Return of the Broncos

Swift Current makes charge at first in Central Division

The Broncos have been enjoying goal celebrations and wins.

The Swift Current Broncos appear set to jump over a few humps in a big way.

Way back in the 2017-18 campaign, the Broncos went all in on a quest to win the WHL championship. They finished second overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 48-17-5-2 mark. In an epic post-season run, the Broncos captured their third league title in team history and appeared in the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion held in Regina in May of that year.

Since that campaign, the Broncos haven’t been able to return to the WHL Playoffs until clinching a post-season berth in the current campaign.

They suffered heartbreaks in each of the past two seasons when it came to capturing a WHL post-season berth. Last season, the Broncos needed to win their last regular season game in regulation against the Tigers in Medicine Hat to make the playoffs.

In that contest played on March 25, 2023, the Broncos jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. The Tigers responded by scoring four straight goals and ultimately held on for a 4-3 victory.

Medicine Hat finished eighth in the Eastern Conference capturing the conference’s final playoff berth with a 30-29-8-1 record. Swift Current finished three standings points back of the Tigers with a 31-33-1-3 mark.

In the 2021-22 campaign, the Broncos needed to claim victory in their last regular season game played against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders to lock away a post-season berth. The Raiders came away with a 4-1 victory in that contest played on April 15, 2022 to end Swift Current’s campaign.

The Raiders took eighth place and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with 28-35-4-1 mark. The Broncos finished two standings points behind the Raiders with a 26-35-5-2 record.

Conor Geekie has been a big addition to the Broncos.

For most of the current campaign, the Broncos were holding a playoff spot in the standings. The team’s management decided to strengthen their roster with a couple of trades in early January in an attempt to ensure a playoff berth wasn’t a question.

On January 4, the Broncos acquired 19-year-old star centre Conor Geekie in a trade with the Wenatchee Wild. In return, the Wild received 18-year-old defenceman Sam Ward, defenceman Josh Fluker, who turned 18-years-old on January 3, rookie 17-year-old left-winger Maddix McCagherty, first and second round selections in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, a first round selection in the 2026 Prospects Draft and a seventh round selection in the 2027 Prospects Draft.

On January 10 before the passing of the WHL’s trade deadline, the Broncos acquired overage defenceman Tyson Galloway from the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for a second and a third round selection in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.

To make room for Galloway, the Broncos dealt overage right-winger Tyson Laventure to the Victoria Royals for a fifth round selection in the 2026 Prospects Draft.

At first, it didn’t appear the moves were going to do much to improve the Broncos fortunes. On January 28, they dropped a 3-2 decision in overtime to the Blades in Saskatoon. Following that result, the Broncos record sat at 22-18-3-2, and they sat third in the Central Division 11 standings points behind the first place Tigers.

Since that overtime setback, the Broncos have gone 13-2-1 in their last 16 outings to improve to 35-20-4-2 to officially clinch a berth in the WHL Playoffs. They sit one point behind the Tigers (35-22-5-2) for first in the Central and have three games in hand on the Medicine Hat side.

Owen Pickering has 38 points for the Broncos this season.

On Saturday, the Broncos drew their first sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators of the season to their home rink in the InnovationPlex for a 6-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. The game was a rough one with Broncos 20-year-old defenceman Ryan McCleary being given a double minor for checking from behind in the second period for a hit he threw on Wheat Kings captain Brett Hyland.

The contest ended with a line brawl that saw Dawson Gerwing and Petr Pavelec of the Broncos and Charlie Elick and Carter Klippenstein all being assessed fighting majors. The fight between Gerwing and Klippenstein was tabbed as being a second fight starting after the one between Pavelec and Elick.

Also during that contest, one of the spectators in the crowd threw a big plastic trash can inside the Wheat Kings bench.

As of Monday night, there hasn’t been any news if any disciplinary action will be handed out by the WHL office.

Aside from the extra-circulars, the Broncos have a solid squad. Geekie leads the team in scoring recording 86 points coming off 37 goals and 49 assists to go with a plus-46 rating in the plus-minus department in 48 games played between the Broncos and Wild.

Sophomore left-winger Clarke Caswell is having a breakout season recording 21 goals, 46 assists and a plus-10 rating appearing in all the Broncos 61 games so far this season. Star left-winger Josh Filmon is having another solid campaign posting 26 goals, 35 assists and a plus-12 rating in 58 games for the Broncos.

Offensive-defenceman Owen Pickering tops the Broncos in blue-line scoring with 38 points coming off six goals and 32 assists to go with a plus-15 rating.

Reid Dyck has rounded out as a solid starter in net posting a 22-6-2 record, a 2.66 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and two shutouts.

Josh Filmon has 26 goals and 35 assists for the Broncos this season.

If the Broncos are able to finish first in the Central Division, they will be a tough out in the post-season. The InnovationPlex is traditionally raucous in the post-season giving the Broncos one of the best home ice advantages in the WHL.

The Broncos will try to keep their roll going over their final seven regular season games. They travel to Prince Albert to face the Raiders (30-27-2-3) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

Following that contest, the Broncos face the Tigers in a huge home-and-home series. The two sides meet at the InnovationPlex on Friday at 7 p.m. and on Saturday at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat at 7 p.m. local time.

When the WHL post-season comes around at the end of the month, it might feel like the spring of 2018 for the Broncos.

Blades on cusp of Eastern Conference clinch, other notes

Brandon Lisowsky had a penalty shot OT winner on Saturday.

It is almost academic that the Saskatoon Blades will lock up first place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, but a little more work is required when it comes to finishing first overall in the WHL.

The Blades lead the WHL standings with a 45-12-2-3 mark. They need to collect just one standings point in their final six regular season contests to lock up first in the Eastern Conference. Their first chance to obtain that one standings point comes on Tuesday when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings (30-27-6-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Finishing first overall in the WHL is another matter. The Blades need to obtain nine standings points over their last six games to lock up top spot overall in the circuit.

Saskatoon sits five points ahead of the Western Conference leading Prince George Cougars (43-15-1-3), who sit second overall in the WHL. The Portland Winterhawks (43-15-2-1), who are second in the Western Conference and third overall in the WHL, sit six points behind the Blades. The Winterhawks have a game in hand on both the Blades and Cougars.

Of course, the amount of points the Blades need to collect in the standings to finish first overall in the WHL could change depending on results involving games with the Cougars and Winterhawks.

The Blades have won their last three games in a row. In their last outing this past Saturday, the Blades downed the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings 2-1 in overtime at the SaskTel Centre. Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky pulled of a rarity scoring the winner on a penalty shot just 42 seconds into the extra session.

That contest saw the Blades retire the #39 of the team’s all-time great in Frank Banham. Banham played four seasons for the Blades from 1992 to 1996 appearing in 278 career regular season games collecting 190 goals and 180 assists for 370 points. He is the Blades all-time leader in career goals and points.

The last time the Blades finished first overall in the WHL was when they posted a 56-13-1-2 mark in the 2010-11 campaign, which is the club’s all-time best record for one regular season.

• On Monday, the WHL handed out its weekly awards for the week ending on Sunday. Kelowna Rockets right-winger Andrew Cristall was the player of the week, Kolby Hay of the Edmonton Oil Kings was the goaltender of the week, and right-winger Terik Parascak was the rookie of the week.
• Spokane Chiefs centre Berkly Catton is having an outstanding sophomore season. The Saskatoon product, who turned 18-years-old in January, sits fourth in WHL scoring with 105 points coming off 49 goals and 56 assists to go with a plus-11 rating. Catton is a top prospect to be selected in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft to be held June 28 and 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Medicine Hat Tigers 16-year-old rookie left-winger Gavin McKenna is going to need a big game or two in his team’s final four regular season outings to hit the 100-point plateau. McKenna has 90 points coming off 31 goals and 59 assists. McKenna is trying to become the fifth 16-year-old in the history of the WHL to record 100-or-more points.
• Saskatoon Blades 20-year-old captain Trevor Wong lead the WHL with 79 assists. He also had 13 goals to go with a plus-20 rating.
• You have to love the battle of the Edmonton Oil Kings. They have been eliminated from playoff contention and are playing out the string with a 23-36-3-1 mark. Still, they are playing every contest like it is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.
• It is great to see Dave Dawson serving as the play-by-play voice of the Edmonton Oil Kings. He officially became the Oil Kings play-by-play voice on February 1 after former Oil Kings play-by-play voice Andrew Peard took a new role with OEG Sports and Entertainment with the Edmonton Oilers communications department.  Dawson is one of the good guys in broadcasting who has more than paid his dues. It would be cool if this turned into something big for him.
• On Saturday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on young right-handed softball pitcher Emma Frisky, who was named to Softball Canada’s Under-18 Women’s National Team. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that showed the winter season in its stretch run with the spring season peaking around the corner. That post 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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Minten rescues Blades in OT

The Blades celebrate an OT winner from Fraser Minten.

Fraser Minten skated into hero’s role for the Saskatoon Blades.

On Sunday night with his Blades locked in a 2-2 tie in a WHL regular season contest with the visiting Swift Current Broncos at the SaskTel Centre, Minten shot into the highlight reels. Taking the puck behind his own net from veteran defenceman Ben Saunderson, Minten went coast-to-coast with the puck.

After crossing into the Swift Current zone, Minten passed the puck to himself through Broncos winger Mathew Ward to get a break in alone on the visitor’s net. Minten proceeded to slip a nifty backhand shot between the legs of Broncos netminder Reid Dyck for his second tally of the night to lift the Blades to a 3-2 victory to the delight of the 3,919 spectators in attendance.

Fraser Minten scored two goals on Sunday for the Blades.

The win allowed the Blades, who are rated second in the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings, to continue to top the WHL’s overall standings improving to 33-9-2-3.

The victory was a gutty one for the Blades due to a scheduling quark. The Blades, who wore special fan designed jerseys on Sunday, were playing their third game in three nights. The Broncos were playing their first contest in eight days have last skated on Saturday, January 20, when they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Warriors in Moose Jaw at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

The Broncos record moved to 22-18-3-2 with the extra time setback to remain sixth overall in the Eastern Conference.

Conor Geekie scored twice for the Broncos on Sunday.

In Sunday’s clash, the Broncos got the jump on the Blades scoring at the 8:12 mark of the first period. Broncos star centre Conor Geekie swept home a shot from the front of the Blades goal to give the visitors or a 1-0 edge.

After Geekie’s tally, the Blades started to find their legs. While working on the power play, Blades star left-winger Easton Armstrong, who is playing his final season of WHL eligibility, scored a gritty goal whacking home a backhand shot from the front of the Swift Current net to even the score at 1-1 with 1:32 remaining in the opening frame. The Blades outshot the Broncos 14-6 in the first period.

The Blades kept rolling in the second but were kept at bay by Dyck. With 2:55 remaining in the second, Minten wired home a low midrange snapshoot past from the front of the Broncos goal past Dyck to give the Blades a 2-1 lead. Saskatoon held a 10-6 edge in shots on goal in the second.

In the third period, it appeared fatigue was setting in for the Blades as the frame marched on, and the Broncos seemed to be able to free wheel a little bit more. 

The Blades celebrate their OT win on Sunday.

With 5:13 remaining in the third, Geekie drove down the left with of the Blades zone with the puck, cut across the front of the Saskatoon net and slipped a backhand shot home to even the score at 2-2 and ultimate force overtime.

That set the stage for Minten to come through with his third game-winning goal of the campaign.

Austin Elliott made 20 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Dyck turned away 31 shots to take the extra setback in net for the Broncos.

Armstrong had an assist to go with his goal for a two-point night.

The Broncos return to action on Wednesday when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes (7 p.m., InnovationPlex).

The Blades also get back at it on Wednesday when they host the 17-23-4-2 Regina Pats (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Spencer allows Pats to escape Calgary with OT win

Tye Spencer had the OT winner for the Pats on Sunday.

Tye Spencer’s three-point night allowed the Regina Pats to steal an overtime victory in Calgary.

On Sunday playing before 7,851 spectators at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Spencer collected a pair of goals including the overtime winner as the Pats downed the host Calgary Hitmen 4-3 in a WHL regular season clash. At the 3:33 mark of overtime, Pats captain Tanner Howe sprung Spencer into the Calgary zone on a breakaway. The 19-year-old right-winger tucked home a backhand shot to deliver victory to the Regina side.

The Pats victory was aided by the fact netminder Ewan Huet had a huge night making 49 saves.

Regina jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals coming from left-winger Sam Oremba. Oremba netted his first goal at the 3:07 mark of the first period and his second tally 44 seconds into the second frame with the Pats working on the power play.

Just 53 seconds after Oremba’s second marker, Hitmen offensive-defenceman Carter Yakemchuk scored the host side’s first goal to cut the Regina lead to 2-1. The Pats would hold on to their 2-1 advantage heading into the second intermission despite the fact the Hitmen held a 33-20 edge in shots on goal after 40 minutes.

At the 4:29 mark of the third with the Pats working on the power play, Spencer scored his first goal of the contest to push the visitor’s advantage out to 3-1.

Just 2:11 after Spencer’s power-play goal, the Hitmen cut the Regina lead to 3-2, when Yakemchuk potted his second goal of the contest, which was his 20^th goal of the season.

With 3:41 remaining in the third, Hitmen 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ben Kindel scored on a wraparound to tie the contest up at 3-3 and force overtime.

That set the stage for Spencer, who is from Saskatoon, to come through with his overtime winner.

Alex Garrett turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hitmen.

Howe finished the night recording three assists for the Pats. Kindel had an assist to go with his goal.

The Hitmen’s record moved to 19-18-6-1 with the setback and allowed them to move to sit alone in eighth place and hold the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with 45 standings points. Calgary sits one point ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders (20-23-1-3) with three games in hand.

The Pats improved to 17-23-4-2 with the win. They sit 10^th overall in the Eastern Conference and five points back of the Hitmen. The Hitmen have two games in hand on the Pats.

The Pats return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Saskatoon to face the 33-9-2-3 Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Hitmen get back at it on Friday when they travel to Edmonton to take on the Oil Kings (7 p.m. local time, Rogers Place).

Rivalry Series match on for Feb. 7 in Saskatoon, other notes

An Emily Clark hockey card.

For the first time since 2018, the SaskTel Centre will get to play host one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.

On Wednesday, February 7 at 7 p.m., Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team will face the United States in Game 5 of the Rivalry Series. The U.S. leads the 2023-24 edition of the seven-game series 3-1 heading into Game 5 in Saskatoon.

Canada took Game 4 of the set 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout back on December 16, 2023 at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia, Ont. Last season, the U.S. won the first three games of the series, but Canada rallied back taking the last four contests to capture the series win.

Canada’s roster will feature power forward and 28-year-old Saskatoon product Emily Clark. Clark has one goal over the first four games of the series. She is an assistant captain with Ottawa’s team in the PWHL and has played two games with the Ottawa side.

Clark is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars Female Under-18 AAA Hockey Team.

The last time Canada and the U.S. played against each other in Saskatoon was back on November 10, 2018 in the championship game of the 4 Nations Cup tournament held at the SaskTel Centre. The U.S. claimed a 5-2 victory in that encounter.

Clark wasn’t able to play at that 4 Nations Cup due to an injured left leg.

• Be prepared to be bombarded with everything Taylor Swift for the next two weeks as the NFL’s post-season nears a close. With the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Ravens in Baltimore 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, that means you will hear all sorts of talk about Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce, who is the Chiefs star tight end. The Chiefs, who are the defending Super Bowl champions, will play the San Francisco 49ERS in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, February 11. It will be the most watched Super Bowl of all-time.
• Riding a four-game winning streak, the Portland Winterhawks sit alone in first place in the WHL’s U.S. Division with a 31-11-2-1 record. The Winterhawks are two standings points ahead of the 30-15-1-2 Everett Silvertips. Portland has three games in hand on Everett. The Winterhawks downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 4-1 on Sunday.
• I was back in the pages of the Prince Albert Daily Herald this past week. On Wednesday, I was in the Daily Herald with a column on how the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders started to fall in the standings when 17-year-old star right-winger Ryder Ritchie went down to injury due to a knee-on-knee hit. That piece can be found by clicking right here. On Friday, I was in the pages of the Daily Herald with a piece featuring Prince Albert Northern Bears alums Kate Ball and Jasper Desmarais, who now play for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey Team. Ball and Desmarais reflected on a magical 2016-17 season with the Bears where they won the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey Championship and appeared in the Esso Cup female national championship under-18 AAA championship tournament. The piece on Ball and Desmarais 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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Tigers buck Broncos 4-3, capture final WHL post-season berth

The Tigers celebrated a berth in the WHL Playoffs on Saturday.

The Medicine Hat Tigers weren’t going to be denied by an opponent who had their number for most of the season.

On Saturday, the Tigers hosted the Swift Current Broncos at Co-op Place in a win and you’re in showdown for the final post-season berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and the final remaining berth in the WHL Playoffs. Entering the final regular season contest for both clubs, the Broncos had won six of the previous seven head-to-head encounters between the two sides.

This time the Tigers overcame a hot start by the Broncos to pull out a 4-3 victory before 4,506 spectators. The win allowed the Tigers to improve to 30-29-8-1 to finish eighth in the Eastern Conference and capture the conference’s final playoff berth.

Swift Current fell to 31-33-1-3 to finish ninth in the Eastern Conference and three points back of the Tigers for the conference’s final playoff position.

The Broncos forced Saturday’s winner take all clash for the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference posting a 3-1 victory over the Tigers on Friday at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current.

Swift Current got out to a quick start in Saturday’s clash at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. Just 3:16 into the first period, Broncos star 18-year-old right-winger Connor Hvidston netted his 21^st of the season to put the visitors up 1-0.

Just under five minutes later while working on the power play, Broncos centre Josh Davies, who turned 19-years-old on Friday, netted his 20^th goal of the season to give the visitors a 2-0 edge. The shots on goal were finished tied 10-10 when the first period came to a conclusion.

The Tigers turned the tables on the Broncos in the second surging ahead 3-2 holding a 16-4 edge in shots on goal for the frame.

Oasiz Wiesblatt scored the Tigers second goal on Saturday.

Just 14 seconds into the second, 18-year-old left-winger Tyler MacKenzie netted his 18^th goal of the season to cut the Broncos lead to 2-1. At the 7:52 mark of the second with Medicine Hat working on the power play, Tigers 18-year-old centre Oasiz Wiesblatt netted his 26^th goal of the season to even the score at 2-2.

With 4:25 remaining in the second, the Tigers jumped ahead 3-2 on a power-play goal from 20-year-old right-winger Dallon Melin. Tomas Mrsic, who is a rookie left-winger who turned 17-years-old in late February, had the puck at the right side boards and passed the puck across the front of the Swift Current goal to defenceman Dru Krebs, who turned 20-years-old in February.

Krebs fed a pass across the face of the Broncos net to Melin, who converted the backdoor tap to give the host side a one-goal edge.

At the six-minute mark of the third, right-winger Brayden Boehm, who turned 19-years-old in January, had the puck in the left corner of the Swift Current zone. He centred a pass to linemate in rookie centre Cayden Lindstrom, who one-timed home his 19^th goal of the season to push the Tigers lead out to 4-2. Lindstrom, who turned 17-years-old in February, posted 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points to go with a plus-11 rating in the plus-minus department in 61 games with the Tigers this season.

The Broncos didn’t go away. Just after a power-play opportunity expired at the 10:26 mark of the third, Broncos star right-winger Josh Filmon, who turned 19-years-old on March 18, potted his 47^th goal of the campaign to cut the Tigers lead to 4-3.

Late in the frame, Broncos 17-year-old left-winger Brady Birnie hit a goalpost, and that was how close the visitors game to scoring the equalizer that forced overtime.

The Tiger proceeded to hold the Broncos off the scoreboard for just their second head-to-head victory between the two sides this season.

Tigers 15-year-old left-winger and associate player call up Gavin McKenna had a pair of assists in the win. In 16 appearances with the Tigers, McKenna, who was selected first overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, posted four goals, 14 assists and a plus-seven rating. McKenna played most of the 2022-23 campaign with the Southern Alberta Hockey Academy Under-18 prep team located in the Medicine Hat area.

Tyler MacKenzie scored the Tigers first goal on Saturday.

Beckett Langkow stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers. Reid Dyck turned away 26 shots to take the setback in net for the Broncos.

The Broncos are still looking for their first playoff berth since 2018, when they loaded up with a veteran roster to win their third WHL championship since the franchise relocated from Lethbridge to Swift Current for the start of the 1986-87 campaign.

The Tigers return to the WHL Playoffs after finishing last in the entire league in 2021-22 with an 11-53-3-1 record.

Medicine Hat will be heavy underdogs taking on the Winnipeg Ice in a first round best-of-seven series. The Ice topped the WHL standings with a 57-10-1 record. Game 1 of the series between the Tigers and Ice is set for Friday at 7 p.m. local time at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg.

Blades hit 100-point plateau for fifth time

Trevor Wong scored twice for the Blades on Saturday.

The Saskatoon Blades hit a rare milestone in their last outing of the regular season.

On Saturday, the Blades traveled to Moose Jaw to take on the Warriors in the final regular season contest for both teams. The visiting Blades doubled up the host Warriors 6-3 to disappoint most of the 3,786 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

With the win, the Blades concluded the regular season posting a 48-15-4-1 record for 101 standings points. That marks just the fifth time in team history dating back to the team’s creation in 1964 the Blades have recorded 100-or-more standings points in a campaign.

The Blades won the most games and posted the most points in a season since going 56-13-1-2 in the 2010-11 campaign. Saskatoon’s 56 wins and 115 standings points from that campaign are both club records.

In Saturday’s clash with the Warriors, the Blades jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes on goals from star right-winger Brandon Lisowsky and hard-working centre Jayden Wiens.

At the 3:08 mark of the second with Moose Jaw working on a power play, Warriors star right-winger Atley Calvert netted his 39 goal of the season to cut the Blades lead to 2-1. The Warriors evened the score at 2-2 at the 9:23 mark of the second on a goal from 20-year-old defenceman Logan Dowhaniuk, with Calvert picking up an assist on that tally.

Before the second ended, the Blades surged back in front 4-2 with goals coming from the sticks of 19-year-old left-winger Justin Lies and rookie 17-year-old right-winger Rowan Calvert.

At the 8:42 mark of the third, Atley Calvert potted his 40^th goal of the season for the Warriors, who were working on the power play, to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 4-3. That was as close as the Warriors would come to making a comeback.

Blades star centre Trevor Wong scored 55 seconds later to give the Blades a 5-3 edge. Wong added a second tally scoring into an empty net with less than 55 seconds remaining in the third to round out the 6-3 final score.

Rowan Calvert had the winning goal for the Blades on Saturday.

Wong topped the Blades in scoring this season with 86 points coming off 27 goals and 59 assists to go with a plus-23 rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all the team’s 68 games. Lisowsky had an assist to go with his goal and finished the campaign with career highs in goals (38), assists (33), points (71) and plus-minus (plus-17).

Right-winger Jake Chiasson and utility player Spencer Shugrue each had a pair of assists for the Blades on Saturday.

Ethan Chadwick stopped 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Jackson Unger turned away 25-of-30 shots to take the setback in net for the Warriors, who fell to 41-24-0-3.

The Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL and second in the Eastern Conference. In the conference playoff format used by the WHL, the two division winners are given the first and second seeds in the first round. From the second round onwards, the teams are reseeded by standings points.

In the Eastern Conference, the Winnipeg Ice took top spot in the conference, the overall WHL standings and the East Division. The Red Deer Rebels (43-19-3-3) topped the Central Division and finished third overall in the Eastern Conference. They will be the top two seeds in the first round of the playoffs.

That means the Blades will face Connor Bedard and the Regina Pat in a first round best-of-seven series in the WHL Playoffs. Game 1 of that series set for this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at SaskTel Centre. The Pats finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 34-30-3-1 mark.

The last time the Blades and Pats met in the post-season came back in the 2006 WHL Playoffs, where the Blades claimed a best-of-seven first round series 4-2.

The Warriors finish fourth overall in the Eastern Conference and will face the fifth place Lethbridge Hurricanes (36-26-3-3) in a best-of-seven first round series. Game 1 of that series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

Raiders close with 5-3 win over Pats, other notes

Sloan Stanick (#23) had a hat trick on Saturday.

Sloan Stanick closed the 2022-23 campaign for the Prince Albert Raiders by outshining Connor Bedard in the Regina Pats home rink.

On Saturday, Stanick had a hat trick for the Raiders to power them to a 5-3 victory past the Pats to the disappointment of most of the sellout crowd of 6,499 spectators at the Brandt Centre. The contest concluded the regular season schedules for both squads.

For the Raiders who had already been eliminated from WHL post-season contention, the win allowed them to halt a three-game skid and improve to 28-37-3. The Raiders finished 11^th in the 12 team Eastern Conference and 18^th overall in the 22 team WHL.

Prince Albert got close to shutting out Bedard, who is the Pats 17-year-old phenom centre, for the contest. Bedard netted the game’s final goal with five minutes remaining in the third period. The North Vancouver, B.C., product finished the regular season leading the WHL in goals (71) and points (143) to go with a plus-39 rating in the plus-minus department in 57 appearances.

In Saturday’s clash between the Raiders and Pats, the Raiders drew first blood with 3:21 remaining in the opening frame on a power-play goal from 17-year-old centre Aiden Oiring, who netted his 12^th tally of the season. Defenceman Easton Kovacs and 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ryder Ritchie picked up assists on the tally.

In the second, Stanick, who is the Raiders star 19-year-old left-winger, went to work scoring at even strength at the 10:23 mark and short-handed at the 12:44 mark to put the visitors up 3-0. Those tallies allowed Stanick to his the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his WHL career.

Pats star import defenceman Stanislav Svozil scored at the 2:59 mark of the third to cut the Raiders lead to 3-1.

Just 76 seconds after Svozil’s tally, Stanick completed his hat trick to put the Raiders up 4-1. At the 8:54 mark of the third, Raiders overage captain Evan Herman potted his 18^th goal of the season to increase the visitors’ edge to 5-1.

Landon Kosior had 63 points this season for the Raiders.

Star 17-year-old left-winger Tanner Howe and Bedard replied with singles for the Pats to round out the game’s scoring.

With his hat trick, Stanick finished up the 2022-23 campaign as the Raiders leading scorer posting 64 points coming off 31 goals and 33 assists to go with an even rating appearing in 67 games. Landon Kosior, who is the Raiders star 20-year-old offensive-defenceman, finished second in team scoring with 63 points coming off 17 goals and 46 assists to go with a plus-three rating in 60 appearances.

Ritchie finished the contest recording a pair of assists for the Raiders. He finished third in team scoring with 55 points coming off 20 goals and 35 assists in 61 appearances.

Import netminder Tikhon Chaika stopped 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Kelton Pyne turned away 25 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats.

The Pats finish sixth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 34-30-3-1 mark and will face the Saskatoon Blades (48-15-4-1) in a best-of-seven first round playoff series. Game 1 of that series set for this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at SaskTel Centre.

The last time the Blades and Pats met in the post-season came back in the 2006 WHL Playoffs, where the Blades claimed a best-of-seven first round series 4-2.

The Raiders finished 10 points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers (30-29-8-1) for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

• The Winnipeg Ice topped the WHL overall standings with a 57-10-1 mark and their 57 wins and 115 standings points are both team records. The Ice’s old records of 53 wins and 111 standings points were set last season when they went 53-10-3-2 to finish first overall in the WHL.
• The Seattle Thunderbirds finished second overall in the WHL with a 54-11-1-2 mark and their 54 wins and 111 standings points are both team records. The Thunderbirds old records of 52 wins and 111 standings points were set back in the 1989-90 season. In 1989-90, the Thunderbirds finished second overall in the WHL with a record of 52 wins, 17 losses and 3 ties.
• Prince George Cougars star centre and Saskatoon product Riley Heidt, who turned 18-years-old on Saturday, finished fifth in the WHL scoring race with 97 points coming off 25 goals and 72 assists appearing in all his teams 68 regular season games. Heidt’s assists total of 72 tied for tops in the league with Regina Pats 17-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard.

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 bash Broncos 4-1

P.A. won’t be a pushover down stretch of WHL campaign

The Raiders celebrate a second period goal by Niall Crocker (#20).

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – If you are going to play the Prince Albert Raiders during the home stretch of the WHL campaign, you better be prepared to battle.

The young reloading Raiders might be sitting 11^th among the 12 teams in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and nine points out of a playoff spot, but they aren’t going to mail any games in. On Saturday night, the Raiders hosted the Swift Current Broncos at the Art Hauser Centre, and the Broncos entered the regular season clash holding a playoff spot.

By night’s end, the Broncos dropped to 24-22-1-2 and fell out of a playoff spot sliding to ninth in the Eastern Conference. They sit one point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers (22-22-7-1) with three games in hand. Prince Albert has one game in hand on Medicine Hat.

Keaton Sorensen (#20) had a goal and two assists for the Raiders.

In Saturday’s clash with the Broncos, the Raiders overcame a bit of a sluggish start in the first period giving up the game’s first goal before going on to cruise to a 4-1 victory to the delight of the 2,343 spectators in attendance at the team’s storied home rink. The host side improved to 20-28-3 with the win.

Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt said it is in forefront of his team’s mind that they have to come out, battle and give an honest effort every night.

“You never want to be (an easy out),” said Truitt, whose team fell 4-0 to the Broncos in Swift Current one night earlier. “We said that right from the get go that we want our players to be excited and dedicated and to learn the right way.

Niall Crocker had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.

“Those guys have learned the right way, and no matter who we play, we want to make sure that we are playing to the best of our capabilities. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. If you don’t put that effort in, you’re not going to give yourself the chance.

“Our guys are doing a good job. This is very eerie feeling from last year, when we were nine or 10 points out of the playoffs with about this many games left and we got in on the last day. There is no quit in there, and that is what we want to strive for.”

The Broncos opened the scored just 34 seconds into the first period. After the Raiders coughed the puck up in their own zone, Broncos 19-year-old Caleb Wyrostok wired home his 16^th of the season to give the visitors a one-goal edge.

Caleb Wyrostok had the Broncos lone goal on Saturday.

Just past the midway point of the first, the Raiders evened the score a 1-1, when 17-year-old left-winger Harrison Lodewyk banged home a gritty goal during a net scramble.

With 1:51 remaining in the first, Raiders centre Hayden Pakkala was given a boarding major and a game misconduct for a hit he threw on Broncos 20-year-old defenceman Sam McGinley. The infraction will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension for Pakkala. McGinley was able to stay in the game.

Prince Albert’s penalty kill on the five-minute power play for Swift Current was stellar, and the Broncos had all sorts of trouble setting up for any quality shots.

Ryder Ritchie had a goal and an assist for the Raiders on Saturday.

A short time after killing off the major infraction, the Raiders went ahead at the 4:04 of the second on a beauty goal by standout 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ryder Ritchie. Ritchie was sprung seemingly on a breakaway into the Swift Current zone, but was caught up by a pursuing Broncos defender.

The Calgary, Alta., product toe dragged the puck around the Broncos defender, drove in on the Swift Current net and snapped home his 14^th tally of the campaign to give the Raiders a 2-1 lead.

Just over four minutes later the Raiders extended their advantage to 3-1 scoring on the power play. Raiders overage centre Keaton Sorensen had the puck behind the Swift Current net and fed a pass on to the tape of the stick of linemate Niall Crocker, who was positioned in front of the goal. Crocker quickly fired home the puck to give the hosts their two-goal edge.

Max Hildebrand stopped 33 shots in goal for the Raiders.

“Obviously, we weren’t happy about last night,” said Crocker. “We went into Swift Current, and I think they beat us in all areas.

“We were obviously frustrated with that. It was a great response game from us. Everyone was working today and blocking shots and getting pucks out.

“It was just a great performance there.”

At that point, the Raiders were carrying the momentum, and rookie 17-year-old defenceman Justice Christensen nailed Broncos star centre Mathew Ward with big open ice hit, when Ward had entered the Prince Albert zone in a rush.

With 56.2 seconds remaining in the third, Sorensen fired home his team leading 18^th goal of the season from the front of the Swift Current net to ultimately round out the 4-1 final. Right-winger Gabe Ludwig slid a smart pass from the left corner of the Swift Current to Sorensen in front of the net to allow the overager to give the host side a three-goal lead.

Evan Herman, right, fires a shot on goal for the Raiders.

Sorensen finished the night posting one goal, two assists and a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department.

Crocker said the Raiders are gaining confidence as a group, and he believes his club has improved a tonne overall as the season has gone on.

“It has been awesome seeing the development,” said Crocker, who had an assist to go with his goal. “Guys like (Justice) Christensen today just throwing the body everywhere.

“You can’t really get around that guy. Marty (Grady Martin) is making smart plays everywhere and (Seth) Tansem. All our young guys are stepping up, and it is definitely huge for us.”

Gabe Ludwig had an assist for the Raiders on Saturday.

The Broncos tried to mount a push back in the third holding a 12-6 edge in shots on goal for the frame, but they weren’t able to cut in the Raiders lead.

Max Hildebrand had a stellar night stopping 33 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Reid Dyck turned away 17 shots to take the setback in net for the Broncos.

Ritchie had an assist to go along with his goal.

Hildebrand said his team takes pride in not being an easy out.

“We love the way we play,” said Hildebrand. “We love this rink, and our fans, they juice us up every night.

“That is our style of play. We’re gritty and we like to battle. That is all it is.”

The Raiders huddle around their bench during a timeout.

The Broncos get back it on Tuesday when they travel to Brandon to take on the 21-22-7 Wheat Kings (7 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

The Raiders return to action on Friday when they host Connor Bedard and the 25-22-2-1 Regina Pats (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Truitt said it has been great seeing the improvement in his young team, and he wants his squad to keep improving as the WHL campaign hits its stretch run.

“As a coach, that is what you want to see,” said Truitt. “You want to see guys develop and get better.

The Raiders celebrate their win on Saturday.

“You talk about Aiden Oiring, you talk about Ryder Ritchie, you talk about Seth Tansem and it goes on and on to (Grady) Martin and (Cole) Peardon. Those guys have really come along, and that is a real testament to those guys. They’ve come into a new league or a new team, and they have to learn our way and they have.

“They have embraced it. They’re finding success that way, so it is great to see.”

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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