Tigers win fourth straight, last two without McKenna

Oasiz Wiesblatt scored his 30th goal of the season on Saturday.

Adversity seems to be firing up the Medicine Hat Tigers.

On Saturday night, the Tigers won their fourth straight game blanking the Wheat Kings 5-0 before 3,264 spectators in Westoba Place in Brandon. The last two victories in Medicine Hat’s current streak have been accomplished without having superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna in the lineup.

The 17-year-old, who is the best player not only on the Tigers but in the entire WHL, has been serving a three game suspension for receiving a slashing major and a game misconduct in the Tigers 5-3 win over the Oil Kings in Edmonton last Sunday. McKenna has one game remaining on his suspension that will be served when the Tigers host the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday (7 p.m. local time, Co-op Place).

With 4:39 remaining in the win over the Oil Kings, McKenna was hit high by Oil Kings 20-year-old defenceman Josh Mori near the Edmonton bench. The two spun towards the ice and McKenna swung his stick, with two hands, breaking his stick on Mori’s while the rearguard fell to the ice in a heap.

Mori left that game, but has played in all of Edmonton’s ensuing contests since the McKenna slash.

The incident has sparked lots of talk about the abuse McKenna has taken from opposing teams especially against the Oil Kings, who play a high tension and agitating style of hockey. Feisty overage centre Marshall Finnie often plays the role of top agitator on the Edmonton side.

The Tigers were also without standout defenceman Jonas Woo and Bryce Pickford, who are listed as week-to-week with upper body injuries. Tigers 19-year-old star left-winger Andrew Basha is out indefinitely with a lower body injury and last played in a 4-0 home ice win against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Ryder Ritchie had a goal in the Tigers win on Saturday.

Star centre Cayden Lindstrom, who turned 19-years-old in early February, is with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets as he rehabs a back injury. Lindstrom, who was selected in the first round and fourth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, is skating under the watchful eye of the NHL club. He hasn’t played a game in the 2024-25 campaign.

Still, the Tigers are overcoming all of these obstacles. With their win over the Wheat Kings, the Tigers continue to lead the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 41-17-3-1 mark, and they currently sit second in the overall WHL standings.

Medicine Hat opened the scoring at the 10:03 mark of the opening frame, when captain Oasiz Wiesblatt potted his 30^th goal of the campaign. That marked the first time in his WHL career the 20-year-old centre cracked the 30-goal plateau for one season.

The Tigers offence blew open the contest scoring three goals in the first 9:58 of the second to surge ahead 4-0. Mathew Ward, who is an overage centre, started the surge scoring on a spin-a-round shot from the point.

Star 18-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie picked up the second tally of the surge firing home a shot from inside the right faceoff circle to the top left corner of the Brandon net after a toe-drag move. The tally was Ritchie’s 25^th goal of the campaign.

Rookie right-winger Liam Ruck, who recently turned 17-years-old, completed the surge potting home a rebound from the front of the Brandon net that came from a shot by 18-year-old rookie winger Carter Cunningham. Ruck’s tally was his 19^th goal of the campaign.

Marcus Pacheco, who is a 19-year-old right-winger, rounded out the game’s scoring potting the Tigers final goal with 3:43 remaining in the third period.

Tigers star 20-year-old netminder Harrison Meneghin had an outstanding outing making 26 saves for his third shutout win of the season. Meneghin made a number of spectacular saves in the contest.

Harrison Meneghin made 26 saves in a shutout victory.

The Wheat Kings started 19-year-old star netminder Carson Bjarnason, who turned away 20-of-24 shots sent his way. Ethan Eskit played the third period in relief turning away 7-of-8 shots sent in his direction.

Brandon fell to 32-19-4-3 to sit one point behind the Prince Albert Raiders (33-20-5-1) for first in the WHL’s East Division. The Wheat Kings have one game in hand on the Raiders.

The Wheat Kings return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Red Deer to face the 23-28-5-2 Rebels (7 p.m. local time, Peavey Mart Centrium).

The Tigers are looking to continue their roll and keep building momentum over their final six regular season games heading into the WHL Playoffs.

Broncos rally to 4-3 OT win over Raiders

Hunter Mayo had a dream night for a defenceman.

The 20-year-old rearguard with the Swift Current Broncos scored the overtime winner, picked up an assist and was a plus-four in the plus-minus department in his team’s wild 4-3 comeback victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday night. The Broncos erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to the delight of most of the 2,510 spectators at the InnovationPlex.

After the two sides played through a scoreless first period, Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic had the only goal in the second frame giving the visitors a 1-0 edge.

At the 9:13 mark of the third while working on the power play, Raiders breakout star 19-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube potted his 27^th goal of the campaign to increase his squad’s advantage to 2-0.

Broncos 19-year-old right-winger Rylan Gould scored 45 seconds later to cut the Raiders edge to 2-1.

Prince Albert would score their second power-play goal of the contest coming off the stick of rookie right-winger Riley Boychuk, who turned 17-years-old in late January, to push their edge out to 3-1 with 6:55 remaining in the third.

With 3:49 left in the third, Broncos 19-year-old defenceman Grayson Burzynski scored to trim the Raiders lead to 3-2. Mayo picked up an assist on that tally.

Broncos 20-year-old centre Carlin Dezainde proceeded to pot his 31^st goal of the campaign with 57.8 seconds remaining in the third to even the score at 3-3. Swift Current netted that goal with netminder Reid Dyck pulled for an extra attacker.

In overtime, Mayo roofed the winner to the top right corner of the Prince Albert net with 1:24 remaining in the extra session to deliver the Broncos to a 4-3 victory.

Dyck stopped 33 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Broncos, who improved to 31-25-1-1. Swift Current’s magic number of standings points needed to clinch a berth in the WHL Playoffs shrank down to 10.

Max Hildebrand turned away 24 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Raiders.

The Raiders record moved to 33-20-5-1 to sit one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings (32-19-4-3) for first place in the WHL’s East Division. Prince Albert is two standings points away from clinching a berth in the WHL Playoffs.

The Raiders return to action on Tuesday when they host the 15-37-5-2 Regina Pats (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Broncos get back at it on Wednesday when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Warriors wipe out 12-game skid with 6-2 win over Blades

After failing to collect a victory in the month of February, the Moose Jaw Warriors are one-for-one in the win department for the month of March.

On Saturday before 2,981 pumped spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, the host Warriors dumped the visiting Saskatoon Blades 6-2. The win ends a 12-game skid for the Warriors, who dropped 11 games in regulation and one contest in overtime over that stretch.

Before Saturday’s victory, the Warriors last win came back on January 31, when they came up with a 4-3 victory on home ice after a tiebreaking shootout against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Warriors 20-year-old import left-winger Krzysztof Macias recorded a hat trick in the win over the Blades on Saturday, while 19-year-old defenceman Aiden Ziprick picked up three assists. Moose Jaw netminder Matthew Hutchison had an outstanding night stopping 36 shots in the win for a Warriors side that sits last in the WHL with a 12-41-5-2 mark.

Macias and Warriors captain Lynden Lakovic scored to give the host side a 2-0 edge in the opening frame. Blades 18-year-old right-winger Hunter Laing scored before the first period ended to cut the Warriors lead to 2-1.

Macias added his second of the contest at the 1:33 mark of the second to put Moose Jaw up 3-1. Blades rookie defenceman Jordan Martin, who turned 18-years-old in January, tallied a goal at the six-minute mark of the second to trim the Warriors lead to 3-2.

Macias scored on the power play to complete his hat trick before the second ended to push the Warriors lead out to 4-2.

Moose Jaw rounded out the game’s scoring in the third with a power-play goal from 19-year-old left-winger Pavel McKenzie and Lakovic potting a marker into an empty net for his second goal of the contest. Lakovic had an assist for a three-point night, and McKenzie had two helpers to go with his goal in a three-point night.

Ethan McCallum turned away 16-of-21 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

The Blades fell to 30-20-3-4 with the loss, and their magic number of standings points to clinch a berth in the WHL Playoffs is seven. Saskatoon is five points behind the Prince Albert Raiders (33-20-5-1) for first place in the East Division and four points back of the Brandon Wheat Kings (32-19-4-3) for second place.

The Blades have two games in hand on the Raiders and one game in hand on the Wheat Kings.

Saskatoon returns to action in Sunday hosting the 33-22-2-2 Edmonton Oil Kings (4 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Warriors are off until this coming Friday when they host the Regina Pats (7 p.m., Moose Jaw Events Centre).

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Saunderson delivers OT win, 2-0 series lead for Blades

Saskatoon outlasts 47-save performance by Rebels’ Wutzke

Ben Saunderson (#2) reacts to scoring the OT winner for the Blades.

Ben Saunderson lived out a dream hockey moment.

On Sunday at the SaskTel Centre, Saunderson’s Saskatoon Blades found themselves locked in a 1-1 tie in overtime against the Red Deer Rebels in Game 2 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. Late in the extra session, the 19-year-old offensive-defenceman put his instincts in the offensive zone to work.

Blades captain Trevor Wong drove with the puck down the right wing boards into the Red Deer zone. Saunderson elected to pinch down into the left faceoff circle to provide Wong a passing outlet.

The Blades mob Ben Saunderson after he scores his OT winner.

Wong passed the puck across the front of the Rebels goal to Saunderson. Saunderson wired home the winning goal while being hooked down by Rebels rookie import centre Samuel Drancak with 2:59 remaining in the extra session.

The rearguard’s tally gave the Blades a 2-1 overtime victory in front of 8,051 spectators. The crowd did their best to try and blow the roof off the SaskTel Centre after Saunderson’s goal went into the Red Deer net.

“I would say it is something you dream of,” said Saunderson, who was a plus-two in the plus-minus department on Sunday. “You’re playing mini sticks in the basement as a little kid, and you’re counting down the clock or you’re in overtime.

Fans at the SaskTel Centre celebrate the Blades OT win.

“You score a goal like that and hear everyone go crazy it is unbelievable.”

The win allowed the Blades to take 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set. The series now switches scenes to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4, which will be held at 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively at the Peavey Mart Centrium.

As Saunderson was being hooked to the ground when he scored his overtime winner, he wasn’t able to follow the path of the puck into the Red Deer net.

The Rebels react to their OT loss on Sunday.

“To be honest, I didn’t see it go in,” said Saunderson. “I just heard the crowd.

“I heard the crossbar. I didn’t see it go in, but I heard the crowd and knew it went in. A goal like that is definitely something I’ll remember for a while.”

Saunderson said he decided to make his pinch, when he saw Wong jet down the right wing of the Red Deer zone. The Rebels skaters also had their eyes locked on the Blades captain creating a backdoor opportunity.

“I saw Wonger (Wong) going down the far side there,” said Saunderson. “I know he is always looking for pass.

Ben Saunderson had a goal and an assist for the Blades on Sunday.

“He is an incredible playmaker, so I thought I would jump in. He found me, and I found the net.”

Saunderson’s winner came at the expensive of Rebels 17-year-old rookie breakout netminder Chase Wutzke. The Debden, Sask., product was spectacular making 47 saves to keep the Rebels in the game.

Rebels interim head coach Dave Struch said Wutzke was fantastic on Sunday.

“He gave us a chance,” said Struch. “It is something that he for us against Medicine Hat (in a first round series win) as well.

Chase Wutzke made 47 saves for the Rebels on Sunday.

“They have a real good team. They have some high end players that create those shots. Overall for Chase (Wutzke) to play the way he did with a good bounce back game for us, it gave us a chance.”

Sunday’s game got out to a tight checking start. At the 13-minute mark of the opening frame, the shots on goal between the two clubs were tied 2-2. After the opening frame ended, the Blades held a 7-2 edge in shots on goal.

Thanks to a power play opportunity that carried over from the opening frame and two more power-play chances inside the first eight minutes of the second for the Saskatoon side, the Blades began to really pepper Wutzke. At the 10:30 mark of the second, the Blades held an 18-3 advantage in the shots on goal department.

Evan Gardner made 24 saves for the Blades on Sunday.

The Blades finally broke through on the scoreboard with 8:50 remaining in second on a tally that was set up by a smart play from Saunderson. He put a long bank stretch pass off the boards that sprung Blades star centre Fraser Minten on a two-on-nothing break into the Rebels zone with right-winger Rhett Melnyk.

Minten kept the puck himself, got in close and slipped home a shot between the legs of Wutzke to give the Blades a 1-0 lead.

During the regular season, Saunderson appeared in 67 games for the Blades posting career highs in goals (five), assists (26), points (31) and plus-minus (plus-39). Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said Saunderson has grown a tonne in various ways that team’s coaching staff has a lot of trust in the blue-liner.

Fraser Minten gave the Blades a 1-0 lead in the second period.

“What can’t he (Saunderson) do,” said Sonne. “We as a staff have felt like this for a while.

“He is bright. He is brainy. He knows the structure like the back of his hand. He skates really well. He is big. He is strong. He can shoot a puck. He can make plays. He is a leader.

“He is a great teammate. There isn’t much he can’t do. Him building that this season and the belief in that as well, I think has been huge for him and for our team.”

With 3:32 remaining in the second, Rebels right-winger Dwayne Jean Jr. was given a double minor for high-sticking. That infraction will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension. The Blades were unable to score on the ensuing double minor.

Kalan Lind (#13) scored the equalizer for the Rebels.

At the conclusion of the first two periods, the Blades held a 28-10 advantage in the shots on goal department.

In the third, the Rebels increased the possibility that they might be able to steal a victory off Wutzke’s performance. At the 4:10 mark of the third, the Rebels evened the score at 1-1 on a power-play goal by star winger Kalan Lind. Positioned in front of the Saskatoon net, Lind tipped home a point shot from Rebels offensive-defenceman Hunter Mayo for the equalizer.

Sonne liked how his team responded when the Rebels pulled even on the scoreboard.

“I thought we showed maturity when it got tied up actually,” said Sonne. “I didn’t really particularly like our game very much in terms of passion and desperation in the first 40.

Hunter Mayo had an assist on the Rebels equalizer.

“I thought as it got tied up we started feeling a little bit of that ‘OK we’re in a game here.’ I thought we showed desperation, which is maturity, but at the same time, you have to play with that desperation at all times. That will be the main message for the team.

“Third period and overtime, I thought we actually finally got to that level of desperation, so we have to keep that going.”

Following Lind’s equalizer, the Rebels had a huge opportunity to go ahead on the scoreboard.

At the 5:59 mark of the third, Blades overage star left-winger Easton Armstrong bowled over Wutzke on an offensive rush. Armstrong was given a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct. Those infractions will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Trevor Wong set up the Blades OT winner.

The Rebels were unable to score on the ensuing power play. They peppered the Saskatoon net with chances, but Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner slammed the door shut to ensure the contest remained tied.

That set the stage for overtime.

In overtime, the Blades got the first six shots on goal, before the Rebels answered with a push back. 

In one sequence inside the final eight minutes of the extra session, a scramble occurred in front of the Saskatoon net. A shot from Lind got through Gardner and was trickling toward the goal-line. Blades 19-year-old defensive-defenceman John Babcock stopped the puck with his skate and kicked it under a fallen Gardner to get a stoppage.

John Babcock had a big defensive play for the Blades in OT.

“I unfortunately made a bad turnover to cause that, but I’m glad I could kind of save the game there and get a skate on it,” said Babcock. “I just saw it over Evan’s shoulder there.

“I just slid on it and hoped for the best.”

Shortly after that sequence, Saunderson came through with his winner.

Gardner stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades.

He has won his last 15 straight starts including action in the regular season and post-season.

Now the series shifts to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4. 

Brandon Lisowsky gathers the puck in the centre ice zone.

Last year when the Blades dropped the first three games before rallying for four straight wins in an Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Rebels, the Saskatoon side won two out of three games in Red Deer.

Saunderson said his squad is looking forward to the next two games in Red Deer, and his team will be focused on continuing what they have done in the first two contests of this year’s series.

“It is obviously pretty cool to play the same team two years in a row,” said Saunderson. “I think the series is long from over.

Tanner Molendyk, left, and Ben Saunderson huge after the Blades OT win.

“There are still a lot games to be played that could be played. I think our mentality going in there is do the same thing we did the last two games here. I think if we go in there and play our game we should be good.”

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Blades complete epic and historical series comeback

Saskatoon posts 5-2 Game 7 win, eliminates Rebels

The Blades celebrate their Game 7 win over the Rebels on Tuesday.

The Saskatoon Blades were indeed still standing.

On Tuesday night before 9,489 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades downed the Red Deer Rebels 5-2 in Game 7 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. The win allows the Blades to take the best-of-seven set 4-3 and advance to the Eastern Conference Championship Series for the first time since 1994, when they made the WHL Championship Series and fell in seven games to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Kamloops Blazers.

The Blades will face the Winnipeg Ice in this year’s Eastern Conference Championships series. The Ice topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and were rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Game 1 of that series is set for Friday at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg at 6 p.m. local time.

Egor Sidorov (#19) hugs Blades mascot Poke Check.

In the series against the Rebels, the Blades lost the first three games before rallying back to win four straight contests. The Blades became just the third team in the history of the WHL dating back to the circuit’s start in 1966-67 to rally back to win a best-of-seven series having trailed the set 3-0.

“I’m just incredibly proud of the guys,” said Blades head coach Brennan Sonne. “You have to have a tight-knit group and a tonne of belief.

“You have to put your arms around each other instead of pointing fingers when you go down 3-0, and that is what we did. They put their arms around each other as opposed to pointing fingers. They were full of belief, and my God am I proud of them.”

The Spokane Chiefs, who were guided by Mike Babcock as head coach, trailed the Portland Winterhawks 3-0 before rallying to take a first round series 4-3 in 1996. The Kelowna Rockets fell behind the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-0 in 2013 before rallying back to claim that first round series 4-3.

The Rebels react to their Game 7 loss.

Both of those series deciding Game 7s ended in overtime. In the 1996 Game 7 between the Chiefs and Winterhawks, forward Darren Sinclair scored 58 seconds in overtime to deliver the Chiefs to a 4-3 victory. In the 2013 Game 7 between the Rockets and Thunderbirds, forward Tyson Baillie scored at the 5:10 mark of overtime to give the Rockets a 3-2 victory.

Current Rebels head coach Steve Konowalchuk was the head coach of the Thunderbirds in 2013 when they lost their 3-0 series lead to the Rockets. Konowalchuk would guide the Thunderbirds to a WHL championship in 2016-17 before departing to the NHL to become an assistant coach for the Anaheim Ducks.

The Blades and Rebels work their way through the handshake line.

The Blades actually rallied back from being down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series to tie it up at 3-3 for the second time in team history.

Back in 1990, Saskatoon trailed the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-0 in a second round series in that year’s WHL Playoffs before rallying back to tie the set at 3-3. In a series deciding Game 7 in Lethbridge, the Blades fell 4-3 in overtime with defenceman Neil Hawryluk netting the winning goal for the Hurricanes. Of course, the current Blades were able to one up what the club did in 1990.

Part of the 9,489 fans in attendance cheer on the Blades. 

Going back to their first round seven game series win over Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats, the Blades have won five straight contests in this WHL post-season where they have faced elimination. Konowalchuk said the Game 7 loss to the Blades was a tough one for his Rebels to take.

“It is a hard one,” said Konowalchuk. “I thought our guys played a pretty hard game.

“I thought we played with a lot of time in their end. I thought we had some chances. They’re opportunistic, and they have some skill that doesn’t need a lot of chances.

Spencer Shugrue had a pair of goals for the Blades.

“I think that was the difference in the hockey game tonight.”

In Tuesday’s Game 7 clash, both teams had early scoring chances. Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere wired a shot off the post for the hosts, and Rebels import left-winger Frantisek Formanek hit iron for the visitors.

With 7:50 remaining in the first, the Rebels broke through on the scoreboard. Star left-winger Kalan Lind got the puck to 18-year-old defenceman Hunter Mayo at the right point. Mayo skated the puck into the right faceoff circle and blew home a shot to the top left corner of the Saskatoon goal to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Lind was playing his first contest since being carried off on a stretcher with a head injury early in the Blades 4-2 victory in Game 4 last Wednesday in Red Deer. Blades gritty right-winger Justin Lies was given a three-game WHL imposed suspension for throwing the head hit hat injured Lind. Tuesday’s Game 7 was the final game of that suspension for Lies.

Conner Roulette had two goals and an assist for the Blades.

Shortly after Mayo’s goal, the Blades pulled even at 1-1 with 5:15 remaining in the first. Blades star left-winger Conner Roulette got the puck to the left of Red Deer’s net, cut across the front of the Red Deer goal and put home a backhand shot for the equalizer.

At the 5:41 mark of the second, the Blades jumped ahead 2-1 when utility player Spencer Shugrue potted home the rebound of a shot taken by Roulette. Roulette’s midrange blast came off the boards being the Red Deer net to Shugrue at the right side of the goal, and he put in the go-ahead tally into an empty cage.

Just 1:54 later, the Rebels evened things up at 2-2 on a goal from left-winger Ryker Singer. Rebels star centre Kai Uchacz dumped the puck it to the left corner of the Saskatoon zone to give Singer a chance to get the equalizer. Singer beat the Blades defence to the puck and wire a shot close in to the left side of the Saskatoon net to the top corner right corner of the goal.

Kalan Lind had an assist returning to the Rebels’ lineup.

With 8:53 remaining in the second, Rebels captain Jayden Grubbe appeared to score on a power-play to put the visitors up 3-2, but the officials waved the goal off ruling Rebels 20-year-old right-winger Jace Isley made incidental contact with Blades netminder Austin Elliott. The ruling was upheld after a video review.

In the third, Shugrue continued to build his case for being the Blades’ “Mr. Game 7.”

At the 4:29 mark of the third, Shugrue won a puck battle against Rebels right-winger Ollie Josephson just inside the Red Deer blue-line. Shugrue pass the puck to centre Jayden Wiens. Wiens rushed down the left wing, and Shugrue skated to the Red Deer goal close to the right goalpost.

Hunter Mayo scored the Rebels first goal on Tuesday.

Wiens passed the puck across the face of the Red Deer net to Shugrue. Shugrue knocked home the puck with a backhanded tap for his second tally of the contest to put the Blades up 3-2.

In the post-season, Shugrue has scored three goals, and all those markers have come in Game 7s. The Vancouver product’s first goal came in the Blades 4-1 victory in Game 7 of a first round series against the Pats back on April 10, and he had an assist on the winning tally in that contest.

“It is obviously a great feeling,” said Shugrue about being reward with some goals for his hard work. “In Game 7, we knew we just had to stick to our systems there, and that is what we had drawn up.

“I’m happy it turned out that way.”

Ryker Singer had the Rebels second goal on Tuesday.

Just 40 seconds later, Roulette worked a give and go with Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov on a three-on-two rush. Roulette received a return pass from Sidorov at the lower part of the right faceoff circle in the Red Deer zone and blew home his second tally of the contest to push the Blades lead out to 4-2.

Roulette’s three-point night on Tuesday matched his production from the Blades first 13 post-season games. The Winnipeg product was pleased to contribute some offence again.

“I think just throughout the playoffs I just wanted to find my rhythm,” said Roulette. “I think I started off a little slow.

The Blades apply pressure around the Rebels net.

“Such a great team and such a great coaching staff were there to help me and push me to play my best. They are telling me every night, ‘This is your game. This is your game.’ Obviously for a night like tonight for me to finally find that rhythm and help the team out, it is a great feeling.

“I’m really honoured to be able to have a night like that. To have slow start to the playoffs as an individual, I’m looking forward to hopefully keeping this up to help the team more. I couldn’t have done it without the support from the teammates.”

Blades hard working right-winger Vaughn Watterodt rounded out the game’s scoring with an empty-net goal with 27.2 seconds remaining in the third.

The Blades celebrate a winning goal from Spencer Shugrue (#26).

Elliott stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Kyle Kelsey turned away 23-of-27 shots to take the setback in net for the Rebels.

The Blades closed the series killing off Red Deer’s last 11 consecutive power-play chances.

The Rebels were without right-winger Jhett Larson, who turned 19-years-old in early February, due to one game league imposed suspension for receiving a fight instigator penalty in the final five minutes of a 5-3 loss to the Blades in Game 6 this past Sunday in Red Deer.

The Blades didn’t have the services of 20-year-old defenceman Blake Gustafson and 17-year-old left-winger Mikhail Volotovskii due to upper body injuries.

The series between the Blades and Rebels was expected to be a tight one, and it ultimately was. 

Jayden Wiens had an assist on the Blades winning goal.

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. The Rebels finished fifth in the overall WHL standings and topped the Central Division with a 43-19-3-3 mark.

Still, the Blades prevailed in a way that they will always be remembered. Any time a team falls behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven series in the WHL Playoffs, the current Blades will be brought up with the 1996 Chiefs and the 2013 Rockets as the clubs that rallied back to win the series 4-3.

“It is pretty cool,” said De La Gorgendiere. “I don’t think it has honestly set in yet.

The Blades salute the crowd at the SaskTel Centre.

“It is obviously going to be really special. Like Sonne said to us in the room there, we’re going to remember this for the rest of our lives until we can’t remember anything anymore. It is just awesome.”

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Contacts’ Korchinski making waves in hockey

Kevin Korchinski in action for the Contacts last season.

    You can add Hockey Canada prospect to the list of accomplishments of young Saskatoon product Kevin Korchinski.

    The 16-year-old from the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 hockey team has come up thought the game as an offensive-defenceman. As a result of having the skill set to play that role, Korchinski will be a sought after addition at the highest levels of hockey.

    After collecting 10 goals and 37 assists in 31 regular season games with the Saskatoon Generals under-15 club in the 2018-19 campaign, Korchinski found a WHL home being selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the first round and 10^th overall in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

    He proceeded to play his 15-year-old season with the Contacts as a rookie in Saskatchewan’s under-18 AAA hockey league. Korchinski posted seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 41 regular season games.

    He helped the Contacts finish third overall in the Saskatchewan under-18 AAA league with a 30-12-2 record. The Contacts swept the Prince Albert Mintos in a best-of-five league quarter-final series 3-0.

    Saskatoon proceeded to be swept by the Moose Jaw Warriors 3-0 in a best-of-five league semifinal series. The rest of the under-18 AAA playoffs were cancelled nationally on March 13 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
    Korchinski appeared in one WHL regular season game with the Thunderbirds in Seattle on Nov. 16, 2019. 

Kevin Korchinski put up 26 points with the Contacts last season.

    He posted a minus-two rating in the plus-minus department as the Thunderbirds downed the Portland Winterhawks 5-4 after a tiebreaking shootout.

    On Wednesday, Korchinski, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 154 pounds, found out he was one of 113 players named to Hockey Canada’s virtual under-17 development camp, which runs July 19-25.

    The players who are selected for this camp are on Hockey Canada’s radar to be placed on one of the three teams the sport body sends to World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. At the moment, the upcoming World Under-17 Hockey Challenge is slated for Oct. 31 to Nov. 7 for Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I., depending how the world situation unfolds related to COVID-19.

    While Korchinski won’t get to compete in a live camp, the fact he picked up this camp selection is a result of all the hard work he has put in through this point in his career. He has gotten to this point with little fanfare outside of folks in personnel departments from WHL teams.

    With all that noted, Korchinski has the making to be one of those players you hear about in the game for some time to come.
    Overall, Korchinski was one of six Saskatchewan product invited to Hockey Canada’s virtual under-17 camp. Weyburn product Dylan Ernst, who is a Warriors under-18 goalie, will also take part in that virtual event.

Kevin Korchinski will participate in a virtual Hockey Canada camp.

    Defencemen Hunter Mayo and Kalem Parker, who both played for the Saskatoon Blazers under-18 AAA team, are both tabbed for the virtual camp. Mayo is from Martensville, and Parker is from Clavet.

    Parker’s older sister, Mackenna, was a former member of Canada’s under-18 women’s national team.

    Regina product Kyren Gronick, who played for his hometown Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team, and Delisle product Jhett Larson, who played for the Notre Dame Hounds under-18 AAA team, cracked the virtual camp invite list at forward.

    Niall Crocker, who is prospect forward for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, and Brandon Lisowsky, who is a prospect forward for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, earned virtual camp invites too.

    For Korchinski and the rest of those young players, the under-17 virtual camp invite by Hockey Canada is likely just the next step towards making their biggest strides in the game.

Meaningful games mark real return for a sport, other notes

Who knows when Cody Fajardo (#7) and the Roughriders will play again.

    When sport jumps into action for real, its return should considered real at that point in time.

    That means the sport has to be engaged in regular season or post-season action, where a championship is on the line.

    At the moment in North America, that would mean the NASCAR Cup Series, UFC and PGA can be officially returned to action during these COVID-19 pandemic times.

    The COVID-19 pandemic created massive shutdowns in the sports world in North America starting on March 11, when the NBA paused its season.

    Besides the NASCAR Cup Series, UFC and PGA actually getting into action, there have been a lot planning for other circuits to get back into action. The NHL, NBA and MLB have cemented return to play plans that are slated to be executed in late July or early August.

    Until any of these leagues actually have teams participate in a meaningful game, you can’t say those circuits are officially back in action.

    The same goes for any sports league in Canada. That goes for the CFL, CHL, U Sports, CJFL or any minor sports.

    As far as the CFL is concerned, you wonder if it will return. On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are the flagship franchise of the circuit, announced they have $7.6-million in reserves and a stabilization fund, but all of that money is projected to be depleted by late fall.

    The Roughriders are projecting a loss of $10-million for 2020-21 fiscal year if the 2020 CFL regular season and playoffs for that year are indeed wiped out. The club posted a loss of $210,064 for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which included the club contributing just over $670,000 to the CFL for the management of the Montreal Alouettes.
    In Saskatchewan, minor baseball and softball games are planned for July. Until they play meaningful regular season games, those sports can’t be considered returned.

The return of Nolan Maier and the Saskatoon Blades is uncertain.

    Golf in Saskatchewan could be declared as returned as a Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event was held Friday and Saturday at the Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current.

    Still, there are no certainties on how sports will progress in Canada and North America. Over the past two weeks, it seems there have been a constant barraged of reports coming out of the United States of athletes testing positive for COVID-19.

    On Friday, the United States confirmed a record daily high for new COVID-19 cases at about 45,300. On Saturday, the state of Florida recorded a record of 9,585 new COVID-19 cases, which is a record for the state in a 24-hour period.

    Florida’s old record of 8,942 new COVID-19 cases was actually set one day earlier on Friday.

    Even the most powerful professional league in North America in the NFL showed cracks in its defiance of COVID-19 this week. NFL officials had given the impression the circuit would play a regular season that is close to normal.

    On Thursday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame cancelled the Hall of Fame Game set for Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio, that was to feature the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony set for Aug. 8 has been postponed until August of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    That might foreshadow a sign of things to come for the NFL.

    The COVID-19 case spikes in the United States offers further confirmation how contagious the virus can be.

    In Canada where there has been a total of just over 103,000 COVID-19 cases so far this year, there seems to be a more general feeling that Canadian government and medical health officials are doing a better job of handling the pandemic than officials in the United States are.

    In Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe and Dr. Saqib Shahab, who is Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer, should be praised for their work. As of Saturday, there were just 103 active cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan.

Will Rylan Kleiter, left, and the Saskatoon Hilltops play in 2020?

    While some have worried Saskatchewan’s re-opening plan hasn’t gone fast enough, Saskatchewan was the first province to come out with a plan, and those in charge have stuck to their plan in following through on it.

    In comparison to the United States, Saskatchewan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been at an all-star level as events have unfolded. If there were doubts about this in early June, they have likely been erased now.

    Still looking at what is happening in the United States, you can expect that will cause more caution to be used regarding when various sports teams, leagues and minor sports bodies will return to play in Canada.

    At the moment, it appears caution is definitely the best course of action.

• On Tuesday, the Government of Saskatchewan announced contact sports were allowed in the province and spectators are allowed at sports games as long as they following physical distancing measures. Only outdoor sports facilities are permitted to be in action at the current time.
• On Wednesday, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced its 2020 class of inductees. They include players Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa, Kevin Lowe, Kim St-Pierre and Doug Wilson. Ken Holland, who is a long time NHL executive and current Edmonton Oilers general manager, is going in as a builder.
• Theoren Fleury wasn’t elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Here is hoping the retired star right-winger from the NHL’s Calgary Flames will crack into the Hall, because he has a lengthy list of accomplishments in the game and his journey of perseverance on the mental health front has been incredible.
• Gregg Drinnan has been tracking the fallout from the lawsuit filed by Daniel Carcillo and Garrett Taylor against the CHL alleging various forms of abuse during their major junior careers. They are hoping to have the lawsuit certified as class-action. Drinnan rounded up various developments on that front in his Taking Note blog that can be found right here.
• The 2020 Canadian Final Rodeo slated for Nov. 3 to 8 in Red Deer, Alta., has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On Friday, the Medicine Hat Cubs junior B hockey team announced it will not play in the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic and diminishing sponsorship revenues. The Cubs play out of the Heritage Junior Hockey League in Alberta.
• On Friday, the Saskatoon Blades hired Jeff Harvey as their new goaltending coach. The 37-year-old played goal in the WHL with the Kootenay Ice, Swift Current Broncos and Everett Silvertips from 2000 to 2004. Harvey suited up for five seasons in the U Sports ranks with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team from 2005 to 2010. Harvey replaces retired NHL goalie in 52-year-old Tim Cheveldae as the Blades goaltending coach.

    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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