevor Hanas, Frank Banham, Mark Deyell, Clarke Wilm, Rhett Warrener and the now late Wade Belak.

The Blades were propelled by the heroics of veteran netminder Norm Maracle. During the 1993-94 regular season, Maracle recorded a 41-13-1 record, a 2.76 goals against average, a .918 save percentage and two shutouts. He was named the a WHL first team Eastern Conference all-star, the WHL’s top goaltender, a CHL first team all-star and the CHL’s goaltender of the year.

Fans at the SaskTel Centre, which was then known as Saskatchewan Place, used to give out a cheer of “Norm” like the one given to the Norm Peterson character in the sitcom Cheers.

Saskatoon claimed a 4-1 series victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 1994 Eastern Conference final before falling in the WHL Championship Series in a series deciding Game 7 to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Kamloops Blazers.

Spencer Shugrue has become “Mr. Game 7” for the Blades.

Basically, 29 years ago was a long time ago. For Blades fans, it did feel like an eternity since the team advanced the WHL’s final four in the post-season. While the Blades may have their backs to the wall against the Ice, you still don’t want to miss out on enjoying the moment, if you are fan of the Saskatoon side.

The current roster of the Blades has turned out to be a gutsy one. They trailed Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats 2-0 in a first round series and rallied to take that set in a series deciding Game 7 by a 4-1 score at the SaskTel Centre before a sellout crowd of 14,768.

The Blades found themselves in a tougher spot in their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Red Deer Rebels. The Blades trailed that series 3-0, and in Game 4 in Red Deer, they trailed 2-0 after the first period and 2-1 after the second frame. Saskatoon was 20 minutes away from having its season come to an end.

The Blades rallied to take Game 4 by a 4-2 score and ultimately came back to claim a series deciding Game 7 by a 5-2 score again at the SaskTel Centre this time before 9,489 spectators.

Along the way, Blades utility player Spencer Shugrue picked up the nickname “Mr. Game 7” for collecting three goals and an assist in those two Game 7 wins.

The Blades also joined the 1996 Spokane Chiefs and the 2013 Kelowna Rockets as the only clubs to lose the first three games in a best-of-seven series and rally to take the set.

The Blades current Blades have received big game performances from various players on their roster including the likes of Trevor Wong, Egor Sidorov, Brandon Lisowsky, Conner Roulette, Jordan Keller, Jayden Wiens, Justin Lies, Vaughn Watterodt and Lukas Hansen. Netminders Ethan Chadwick and Austin Elliott have come up with big wins at different times in the post-season.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere has played big minutes for the Blades.

In the series win over the Rebels, the Blades saw solid defensive-defencemen Blake Gustafson and Ben Saunderson go down with injuries, and both were not available for the first two games of the series for the Ice. Captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere, Tanner Molendyk, Charlie Wright and Shugrue played like warriors skating for most of the minutes on defence in the first to contests against the Ice to protect Under-18 AAA call up Morgan Tastad and Tomas Zizka from bad matchups against a powerful and deep Winnipeg side.

The foursome of De La Gorgendiere, Molendyk, Wright and Shugrue wore down in those games, but they gave everything they had and that is all you can ask.

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne and is staff is trying to find the way to guide their team through this latest adversity, but it might be too tall of an order to ask for.

Even with that in mind, the Blades players should rip it out and go hard with no fear. If they are overmatch due to fatigue and injuries, at least they know they gave what they could and did the best they could do.

The Blades fans have been loud and engaged through this post-season run. Even if the Blades are going to be overmatched, they should do their best to give their side a home ice edge.

They should great the team with a huge cheer when they take the ice at the start of the contest and feel free to try and bring the noise level up in the SaskTel Centre to the level of some of the loudest rinks in the NHL. The SaskTel Centre is designed similar to the former home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers in the Northlands Coliseum, and it holds in noise really well like the Oilers old home rink once did.

Justin Lies (#43) and Ben Saunderson (#2) thank the fans on April 10.

When the Blades make their runs to ultimately falling in Game 7 of the WHL final in 1992 and 1994 with Lorne Molleken as head coach and Daryl Lubinieki as general manager, the people of Saskatoon packed the building’s then 11,330 seat configuration making it one of the toughest places to play on the WHL circuit.

In the current moment, the people of Saskatoon have a chance to relive those days. 

Like the players, the fans should feel free to bring everything they have, so there are no regrets when it came to seeing the Blades this deep in the post-season.

Anthem singer Lehner enjoying Blades run

Katelyn Lehner sings the national anthem on April 10.

One person who is soaking every moment of the Saskatoon Blades playoff run is local country music artist and guest anthem singer Katelyn Lehner.

The Blades brought Lehner in to sing the national anthem starting with their March regular season sold out home dates against Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats. If you check out Lehner’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts where she promotes her music, you can see she is having fun with her association with the Blades. She even got to read out the starting lineup for the team before one of their post-season contests.

In her life outside of singing, Lehner was an elite level track and field athlete. At the post-secondary level, she first became a member of the University of Calgary Dinos Women’s Track and Field team in 2013 and joined the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Track and Field team for two seasons from 2017 to 2019. She has also coached the sport in the past.

While she has been located in Saskatoon for some time, she is originally from Prince Albert and graduated from St. Mary High School located in that centre in 2013. As a youngster growing up, Lehner did sing the national anthem for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders on occasion.

With that noted, it has been really cool to see her dive in with enthusiasm in her anthem singing role with the Blades.

Raiders fans may come to cheer ex-players with Ice

Vladislav Shilo in action for the Ice on March 14.

When the Saskatoon Blades host Games 3 and 4 of the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship series, they might see a few ticket buyers show up from Prince Albert to cheer on the visiting Winnipeg Ice.

The fan presence from Prince Albert will be due to the fact that the Ice have two former players from the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in import right-winger Vladislav Shilo and left-winger Carson Latimer. Both players were popular in Prince Albert during their stays with the Raiders.

Shilo was with the Raiders for the entire 2021-22 campaign appearing in 58 regular season contests recording nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. He played three regular season games for the Raiders this season before being traded to the Ice.

In 66 regular season appearances with both the Ice and Raiders, Shilo has 26 points coming off 12 goals and 14 assists. In 12 post-season games with the Ice, Shilo, who turned 20-years-old in March, has eight points coming off three goals and five assists.

Latimer started his WHL career with the Edmonton Oil Kings and was dealt to the Raiders on December 1, 2021. In 44 regular season contests he played for the Raiders in 2021-22, Latimer posted 32 points coming off 12 goals and 20 assists.

He appeared in 31 regular season games with the Raiders this season recording 28 points on 10 goals and 18 assists before being traded to the Ice on December 31, 2022. Latimer, who turned 20-years-old in January, appeared in 22 regular season games with the Ice posting four goals and eight assists before suffering an injury.

The 2021 NHL Entry Draft selection of the Ottawa Senators got back into the lineup for the Ice’s last seven post-season outings collecting one goal and one assist.

Besides the support for Shilo and Latimer, there will also be some people coming in from Prince Albert to support Ice head coach James Patrick. Way back when the Raiders were in the junior A ranks, Patrick played one season in “Hockey Town North” in 1980-81 as an offensive-defenceman before eventually going on to a lengthy playing career in the NHL.

During that 1980-81 campaign, Patrick appeared in 59 regular season games posting 82 points coming off 21 goals and 61 assists. He helped the Raiders win the Centennial Cup as junior A national champions, and after that campaign, he was selected in first round and ninth overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers.

Current Ice play-by-play voice Brian Munz was the Raiders play-by-play voice for four-and-a-half season from 1999 to 2004, and he will likely have friend from Prince Albert come down to visit with him when he is not on the air calling games.

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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