Maier on fire for Blades heading into critical Game 5 with Raiders

Netminder Nolan Maier has allowed the Blades to pull even with the Raiders.

    Nolan Maier has been on fire, and he wants to do his best to stay on fire.

    The sophomore netminder from Yorkton, Sask., stopped 69-of-70 shots to allow his Saskatoon Blades to win their last two games – which were both on home ice - to even their best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Prince Albert Raiders 2-2.

    Maier will be looking to continue his hot play on Friday, when the Blades and Raiders meet for Game 5 of their series at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    On Wednesday, Maier had a sensational outing stopped 43 shots to allow the Blades to pull out a 4-1 victory in Game 4 at the SaskTel Centre.

    Maier had to be particularly sharp in the first period of that contest, when he was under siege by the Raiders. Due to Blades penalty troubles resulting in four Prince Albert power plays, Maier made 21 saves to allow his Blades to escape the opening 20 minute only being down 1-0.

Nolan Maier has stopped 69-of-70 shots fired his way the last two games.

    The Raiders held a 22-12 edge in shots on goal to that point in the contest.

    “I think that is playoff hockey,” said Maier. “They get pucks everywhere right away.
    “They’ve been doing that since the regular season, so that is nothing new. That is kind of how they have been playing forever. It has been good to get used to.”

    In Game 3 on Tuesday at the SaskTel Centre, Maier made 26 saves in a 1-0 shutout victory over the Raiders.

    While he has found his groove, Maier always ensures to pass along credit to the Blades blue-liners. He is thankful for the work the regulars do in Dawson Davidson, Brandon Schuldhaus, Nolan Kneen, Reece Harsch, Emil Malysjev and Aidan De La Gorgendiere along with Majid Kaddoura when he is substituted in.

Nolan Maier tracks the puck from his goal.

    “We have a lot of guys that have been playing a lot of minutes back there, and I can’t thank them enough,” said Maier, who stands 6-feet and weighs 172 pounds. “They’ve been awesome, and they’ve been blocking shots for me and kind of getting it out.

    “When they are tired and we have those lulls in our zone, I have to be there.”
    Maier’s play hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates. Blades overage right-winger Max Gerlach said Maier has been instrumental to the success the Blades have had.

    “I think Nolan (Maier) has been playing his best hockey right now which is what we are going to need to win a championship,” said Gerlach. “Obviously, you can’t say enough about him.

    “He is an unbelievable goalie. He hasn’t been getting the credit that he should. He is probably one of the best goalies in the nation.

    “He’s our backbone, and we are definitely lucky to have him.”

Nolan Maier turns aside a shot in the Blades win on Wednesday.

    In his 53 regular season appearances, Maier posted a 36-10-6 record, a 2.64 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and four shutouts.

    Thanks to Maier’s play, the Blades were able to finish fourth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 45-15-8 record and earned honourable mention status in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    In the post-season, Maier has posted a 6-2 record, a 2.15 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and one shutout.
    He has kept the Raiders at bay, and the Raiders haven’t exactly been playing bad. They have put forward an effort that allowed them to finish first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and be rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    They have received solid goaltending from their star netminder in Ian Scott as well.

Nolan Maier focuses on action down the ice.

    “That is the way it is,” said Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid. “It is playoff hockey.

    “Their goalie played good. He probably stole two. We’re getting shots, we’re getting the chances, we’re playing the right way (and) we’re not giving up much.

    “We just have to find a way to score more goals.”

    Habscheid said his coaching staff has to ensure the confidence of their players stays up. He thought his squad did a number of things right in Game 4.
    The veteran bench noted some breaks went against his team too like early in the second period when a loose puck sat in front of the goal-line of the Saskatoon net.
    The puck was cleared away by Blades import right-winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen.

    “We went to the net a lot more,” said Habscheid. “We were more resilient.

    “I thought we were more determined. I’ve been around the game enough sometimes the puck will go to the goal-line and sit there. Instead of going in it goes out.

Nolan Maier, left, is hugged by backup goalie Dorrin Luding.

    “You get those. You can’t explain it. Hockey god even things out, so we will wait for Friday.”

    Blades head coach Mitch Love said Maier stole Wednesday’s game and has been a primetime performer.

    “I would say he did a real good job of that,” said Love. “He gave us a chance to win.

    “That is what goalies jobs are to do this time of year. Hopefully, he can continue to do that.”

    Maier and the Blades now face the daunting task of trying to win a game in Prince Albert. Between the regular season and playoffs, the Blades have won four out of the six encounters at the SaskTel Centre, but they have failed to post a victory in six games at the Art Hauser Centre.
    Maier said his team has taken note they held a 2-0 lead in Game 2 of the series in Prince Albert on Sunday before the Raiders scored once in the final 20 seconds of the second period and twice in the opening 2:11 of the third frame.
    “No matter what, we have to win in their barn,” said Maier. “I think that is just our goal is focusing on Friday and see what the outcome is.

Nolan Maier sends a stick to the fans after being named a game star.

    “I think we learned from Game 2. We can play in that rink. We know we can.

    “I think it is just kind of holding that lead for the full game and not kind of letting them have momentum, so their crowd can get into it and kind of just let them roll. I think if we just hold them back and kind of play good situational hockey like our coaches have been stressing all year then we will be fine.”

    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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WHL playoffs thing fitting Blades just fine

Blades captain Chase Wouters (#44) in embraced by Dorrin Luding.

    You have to love it when the WHL playoffs experience is all new again.
    Skating in the post-season for the first time since 2013, the Saskatoon Blades are finding a new love affair with the WHL post-season. Due to the fact it has been so long since they have been in the playoffs, the current Blades are writing their own post-season story on a clean slate.

    Everything for “the Bridge City” bunch is an open road again.

    Due to finishing fourth overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 45-15-8 record, the Blades have created some buzz in Saskatoon.

    With having made numerous community appearances throughout the campaign, captain Chase Wouters and his teammates including the likes of Kirby Dach, Riley McKay, Kyle Crnkovic, Max Gerlach, “Uncle” Gary Haden, Nolan Maier, Dawson Davidson, Brandon Schuldhaus, et al have laid the groundwork to create an image that they are a likable bunch, and they can be “the boys” in “Toon Town.”

Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen had the OT series winner for the Blades.

    One of the signs that interest is going up in the team comes from the fact the Blades are making some healthy sales at their Frozen Pond gift store with novelty T-shirts featuring Haden, McKay, Crnkovic, Gerlach, Dach and Maier.

    In the first round, they swept a best-of-seven series with the Moose Jaw Warriors, who finished seventh overall in the league at 40-20-6-2. The sweep was completed on Wednesday when the Blades posted a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 4 at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    Norwegian import winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen had the honours of scoring the series winner at the 4:36 mark of the extra session.

    Along the way, the fans are returning to the SaskTel Centre for Blades home games. At the WHL Christmas break, the Blades were averaging 3,658 spectators per game after 15 home dates.

    If that average attendance number held up, the Blades would have posted their lowest average attendance since the 2003-04 campaign, when they averaged 3,361 spectators per game in a season where they posted a franchise worst record of seven wins, 52 losses, 11 ties and two overtime setbacks.

Max Gerlach has sniped big goals for the Blades.

    As the Blades remarkable regular season continued with the team winning 15 out of their final 17 regular season games, they bumped their average attendance mark for the regular season up to 3,911 spectators. The figure was an improvement over the average attendance figure of 3,851 per game for the team last season.

    In their first two home playoff dates, the Blades drew 5,193 spectators for their 3-2 Game 1 overtime victory over the Warriors last Friday and 6,022 supporters for their 3-1 victory in Game 2 last Saturday. The team will always open the doors for all new supporters that want to join them.

    For the Blades players, they have already experienced moments of euphoric highs. All those moments have done is created more motivation to create more of those moments.

Kirby Dach made a few highlight reels with his goal in Game 4.

    The Blades started experience the euphoric highs on a grand note in Game 1. They fell behind the Warriors 2-0 early in the second. If the Blades went down to defeat there, a loss could have been chalked up to nerves.

    Instead, it was time to cue the comeback.

    Gerlach sniped his first of the post-season to help the Blades exit the second period down 2-1. With 8:12 remaining in the third, McKay, who became a fan favourite for his style of play that gets under the skin of opponents, netted the equalizer to tie things up at 2-2 and force overtime.

    At the 3:23 mark of overtime, Wouters put home a backhander on a rush that gave the Blades a 3-2 victory and their first win in the WHL playoffs since 2011.

    The captain who turned 19-years-old in February and is a career member of the team capped the victory. It was a romantic storyline moment for the Blades.

The Blades keep getting more supporters as every game passes.

    The storyline moment was the result of work that was put in during the season, and the previous campaigns of building. Good teams that do all the right things will experience romantic playoff moments like the Wouters had.

    For recent examples, just look at the performance of now graduated Regina Pats stars Adam Brooks and Sam Steel from the 2016-17 WHL playoffs and now graduated Swift Current Broncos stars Glenn Gawdin and Tyler Steenbergen in helping their club capture the WHL title last season.

    In Game 2, Gerlach hammered home a pair of goals, while Dach netted his first of the playoffs in the Blades 3-1 victory that night.

Riley McKay, left, celebrates scoring a big goal for the Blades in Game 1.

    In Game 3 on Tuesday in Moose Jaw, Gerlach broke the hearts of the Warriors and their faithful firing home the winner with 4:21 remaining in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and give the Blades a 3-2 win.

    Before Roykas-Marthinsen came thought with his OT series winner in Game 4, Dach had a huge moment putting the Blades up 3-2 with 4:25 remaining in the third with a sensational short-handed goal.

    On his coast-to-coast effort, Dach passed the puck to himself around first Warriors star captain and defenceman Josh Brook and another Warriors star defenceman in Jett Woo to spring himself on a breakaway. Dach tucked home his third of the playoffs on a smart deke move past Moose Jaw netminder Adam Evanoff to give the Blades the lead.

Netminder Nolan Maier has kept rolling for the Blades in the post-season.

    Dach’s superhuman effort was another romantic post-season moment for the Blades.

    A short time later, Warriors overage centre Tristin Langan scored to force overtime.

    That set the stage for Roykas-Marthinsen to come through with his series winner for Saskatoon in the extra session.

    Over the course of the sweep, Blades first year head coach Mitch Love has looked like an experienced veteran top bench boss with how he has guided his players knowing when to let them enjoy things and knowing when to pull them back to focus on the next moment or game.

    General manager Colin Priestner, who has led the charge in building the current Saskatoon roster through the WHL Bantam Draft and a number of smart trades, has to feel a mix of pride, excitement and relief with what his team has accomplished to this point.

Dawson Davidson has done it all on the back end for the Blades.

    Now the Blades move in to face their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. That series will begin with Game 1 on April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

    The Raiders are playing through a spectacular season finishing first overall in the WHL with a 54-10-2-2 record in the regular season, being ranked second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings and sweeping the Red Deer Rebels, who were 33-29-4-2 in the regular season, in the first round of the playoffs.

    The Blades, who were honourable mentions in the final CHL Top 10 rankings, will be the underdogs against the Raiders.

    Still, the Blades are building the belief that they can be the ones that advances to the Eastern Conference Championship series and possibly the WHL Championship series.

    While the Raiders will bring their huge contingent of fans to each game of this series, it appears the Blades won’t be going into those contest by themselves.

    A pure excitement is building in Saskatoon for their likable WHL team. The Blades have marketed Saskatoon as being #BladeCity.

Blades players like Riley McKay want to share big moments with their fans.

    In the early going, there were a lot of skeptics that scoffed at that notion.

    For a team that is making the impossible look possible, Saskatoon may legitimately become #BladeCity after all.

    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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Hughes at home with Blades

Standout winger scores twice in 6-1 win over Broncos

Ryan Hughes scored twice for the Blades on Saturday night.

    Ryan Hughes is delivering as the big acquisition the Saskatoon Blades were hoping for.

    Back on Jan. 10, the Blades traded centre Josh Paterson, who is in his 19-year-old season, a second round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and a fourth round pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft to the Portland Winterhawks to get Hughes.

    Since arriving in Saskatoon, Hughes hasn’t disappointed playing right wing on a line centred by the ultra-talented Kirby Dach and strengthened with the presences of feisty Riley McKay on left-wing.

    On Saturday, Hughes was at his best again scoring twice as the Blades downed the visiting Swift Current Broncos 6-1 before 4,555 spectators at the SaskTel Centre.

    “It has been good,” said Hughes. “I’ve settled in nicely now.

Riley McKay set up Hughes’ first goal for the Blades on Saturday.

    “The team is playing great hockey, so I can’t complain.”

    Settling nicely might be an understatement. Hughes has 12 goals, 14 assists and is a plus-11 in the plus-minus department in 22 games with the Blades.

    The 19-year-old Edmonton, Alta., product has totalled 29 goals and 37 assists and a plus-16 rating in 58 games played between the Winterhawks and Blades.

    Saskatoon has also been taking off as a team.

    Saturday’s win allowed the Blades to increase their winning streak to six games improving to 43-14-8.

Kirby Dach scored for the Blades on Saturday night.

    Saskatoon is guaranteed to finish in the top four of the overall WHL standings and is locked in to play a first round best-of-seven playoff series with home ice advantage against the Moose Jaw Warriors.

    The Blades have won 13 out of their last 14 games and are 27-5-3 since last Dec. 1.

    Blades head coach Mitch Love said Hughes has been a key contributor to the Blades good fortunes since arriving in Saskatoon.

    “He has been great,” said Love. “He’s done his job.

    “He has come here and provided skill and offence to our group. He is learning to round out his game and play a little bit more of a 200-foot game. He is an exciting athlete to watch.

Blades D Dawson Davidson (#4) battles Broncos RW Tyler Lees for the puck.

    “He is great in our locker room, and that is exactly what we knew we were getting when we acquired him in January.”

    Hughes’ two goals on Saturday proved to be killers in help end the competitive phase of the game in the win over the Broncos.

    With 44.2 seconds remaining in the second, Hughes converted a beauty setup pass from McKay on a two-on-one break to give the Blades a 3-0 lead.

    “That was a great play by Porksy (Riley McKay),” said Hughes. “I didn’t know if he could get it over there, and then he made it.

    “I just kind of hammered it home.”

    Just seven seconds into the third, Hughes zipped down the left wing and snapped home an accurate bad angled shot to the top right corner of the Broncos goal to give Saskatoon a 4-0 advantage. 

Defenceman Reece Harsch mans the point for the Blades.

    Hughes wasn’t certain if that was the fastest goal he had ever scored to start a period.

    “It probably ranks up there,” said Hughes. “I’m not sure.

    “It did happen so fast. We got on to the bench after there, and “Porks” (McKay) and I were kind of chuckling. We were like, ‘I don’t know how that really happened.’

    “I guess it has to rank up there for fastest. I will look to shoot when I have it. I was lucky that one went high glove.”

    Love said Hughes’ early third period goal help provide a good teaching and reinforcement point to his team.

    “It is amazing what happens when you are ready to go off a faceoff, and you shoot a puck,” said Love. “That was exactly what Ryan Hughes did there.

Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen scored for the Blades.

    “We talk about how important faceoffs are. Faceoffs are a time in a hockey game where you have the ability to turn your brain on from an offensive end and a defensive side of things. When those things happens, it means you’re ready to play.

    “The first period we weren’t ready to play. Faceoffs don’t happen, and we took two penalties. The rest of the game our guys figured that out.”

    The Blades came out a bit sluggish at the start of Saturday’s game skating through a scoreless first period with the Broncos holding an 8-3 edge in shots on goal.

    After the opening frame, the Blades broke through on the scoreboard with a power-play goal at the 6:43 mark of the second. During a net scramble, Blades centre Tristen Robins shoveled home the puck to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

    Just 51 seconds later, the Blades increased their edge to 2-0, when import right-winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen tipped home a point shot from defenceman Reece Harsch.

Dorrin Luding made 16 saves in goal for the Blades.

    Following Hughes’ two goals, offensive defenceman Dawson Davidson snipped home a mid-range shot at the 6:59 mark of the third to put the Blades up 5-0 with both sides playing four-on-four due to offsetting penalties.

    Matthew Culling netted the Broncos lone reply at the 12:41 mark of the third.

    Dach potted the game’s final tally with 2:20 remaining in the third.

    Dorrin Luding made 16 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Riley Lamb stopped 41 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos.

    The majorly rebuilding Broncos became further cemented in the basement of the WHL falling to 10-48-4-2.

    The Blades return to action on Sunday, when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (37-19-6-2) at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

The Blades celebrate their victory over the Broncos on Saturday night.

    The Broncos return to Swift Current to host the league leading Prince Albert Raiders (52-9-2-2) at 4 p.m., at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

    Hughes expects Sunday’s encounter with the Warriors to be a preview of what to expect in the post-season.

    “It will be an intense game,” said Hughes. “It will be playoff like.

    “That game, I am sure they are going to come out, and they are going to want to beat us and have the upper hand going into playoffs, so we have to have the same mentality.”
    NOTES - Saturday’s contest was the Blades’ “WHL Suits Up” with Don Cherry to promote organ donation game. Saskatoon wore Don Cherry inspired suit jerseys, and the jerseys were silent auctioned during the game with the proceeds going to the Saskatoon branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

    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 post-season bound for first time since 2013

Saskatoon edges Ice 4-3 in shootout to clinch WHL playoff spot

The Blades celebrate locking up a WHL playoff berth.

    The drought is over.

    The Saskatoon Blades are finally back in the WHL playoffs.

    They made sure their post-season clinching game had lots of drama too.

    On Saturday night, the Blades downed the Kootenay Ice 4-3 after a tiebreaking shootout before 4,334 spectators at the SaskTel Centre to officially lock up a playoff berth for the first time since 2013. Saskatoon took the tiebreaking session 1-0 to win the regular season clash.

    The Blades clinched a playoff berth with their win combined with the fact the Prince Albert Raiders downed the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings 7-1 at the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday night.

    For Blades captain Chase Wouters, the clinching victory was a long time coming. 

Blades captain Chase Wouters is pumped to go to the WHL playoffs.

    The veteran centre, who turned 19-years-old earlier this month, was selected by the Blades in the first round and 18^th overall in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft.

    He is skating through his third full season with Saskatoon club and saw his squad just miss the post-season in each of the past two years thanks to some late season slumps.

    Following the Blades win on Saturday, Wouters had a bit of tingly feeling knowing a playoff berth has been secured.

    “It is kind of something I looked forward to ever since I got drafted to Saskatoon when I was 14,” said Wouters, whose team sits third overall in the WHL with a 38-14-8 mark. “I guess it is just a pretty surreal like feeling knowing that we are going to be able to play in them this year.

    “It is something we’ve been talking about all year. It has been a goal since the start. It is pretty important to our group here to be able to play in the playoffs.”

Kyle Crnkovic had the shootout winner for the Blades.

    Saskatoon built a 3-1 lead after two periods only to see the Ice rally to force overtime with two third period goals.

    After a scoreless overtime frame, Blades rookie left-winger Kyle Crnkovic, who turned 17-years-old earlier this month, was the only player to score in the shootout. He deked and slid a backhand shot between the legs of Ice netminder Jesse Makaj.

    Crnkovic was excited about the fact the Blades, who are rated 10th in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings, clinched a playoff berth.

    “It is an awesome group of guys,” said Crnkovic. “I think we’ve worked for it, and we’ve earned it.

    “It is going to be an awesome time. To bring the team to the playoffs and all the fans, they deserve it. It should be a fun time.”

    The Blades broke the Ice at the 6:57 mark of the opening frame when import right-winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen banged home a gritty goal from the front of the Ice net.

    Saskatoon extended its edge to 2-0 with 5:40 remaining in the opening frame on a sweet play off an offensive zone faceoff. On the play, Wouters won the draw back to defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus.

Gary Haden (#14) celebrates scoring a goal with Chase Wouters.

    Schuldhaus quickly fed “Uncle” Gary Haden with a backdoor pass, and he buried his 28^th goal of the season.

    The Ice didn’t go away. With 1:39 remaining in the first period, Kootenay right-winger Jaeger White wired a midrange shot to the top left corner of the Saskatoon goal to cut the Blades lead to 2-1.

    The Blades extended their lead to 3-1 at the 5:05 mark of the second, when veteran defenceman Reece Harsch wired home his fourth goal of the season.

    It seemed the Blades were going to cruise to victory holding a 3-1 edge after 40 minutes and a 31-17 advantage in shots on goal.

Dorrin Luding makes a glove save for the Blades.

    While Saskatoon was controlling play, Blades first year head coach Mitch Love didn’t think his players were at their best in those frames and being a bit off became more obvious in the third and overtime.

    “I didn’t think we played a great hockey game tonight,” said Love. “Guys are aware of that.

    “We have some things we have to tighten up. At the end of the day for the city and for the organization, it is a big day to get back in the playoffs and see what happens.”

    Before joining the Blades this season, Love spent the previous seven seasons on the staff of the Everett Silvertips. The Quesnel, B.C., product started with the Silvertips as an assistant coach and strength and conditioning coach. 

Jaeger White sniped home a goal for the Ice.

    He finished his time in Everett as an assistant coach and an assistant to the general manager.

    The Silvertips have never missed the playoffs since their inaugural campaign in 2003-04.

    During his post-game media scrum on Saturday, Love said he was focused on correcting what the Blades did wrong and looking to find ways to help the Saskatoon players continue to improve.

    When asked if he was just conditioned to always expecting to be in the post-season from his time in Everett, Love smiled and stepped out of the focused coach zone for a bit.

    “There are a few guys in the room who obviously haven’t played a playoff game in their career,” said Love. “It is awesome for them.

    “They are going to get that experience. We have a lot of guys that we have brought in here throughout the year that have had playoff experience.

    “This is my eighth consecutive season of playoff hockey, so I may look like I’m not that excited tonight, but I am. I’m a hockey coach, and I am always looking to be better the next day. I’m excited for our guys.”

Bradley Ginnell had a goal for the Ice.

    The Ice came with a huge push back in the third. Ice left-winger Bradley Ginnell scored with a spin around shot with 9:55 remaining in the third, and Kootenay rookie centre Jakin Smallwood potted the equalizer with 6:44 remaining in the third to force a 3-3 tie and overtime.

    The Blades almost didn’t make it to the shootout had it not been for the play of netminder Dorrin Luding. He made a glove save on a dangerous shot from White and later stopped the overager on a breakaway.

    In the final seconds of overtime, Luding had to stone Ice defenceman Marco Creta on a dangerous chance to allow the contest to progress to a shootout.

    That set the stage for Crnkovic to come through with his heroics in the shootout.

    Luding made 34 saves over 65 minutes and stopped all three shooters he faced in the shootout to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Makaj turned away 38 shots over 65 minutes and turned away two of three shooters in the shootout to take the extra time setback in the Ice net. Kootenay saw its record move to 11-38-7-3.

Kyle Crnkovic (#16) celebrates scoring his shootout winner.

    Luding, who split last season between the Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds, said it was big for the Blades to return to the post-season.

    “It is a great accomplishment for us,” said Luding, who was traded by the Thunderbirds to the Blades last June. “I think we’ve made such large strides, and we can only make larger ones.

    “I think the sky is the limit for us.”

    The Ice return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Moose Jaw to face the Warriors at 4 p.m. at Mosaic Place.

Blades mascot Poke Check enjoys a celebration moment with the fans.

    The Blades resume play on Tuesday, when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Going forward, Love said the Blades have to keep finding ways to get better and keep progressing.

    “We have to again just go back to work,” said Love. “It is nice we have an “x” across our name in the standings, but we have a tough opponent coming in here on Tuesday, and we have to be ready for that.”

    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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Raiders deliver energized home faithful big win over rival Blades

The Raiders celebrate an empty-net goal from Cole Fonstad, centre.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders delivered an ending their supporters will never get tired of.

    On Friday before a season high 3,130 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders rallied back from a 2-1 deficit to down their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades 4-2. With 9.1 seconds remaining in the third period, star left-winger Cole Fonstad took a pass from linemate Noah Gregor and fired home an empty-net goal to seal the win.

    After Fonstad’s tally, the packed crowd did their best to raise the roof off the building as the Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” echoed through the Art Hauser Centre’s rafters.

    “The building was alive,” said Raiders netminder Donovan Buskey, who team won their fifth straight game. “Both teams competed so hard.

Netminder Donovan Buskey makes one of his 34 stops for the Raiders.

    “It was a great atmosphere in there and two good rivals for sure. It feels good to come in and hopefully do a bit better for these guys. They work really hard for me every night, so I need work hard for them.”

    With star goalie Ian Scott playing for Canada’s world junior team in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., Buskey took on the temporary role as the Raiders starter before the Christmas break. He had some rough outings and was pulled after allowing four goals in the Raiders final game before the Christmas break on Dec. 15, which they eventually won 7-5 over the Swift Current Broncos at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The 18-year-old Calgary product had a strong performance on Friday making 34 saves to help the Raiders improve their WHL leading record to 33-2-0-1 and improving their undefeated record at home to 17-0.

Noah Gregor fires home his second period equalizer.

    Prince Albert is rated first in the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings.

    With the Blades holding a 2-1 lead, Buskey came up with a huge save with under 30 seconds to play in the second period. Blades star 17-year-old centre Kirby Dach gathered a loose puck and got in alone in front of the Raiders net looking to score a highlight reel goal, but Buskey came out of his crease and made the pad stop.

    Raiders defenceman Zack Hayes got a hold of the puck and sprung Gregor on a breakaway. The star overage centre roofed home his second goal of the game and 23^rd of the year with 20.3 seconds remaining in the second to square things up at 2-2.

    “It was pretty crazy,” said Gregor. “I had a break before, and then they went back and Bus (Buskey) makes a huge save.

    “I go back the other way and tie it up. That was huge save for Bus.”

    In the third, import centre Aliaksei Protas took a pass from offensive defenceman Max Martin on a rush and wired a mid-height shot past Blades netminder Dorrin Luding with 9:27 remaining in the frame.

Aliaksei Protas had the winning goal for the Raiders.

    That set the stage for Fonstad to cement the win with his empty-netter.

    While the Raiders finished off the win, the third period was fairly evenly played with the hosts holding a 10-8 edge in shots on goal in the stanza.

    Blades left-winger Gary Haden thought his team responded well after Gregor tied the contest late in the second period following Buskey’s big save.

    “There are turning points throughout every game,” said Haden. “If Kirby (Dach) scores that highlight goal, it is probably on plays of the year, and we are up 3-1 going into the third.

    “You have to give him (Buskey) credit, he made a big save. (Noah) Gregor has an NHL shot. It is just the way the game goes.
    “I thought we responded pretty well from it. We didn’t get too down on ourselves. We came out and played a hard third.”

    The Blades also played a hard opening frame too. They went ahead 1-0 at the 5:25 mark of the first period, when Haden knocked home a power-play goal at the right side of the Prince Albert net.

    The Raiders drew even at 1-1 just 20 seconds into a five minute major penalty assessed to Blades defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus. Gregor got the puck in the left slot and wired home his 22^nd goal of the season.

Raiders C Brayden Pachal (#8) and Blades D Dawson Davidson scrum it up.

    Schuldhaus was given a kneeing major and a game misconduct after colliding with Martin. Martin left for the remainder of the opening frame but returned after the first intermission and set up the Raiders winning goal in the third period.

    Schuldhaus’s hit will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Before the opening 20 minutes ended, the Blades went back in front 2-1, when Norwegian import left-winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen potted his ninth of the year from in front of the Raiders net.

    The big hits, scrums and some rough stuff continued in the second period. Raiders centre Kody McDonald received a double minor for high sticking Blades defenceman Seth Bafaro and drawing blood in the second frame.

Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen (#24) celebrates scoring for the Blades.

    McDonald’s infraction will also be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

    Haden, who came to the Blades in a trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers earlier this season, was impressed the intensity that exists in the rivalry between Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

    “Everybody kind of warned me when you go to P.A. it is a war, and I got the first taste of that,” said Haden. “If things work out, hopefully, we get them in the playoffs, and it would be quite the series to be a part of.”

    Luding turned away 32 of 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades, who fell to 21-11-5.

Spencer Moe looks to make a centering pass for the Raiders.

    With his two goals and one assist on Friday night, Gregor has points in his last five straight games recording nine goals and four assists over that stretch. Fonstad finished with a goal and an assist on Friday to allow him to also have points in five consecutive games. He has two goals and 10 assists over that stretch.

    With star right-winger Brett Leason playing for Canada at world juniors, Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was pleased with the offensive production those two veterans have had playing on a line with rookie 16-year-old right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt.

    “I think that line on its own has a little bit of synergy,” said Habscheid. “Fonstad has really come back after Christmas with an extra step.

    “That line has just played well. We’ve needed them. We’re out two pretty good players.

    “We just keep trying to find a way to win.”

The Raiders celebrate their win on Friday over the Blades.

    The Raiders return to action on Sunday, when they host the Regina Pats at 6 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. The Blades return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos at 4 p.m. at the Credit Union i-Plex.

    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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White’s third-period winner puts Blades on Ice

Jaeger White had the winning goal for the Ice on Thursday.

    Jaeger White believes he hit the jackpot when it comes to playing with potential linemates as an overage player in the WHL.

    The 20-year-old Medicine Hat product was traded from his hometown Tigers to the Kootenay Ice on Aug. 14. With the ice, White has found himself playing right wing on a forward line centred by 17-year-old star Peyton Krebs, who is targeted to be a possible high selection in next year’s NHL Entry Draft.

    The two combined for a highlight reel goal in a Thursday WHL regular season clash between the Ice and the host Saskatoon Blades at the SaskTel Centre. With the two sides locked in a 2-2 tie in the third period, Krebs and White broke into the Blades zone on a rush.

    Krebs slide a pass across the face of the Saskatoon net to White, who promptly buried his ninth goal of the season to give the Ice a 3-2 at the 9:32 mark of the frame.

The Ice celebrate White’s winning goal.

    With 64 seconds to play in the third, Krebs blasted home and insurance marker to give the Ice a 4-2 victory before 3,802 spectators.

    “Obviously, I am really fortunate to play with Peyton (Krebs),” said White, who has nine goals and six assists appearing in all 16 of the Ice’s regular season games in the current campaign. “He has unbelievable skills.

    “I try to just keep it simple out there and do the right things for him. We found some success so far this year.”

    Scoring the winning goal helped White out on his individual game. Entering play on Thursday, he was held pointless in each of the Ice’s three previous outings.

    “I’ve been in a little bit of a slump, so that was obviously a big goal and good for my confidence,” said White. “To get the two points and help the team out is nice.”

    The Blades drew first blood in Thursday’s clash, when feisty left-winger Riley McKay forced a turnover on the forecheck in the offensive zone. The puck found its way to Blades centre Tristen Robins behind the Ice net.

Jaeger White (#21) had a strong game on the forecheck.

    Robins centred a pass to the front of the net to Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen, and the Norwegian import right-winger quickly buried his sixth goal of the season to give the Blades a 1-0 lead at the 11:45 mark of the first period.

    The Ice tied things up at 1-1 just 46 seconds later. On rush down the right wing, Krebs sent a shot on the Saskatoon goal off a spin move, and right-winger Nick Bowman potted the equalizer on the rebound.

    While White is Krebs’ linemate, the veteran winger said he hasn’t needed to pass on any advice to sophomore centre.

    White first began playing in the WHL on a full-time basis as a 16-year-old with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2014-15 campaign. He has been a journey man in the major junior ranks being a member of six different teams and hitting the ice to play for five of those squads.

Cameron Hausinger had two assists for the Ice on Thursday night.

    “I am always there, if he (Krebs) needs someone,” said White. “He is a super intelligent kid.

    “He is mature beyond his years. I’m there when he needs me, but for the most part, he is a pretty smart kid. He has a good head on him.”

    With 14.1 seconds remaining in the second period, the Blades jumped back out in front 2-1, when left-winger Gary Haden knocked home a loose puck in the crease of the Ice goal.

    Just seconds after that goal, Blades netminder Nolan Maier stoned Ice centre Brett Davis on a chance from in front of the Saskatoon goal.

    Thursday’s game derailed for the hosts in the third period. At the 6:02 mark, Meier tried to pass the puck down the boards in his own zone.

Peyton Krebs had a goal and two assists for the Ice on Thursday night.

    The puck landed on the stick of Ice right-winger Cameron Hausinger. Hausinger passed the puck in front of the Saskatoon goal to linemate Brad Ginnell, who fired home his fourth goal of the season to force a 2-2 tie.

    Ginnell’s goal kicked the Ice into high gear resulting in the tallies from White and Krebs that followed. Hausinger picked up his second assist of the contest on Krebs’s goal.

    “I thought we had an unbelievable third period and overall a good game,” said White, who had a strong game on the forecheck. “Obviously, that is a good team over there.

Peyton Krebs, left, and Duncan McGovern celebrate the Ice’s win.

    “We were really proud of our effort tonight.”

    Maier made 27 saves to take the setback in goal for the Blades (9-6-2). Duncan McGovern stopped 32 shots to pick up the win in the Ice (6-7-2-1) net.

    The Ice face a big challenge on Friday, when they travel to Prince Albert to face the WHL leading Raiders (15-1). The Raiders have been the top rated team in the CHL Top 10 rankings for the past three weeks.

    Going forward, White is happy he has found a home for his overage season with the Ice.

    “It is nice to finish off the year and play as a 20-year-old,” said White. “I am really happy to finish it out with Kootenay.

    “We have a good team here, a lot of guys that want to be here and succeed. For sure, we are going to push for playoffs.”

    The Blades return to action on Friday, when they travel to Moose Jaw to take on the Warriors (6-4-3).

Clark out of Four Nations Cup with leg injury

Emily Clark waves to the SaskTel Centre crowd.

    One look at Emily Clark and it was obvious that she wouldn’t be available to play for Canada at the Four Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament.

    The 22-year-old Saskatoon product is a forward on Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team and helped Canada win a silver medal at the Winter Olympics held last February in PyeongChang, South Korea. Clark took part at a pre-game ceremony at the Saskatoon Blades contest on Thursday night at the SaskTel Centre sporting a walking boot on her left leg.

    The skilled forward suffered a left leg injury while playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Clark’s injury occurred in the opening minutes of a Badgers 4-2 home win on Oct. 13 against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

    Hockey Canada announced on Thursday that Clark and forward Sarah Potomak, who is from Aldergrove, B.C., would be unable to play in the Four Nations Cup due to injury.
    Kristin O’Neill, who is from Oakville, Ont., and Jamie Lee Rattray, who is from Kanata, Ont., will replace Clark and Potomak on the Canadian roster for the Four Nations Cup, which will run in its entirety at the SaskTel Centre.

    Clark is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team.

    The Four Nations Cup opens on Tuesday with Finland taking on the United States at 12 noon, and Canada will take on Sweden at 7 p.m. The four-team tournament runs through to Nov. 10.

    Canada will face Finland in pre-tournament game on Sunday in Prince Albert at 6 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

Back in the Express with Four Nations Cup advancer

    I was back in the pages of Saskatoon Express this week with a cover story to advance the Four Nations Cup hockey tournament.

    The Four Nations Cup is an annual elite women’s hockey tournament that features the senior national teams from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden. It starts on Tuesday and runs through to Saturday, Nov. 10 with all games being held at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Four Nations Cup itself started in 1996 as the Three Nations Cup featuring Canada, the United States and Finland. The event became the Four Nations Cup in 2000, when Sweden joined the field.

    My Express story on that event can be found by clicking right here.

    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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