Is playoff created rivalry in store for Blades and Rebels?

Two squads battle again in round two of WHL post-season

Fraser Minten (#16) and Ollie Josephson (#17) in action.

Will a rivalry be born between the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels?

For the second straight year, the two sides will do battle in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series in the WHL Playoffs. Coming into this year’s series, the Blades topped the WHL’s overall standings with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. They took down their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders 4-1 in a first round series.

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

The Blade and Rebels open up their series on Friday with Game 1 set for 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Game 2 is slated for Sunday at 4 p.m. at SaskTel. In the four regular season encounters between the two squads, each side won twice.

The Saskatchewan Rush have Saturday occupied at SaskTel as they host the San Diego Seals at 7 p.m. in NLL regular season action. That caused the first two games of the series between the Blades and Rebels not to be played on consecutive nights.

Last year when the Blades and Rebels met in an Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Rebels jumped out to a 3-0 series lead. The Blades rebounded winning the last four games of the series to take the set 4-3. In the process, the Blades became just the third team in the history of the WHL to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-series and rally back to win the set.

Egor Sidorov can pile up goals for the Blades.

While both teams have gone through some regular junior hockey turnover from last season, both squads return a sizeable group of players from last year. The Blades have 12 players on their roster from a season ago, while the Rebels have 14 returnees from the 2022-23 campaign.

Some of the Blades returnees include captain Trevor Wong, star import right-winger Egor Sidorov, star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky, gritty left-winger Vaughn Watterodt, utility forward Tyler Parr, star offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk, 20-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright, standout 19-year-old rearguard Ben Saunderson and 19-year-old star netminder Austin Elliott.

Some of the Rebels returnees include captain Kai Uchacz, star centre Kalan Lind, hard-working centre Ollie Josephson, Czechia import right-winger Frantisek Formanek, gritty right-winger Dwayne Jean Jr., gritty left-winger Jhett Larson, gritty right-winger Talon Brigley, offensive-defencemen Mats Lindgren and Hunter Mayo, gritty defenceman Jace Weir and netminder Rhett Stoesser.

In a different twist, Blades 19-year-old defenceman Nicholas Andrusiak was actually playing for the Rebels in last year’s post-season. He came to the Blades in a trade on December 12, 2023 that saw a fifth round selection in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft go to the Rebels.

There are enough returnees on the ice that the potential of personal battles being triggered on the ice from a season ago are high. The ingredients are there to create a rivalry between the Blades and Rebels due to the encounters in the post-season.

Kai Uchacz is the Rebels high scoring captain.

While the Blades eliminated a physical team in the Raiders in round one, Saskatoon will see an even more physical side in Red Deer. The Rebels have more experience and a little more skill than the Raiders did.

In the opening round of the playoffs, the Rebels eliminated a team in the Tigers that likes to play with lots of skill and put up offence and transition fast up and down the ice. The Blades style of team mirrors that of the Tigers, but the Blades have more experience and a little more skill than the Medicine Hat side did this season.

Due to the Rebels physical play, it is common that their post-season series will have some high tension moments. 

By tradition, the Rebels are a team that will grind and grind and grind and never give up in a game even if they are down by like a 6-1 score. That never surrender battle has been a Rebels constant since Brent Sutter became the owner on May 11, 1999.

Last year, some of the Blades fans seemed caught off guard with the physical and high tension aspects that occurred in a series with the Rebels. For some of the Blades faithful, their dislike for the Rebels was bigger for a short time than their dislike for the Raiders.

On the coaching front, Brennan Sonne is back as the Blades head coach from a year ago. He was named the WHL’s coach of the year last season and was named the WHL’s East Division’s coach of the year again this season.

Trevor Wong is the high scoring captain for the Blades.

The Rebels were guided by veteran bench boss Steve Konowalchuk a year ago. He resigned from the Rebels in May of 2023 looking to find a situation that worked better for his family life. His permanent residence at the time was still Seattle, Wash., where he served as Seattle Thunderbirds head coach from 2011 to their WHL title winning season in 2017.

Derrick Walser was the Rebels head coach for most of the 2023-24 campaign. He and the Rebels mutually parted ways after a 7-5 loss at home to the Swift Current Broncos on March 1.

With eight games remaining in their regular season, the Rebels named good guy coach Dave Struch as the club’s interim head coach. Struch is best known for his WHL coaching stays with the Regina Pats that ran from the start of the 2014-15 campaign to November of 2021 and with the Blades that ran from the 2006-07 campaign to the 2013-14 campaign.

As a player, Struch played centre for the Blades for four seasons from 1988 to 1992. In 253 career regular season games with the Blades, Struch posted 134 goals and 151 assists for 285 points.

The Blades head into this year’s series with a little more depth than a season ago. Star centre Fraser Minten, star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong, star right-winger Alexander Suzdalev, defensive-defenceman John Babcock and breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner were all big additions from a season ago.

During the regular season, Gardner posted a 21-5-2 record, a 1.91 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and four shutouts.

Hunter Mayo puts up points from the Rebels back end.

The Rebels biggest additions have been overage defensive-defenceman Elias Carmichael and breakout rookie netminder Chase Wutzke. During the regular season, Wutzke posted a 19-10-4 record, a 2.82 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and one shutout. Wutzke’s shutout win was a 36-save gem in a 5-0 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon on February 27.

On the injury front, Parr went down for the Blades with a leg injury in their Game 4 win over the Raiders. Gardner and Armstrong didn’t play the final two periods of the Blades series clinching victory over the Raiders in Game 5.

Of course, the Blades aren’t tipping their hand on the status of any of those three for Game 1 versus the Rebels.

In the series versus the Rebels, the attrition rate could be a factor that determines the series outcome. A realist will expect this series to be a physical war.

DuPont gets exceptional status to play in WHL, other notes

Landon DuPont in a promo picture. (Photo by Jenn Pierce, WHL)

Landon DuPont is on his way to being “the next big thing” in the WHL.

On Monday, the WHL announced on behalf of Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta that DuPont has been granted Exceptional Player Status and is eligible to play in the WHL on a full-time basis beginning with the 2024-25 campaign. The Calgary product, who is a skilled defenceman, will turn 15-years-old on May 28.

DuPont is eligible to be selected in the WHL Prospects Draft set to be held online on May 9. The Everett Silvertips currently hold the first overall selection in the Prospects Draft.

Players looking to achieve Exceptional Player Status must possess a level of mental, social and emotional maturity that belies his age along with hockey skills that greatly exceed those of other elite level players both in their age group and among player several years older.

The Exceptional Player Status process was administered by Hockey Alberta with a Hockey Canada special evaluation panel which reviewed DuPont’s hockey and academic documentation. The process also assessed DuPont’s level of maturity.

“It is such an honour for me to receive Exceptional Player Status from Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada,” said DuPont in a release. “I would like to thank my family, all of my coaches, trainers, advisors and most of all, my teammates through my entire hockey journey for helping me get to this point.

A second Landon DuPont promo shot. (Photo by Jenn Pierce, WHL)

“I’m excited to continue my development in the WHL and will work hard every day to continue to improve.”

DuPont becomes the first defenceman and second player in the history of the WHL to be granted Exceptional Player Status by Hockey Canada. Connor Bedard, a phenom centre, was the first to be granted Exceptional Player Status to play in the WHL in 2020. The North Vancouver, B.C., product played three seasons with the Regina Pats before joining the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks this season.

On top of that, DuPont, who is a right shot blue-liner, becomes the ninth player in CHL history to be granted Exceptional Player Status by Hockey Canada.

Dupont, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 170 pounds, spent the 2023-24 campaign playing for the Edge School U18 Prep squad in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League where he recorded 62 points (19G-43A) in 30 regular season games to finish third in CSSHL U18 scoring. His 62 points led all blue-liners and established a new CSSHL U18 Prep single-season scoring record for defencemen.

DuPont added another 16 points (5G-11A) in five playoff games tying the CSSHL U18 Championship scoring record held by former Edmonton Oil Kings and Seattle Thunderbirds star Dylan Guenther. The defenceman was named CSSHL U18 Prep Championship MVP and helped Edge capture the CSSHL U18 title.

• The WHL U.S. Priority Draft is slated for May 8, and it will be conducted online. The Regina Pats have the first overall selection in that draft.
• Prince Albert Raiders import left-winger Krzysztof Macias was given a two-game suspension by the WHL on Tuesday for receiving a major for head checking and a game misconduct in the Raiders 6-2 loss to the Blades in Saskatoon on April 5. That loss in Game 5 of a best-of-seven first round series brought the Raiders campaign to an end. The two-game suspension will carry over to the 2024-25 regular season, if Macias is back in the WHL as a 20-year-old.
• On Tuesday, the WHL suspended Wenatchee Wild defenceman Jonas Woo for a slashing major and a game misconduct he took in the Wild’s 4-2 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Sunday. That loss in Game 6 of a best-of-seven first round series brought the Wild’s campaign to an end. The suspension will carry over to the 2024-25 regular season, when Woo begins his 18-year-old campaign.
• The WHL Eastern Conference semifinal between the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos begins Friday night in Moose Jaw. The Warriors finished second overall in the Eastern Conference with a 44-21-0-3 mark, while the Broncos were third overall in the Eastern Conference and tops in the Central Division with a 40-22-4-2 mark.
• The WHL Western Conference semifinal between the Prince George Cougars and the Kelowna Rockets begins Friday in Prince George. The Cougars finished first in the Western Conference and the B.C. Division with a 49-15-1-3 mark, while the Rockets were fifth in the Western Conference with a 33-30-4-1 mark.
• The WHL Western Conference semifinal between the Portland Winterhawks and Everett Silvertips begins on Friday in Portland. The Winterhawks finished second in the Western Conference and tops in the U.S. Division with a 48-15-4-1 mark, while the Silvertips were third overall in the Western Conference with a 45-18-2-3 mark. Due to scheduling conflicts in Everett, this series will be played in a two-three-two format with the Winterhawks hosting the first two and the last two games of the set.
• Former Saskatoon Blades gritty right-winger Justin Lies is having an outstanding 20-year-old campaign in the junior A ranks with the Flin Flon Bombers, who are the only Manitoba squad that plays in the SJHL. Lies, who is from Flin Flon, played in 55 regular season contests recording 41 goals and 35 assists for 76 points. In eight post-season contests, Lies has nine goals and five assists for 14 points. The Bombers finished first overall in the SJHL with a 44-9-2-1 mark and have advanced to the league championship series in the SJHL Playoffs. They face the winner of a semifinal series between the Melfort Mustangs and the Humboldt Broncos.  
• I love the passion of the Prince Albert Raiders fans. I hope that never chances in “Hockey Town North.”
• There are a tonne of young guys in the media doing outstanding work on the WHL circuit. Some of those guys include Nathan Reiter of the Prince Albert Daily Herald, Prince Albert Raiders play-by-play voice Nolan Kowal, James Tubb of the Medicine Hat News, Medicine Hat Tigers play-by-play voice Gino De Paoli, Ian Gustafson of the Red Deer Advocate and Regina Pats play-by-play voice Dante De Caria. With team communications staffs, Kyle Kosowan, who is the manager of communications and media relations with the Raiders, and Tanner Chubey, who is the Saskatoon Blades communications manager, have been outstanding too. I’ve found it fun being the old veteran with this group on the circuit.
• On Tuesday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a piece on the excitement the local football community had over the fact flag football will be a sport in men’s and women’s play at the 2028 Olympic Games. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that showed fun from the Playground To Pros camp and other happenings on the Complex grounds. 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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Raiders take step forward, show optimism more good to come

The Raiders contemplate their campaign ending this past Friday.

The glass is more than half full for the Prince Albert Raiders.

With the 2023-24 campaign coming to an end on Friday with a 6-2 loss in Game 5 of a first-round post-season series to their archrivals the Blades in Saskatoon, you can rightfully have an optimistic feeling. After a one season absence, the Raiders returned to the WHL Playoffs.

A core group of players has been formed on the roster with Ryder Ritchie, Aiden Oiring, Justice Christensen, Terrell Goldsmith, Eric Johnston and Max Hildebrand. You could project Ritchie, Oiring, Christensen and Goldsmith could be together for the next two seasons without discounting Goldsmith could play in the system of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes in 2025-26.

It is fairly safe to say Johnston, who is the Raiders captain, and Hildebrand, who is the team’s star goalie, will be outstanding and motivated 20-year-olds in 2024-25. Hildebrand was one of the WHL’s best stories rising to be one of the circuit’s top five goalies posting a 25-20-4 record, a 2.88 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts in regular season play. He is doing pretty well considering he was taken in the 13^th round and 286^th overall or second last in the then 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

As 16-year-old rookies this past season, wingers Oli Chenier and Luke Moroz show flashes of possible breakout potential as they gained more game experience. Chenier showed consistent sparks throughout the year and Moroz played some really good minutes the second half of the season.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Raiders HC Truitt said return to playoffs huge for club

20-year-olds made impact, future bright for returnees

The Raiders celebrate a goal on April 2 at the Art Hauser Centre.

Jeff Truitt said the 2023-24 campaign was a season of development for his Prince Albert Raiders.

The Raiders head coach said that due to coming into the campaign with a younger group the focus for the season was on establishing culture. Prince Albert ultimately played well enough to post a 31-32-2-3 record to finish eighth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and capture the conference’s final playoff berth.

The Raiders posted their record even with having to play their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades 10 times in the regular season, and the Blades finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 50-13-2-3 mark that included going 7-2-0-1 against the Raiders. In the WHL Playoffs taking on the Blades in a best-of-seven first round series, the Raiders claimed Game 1 by a 4-3 score on March 28 in Saskatoon before the Blades claimed victory in the next four straight contests to take the set 4-1.

Prince Albert’s campaign came to an end on Friday with a 6-2 loss in Game 5 of that series to the Blades in Saskatoon.

“Getting into the playoffs, it was a real good education for everybody,” said Truitt. “I feel bad for our 20-year-olds.

Jacob Hoffrogge joined the Raiders on October 7, 2023.

“That ends their season. For the rest of the guys in this group, it was a real good education about what it takes to win at this level.”

Due to the 20-year-old shuffle that happens annually in the WHL as each team can only have three players in that age group. Star left-winger Sloan Stanick was the most tenured player on the team in that age group arriving in Prince Albert early in the 2021-22 campaign in a very early season trade with the Regina Pats.

The Raiders two other 20-year-old players actually didn’t start the 2023-24 campaign with the club. Defenceman Jacob Hoffrogge came to the Raiders in a trade on October 7, 2023 with the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Centre Turner McMillen was released by the Kelowna Rockets on October 11, 2023. Just two days after that release, McMillen was added to the roster of the Estevan Bruins joining the junior A ranks of the SJHL.  He returned to the major junior ranks being added to the Raiders roster on January 5.

Hoffrogge had one assist in three games with the Oil Kings in the 2023-24 campaign before joining the Raiders. In 60 regular season games with the Raiders, Hoffrogge recorded one goal and 17 assists. The Saskatoon product had one assist in the Raiders five post-season contests.

Turner McMillen joined the Raiders on January 5.

“Jacob was just a steady guy nothing flashy or anything like that,” said Truitt. “He is a tremendous skater that helped out with our younger guys kind of taking care of (Doogan) Pederson and (Tyrone) Sobry back there a little bit.

“You can’t ask much more from a 20-year-old that way.”

McMillen, who is an alumnus of the Prince Albert Mintos under-18 AAA team, had two goals and two assists in six games with the Rockets before being released. The Cairevale, Sask., product posted five goals and five assists in 11 games with the Bruins.

In 31 regular season games with the Raiders, McMillan had seven goals and 11 assists. He was held off the score sheet in the Raiders five post-season outings.

“We picked him (McMillan) up, and he came in and did a tremendous job,” said Truitt. “He is a good player.

“He plays with some power. He takes the body. He can shoot.

Sloan Stanick (#23) lead the Raiders with 84 points in 2023-24.

“He has that 20-year-old little bit of savvy too as well, which is great.”

Stanick, who is from Rapid City, Man., had an outstanding season leading the Raiders in scoring with 84 points coming off 30 goals and 54 assists appearing in all of the team’s 68 regular season contests. He had four assists in the Raiders five post-season games.

In 196 career regular season games with the Raiders, Stanick posted 81 goals and 112 assists for 193 points.

“Sloan Stanick again is just a tremendous player that we’re hoping that he gets a pro opportunity,” said Truitt.

Looking towards next season, the Raiders are going to return a solid core groups with one more season of experience under their collective belts. Barring any trade activity, that group will contain star right-winger Ryder Ritchie, who will be 18-years-old, offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen, who will be 19-years-old and star netminder Max Hildebrand, who will be 20-years-old.

“That is going to be the nucleus of our team,” said Truitt. “(Terrell) Goldsmith is in there as well.

The Raiders contemplate their campaign coming to an end on Friday.

“There are lots of them. Aiden Oiring has been a tremendous player for us as well. We like the pieces that we have coming back, and we’ll add to it with some of our younger guys.”

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 boot Raiders from first round of WHL Playoffs

Rebels up next for rematch from 2023 post-season

The Blades celebrate an empty-net goal from Trevor Wong (#38).

The Saskatoon Blades delivered a big blow with an early surge of goals their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders couldn’t recover from.

Now, “the Bridge City Bunch” will meet another post-season foe they achieved a historical accomplishment against a year ago.

On Friday before 9,869 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades downed the Raiders 6-2 in Game 5 of their best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs. With the win, the Blades take the set 4-1.

The Blades advance to face the Red Deer Rebels in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Rebels closed out their best-of-seven first round series with a 5-2 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat in Game 5 of that set on Friday.

Brandon Lisowsky scored the Blades first goal on Friday.

In the 2023 playoffs, the Blades and Raiders went at it in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal. The Rebels won the first three games of the series, but the Blades claimed the last four games of the set to take the series 4-3. In the process, Saskatoon became just the third team in the history of the WHL to comeback from a 3-0 series deficit to win a series.

As for the series that just wrapped up between the Blades and Raiders, Blades head coach Brennan Sonne appreciated the unique aspect of going against the Raiders for the first time in the post-season as Saskatoon’s bench boss.

“The game on the ice itself was very gritty,” said Sonne. “I really enjoyed the fandom.

Ben Saunderson (#2) reacts to scoring the Blades second goal.

“I love the crowds we got. I enjoyed even the crowds they had. It felt like a real true playoff series.

“I really enjoyed it. I hope the fans enjoyed to, because their support was phenomenal. In both buildings, it was great.”

Entering the first round series between Saskatoon and Prince Albert, the Blades came into the set as heavy favourites. They finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Raiders entered the WHL Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 31-32-2-3 mark.

With the difference in the standings noted, Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt liked the compete level his club displayed against the Blades.

Alexander Suzdalev scored the Blades third goal.

“If you take a look at the series, you are up against a tremendously talented team,” said Truitt. “You always go into every playoff series believing you can win, because the slate is clean.

“As the games go on, you have to tweak and see what they’re doing and what you’re doing. We played to our capabilities. We win one game.

“We lose one in overtime. A couple of them were a little bit more distanced, but I won’t fault our guys for anything on their effort. They played hard.”

As for Friday’s clash itself, the Raiders came out and got the first three shots on goal in the contest. At that point, momentum jumped on the side of the Blades in a big way as they surged ahead 4-0.

Fraser Minten scored the Blades fourth goal on Friday.

At the 3:24 mark of the opening frame, Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky jumped on a mishandled puck by a Raiders defenceman in the Prince Albert zone. Lisowsky proceeded to wire a shot from the left faceoff circle through Raiders star netminder Max Hildebrand for his first of the post-season to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. The tally came on the Blades second shot of the game.

During the regular season, Lisowsky appeared in all of the Blades 68 games posting career highs in goals (42), assists (38), points (80) and the plus-minus department (plus-26). While he hadn’t scored in the first four games of the series, Lisowsky, who is a 19-year-old veteran, learned that when he went through scoreless stretches in the past not to press but to play like he normally plays when he is on hot stretches.

The fans at the SaskTel Centre cheer on the Blades.

“Obviously as a goal scorer, you want to score and you want to help the team win,” said Lisowsky. “I kind of know just not to grip the stick too tight and not to go anything about being different.

“I try to be myself. I thought our line has been playing really good, and I thought we got rewarded tonight.”

Blades defenceman Ben Saunderson proceeded to convert a backdoor feed at the left side of the Prince Albert net to put the Blades up 2-0 at the 5:57 mark of the opening frame. Saunderson cashed in a beauty setup feed from Blades captain Trevor Wong, who was positioned beside the right faceoff dot. Saunderson’s tally was the Blades third shot on goal of the contest.

Niall Crocker reacts to scoring for the Raiders in the first period.

Just 73 seconds later, Blades star 19-year-old right-winger Alexander Suzdalev tipped home a shot from the point by Lisowsky to push the host side’s advantage out to 3-0.

With 7:24 remaining in the first, Blades star centre Fraser Minten wired a midrange shot home from the Prince Albert goal to cap the surge that put Saskatoon up by four goals. Minten’s tally came on the Blades 10^th shot of the contest.

“It is a nice way to start a game that is for sure instead of chasing it or anything like that,” said Sonne. “Having a big start like that just makes it a lot easier.”

The Blades and Raiders get into some rough stuff on Friday.

The Raiders tried to stop the bleeding. With 5:47 remaining in the first, Raiders right-winger Niall Crocker popped home his third goal of the post-season to cut the Blades lead to 4-1.

With 18.5 seconds left in the first, Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner was knocked into by Raiders offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen after Christensen was pushed from behind by Blades defenceman Charlie Wright. Christensen was given a minor for goaltender interference on the play.

Gardner was checked by a Blades trainer but stayed in goal for the rest of the frame.

When the teams came out for the start of the second, Austin Elliott came out to take up the goalie spot for the Blades, and Gardner wasn’t on the bench. Gardner stopped 8-of-9 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Ellliott turned away 15-of-16 shots playing the rest of the way in goal in relief for Saskatoon.

Austin Elliott makes one of his 15 saves in goal for the Blades.

Blades star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong also missed the final two periods of the contest. Sonne didn’t have any updates to pass along about either player at game’s end.

Frustration started to boil over at points for the Raiders in the second. With 6:06 remaining in the frame, Raiders import left-winger Krzysztof Macias nailed Blades centre Lukas Hansen with an elbow to the head. Macias was given a major for checking to the head and a game misconduct. The penalty to Macias will trigger an automatic review from the WHL office for a possible suspension to be applied next season.

The Blades were unable to score on the subsequent man advantage.

The Raiders enjoy a goal from Harrison Lodewyk (#29).

Raiders 16-year-old rookie right-winger Luke Moroz was serving Macias’s penalty, and when the infraction expired, Moroz came out of the penalty box and found himself on a breakaway. Lisowsky jetted up ice on the backcheck and poked the puck away from Moroz to prevent a scoring chance.

“I knew the penalty was getting to an end,” said Lisowsky. “I don’t really know how the puck got there.

“I’m going to have to watch it on video. I just saw a guy out of the box. I just wanted to catch him.

“It could have been a different game, if he scored that. It definitely could have been a different game, so I really wanted to get him and kind of show a 200-foot game from myself. I just had my legs, and I was trying to move as fast as I can.”

Trevor Wong scored a goal for the Blades.

With 4:54 remaining in the third, Raiders left-winger Harrison Lodewyk broke into the Saskatoon zone down the right wing, cut wide around the Blades defence to get alone in front of the Saskatoon net and tucked home his first of the post-season. That tally trimmed the Blades lead to 4-2.

“That is the big thing about our club is they will never give up,” said Truitt. “It has been like that all year long.

“We’ve come from behind to win games. We’ve stuck to it when we’ve had to defend. We won some shootout games and things like that.

“We’ve been down three or four goals before this year and have come back. The belief was still there, but we knew it was going to be a challenge. Again, our guys worked and competed right to the end.”

The Blades start celebrating their series win on Friday.

The Blades called a timeout a short time after the tally by Lodewyk. They snuffed out the attempted rally with an empty net goal from Wong with four minutes remaining in the frame to give the Blades a 5-2 advantage.

Wright added a short-handed empty-net goal with 2:11 left in the frame to round out the 6-2 final in favour of the host side. The tally came on the Blades 40^th shot of the contest.

Hildebrand turned away 35-of-39 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders.

While the Blades will face the Rebels in one Eastern Conference semifinal series, the other Eastern Conference semifinal will see the Moose Jaw Warriors take on the Swift Current Broncos in a rivalry clash. 

The Raiders react to their campaign coming to an end.

The Warriors swept the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round, while the Broncos had the brooms out to take out the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Game 1 of the series between the Blades and Rebels is set for this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Before thinking about what is to come against the Rebels, Sonne wants his club to enjoy the series win against the Raiders and some down time too.

“They hear from me so much they don’t need to hear from me for a day or two for sure,” said Sonne. “For all of us and the staff too, we have to get around our family a little bit too.

Max Hildebrand (#30) and Egor Sidorov (#19) pass on well wishes.

“We have to be human beings a little bit. It is the only way you stay centred and grounded and maintain the perspective you need to be a really good coach. They don’t need to hear from me for a day or two that is for sure.”

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Blades, Raiders focused on the right now in WHL post-season

Saskatoon tries eliminate rival Prince Albert in Game 5

Blades HC Brennan Sonne wants his team to focus on the present.

For Brennan Sonne, it is all about right now for his Saskatoon Blades.

On Friday, the Blades have a chance to close out their best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs against their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders. The two sides will do battle in Game 5 at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

The Raiders claimed victory in the first game of the series, and the Blades have won three straight since then to lead the set 3-1. Sonne, who is the Blades head coach, said his team has to have their total focus on winning Game 5.

“It is just every game is its own beast,” said Sonne. “We just have to reset and refocus, not live in the past, not live in the future and just live in the present and be ready for the start of the first period in Game 5.”

Raiders HC Jeff Truitt passes on instruction to his players.

Entering the first round series between Saskatoon and Prince Albert, the Blades came into the set as heavy favourites. They finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Raiders entered the WHL Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 31-32-2-3 mark.

Prince Albert claimed Game 1 of the series 4-3 back on March 28 to give belief that an upset is possible. The Raiders dropped a 4-3 overtime heartbreaker in Game 3 of the series at home on Tuesday. If the Raiders would have won that contest, the complexion heading into the series for Game 5 would have been different.

Max Hildebrand has a .903 save percentage in the playoffs.

Facing elimination, the Raiders lone goal is to force a Game 6 back at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert on Saturday. They are well aware their backs are against the wall.

“She is one day at a time, and one period at a time,” said Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt. “Now, it has to be at our best.

“We’ve won in that building before. We’ll see where it goes.”

Raiders star netminder Max Hildebrand has done his best to give his team a chance to win on a nightly basis. He has stopped 130-of-144 shots in the series for a .903 save percentage.

The Blades have gotten great goaltending from breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner. Since entering the series at the start of Game 2, Gardner, who turned 18-years-old in January, has stopped 64-of-69 shots for a .928 save percentage.

Evan Gardner has a .928 save percentage in the playoffs

Raiders star 17-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie has been stellar in the series leading his club in scoring with six points coming on three goals and three assists. Truitt said Ritchie has found another level.

“I see a little bit of expansion to his game,” said Truitt. “He is in tight quarters.

“He is being very elusive with the puck. He is putting himself in opportunities to shoot the puck and get goals. He is also doing a good job of distributing the pucks and staying in motion.

“He is just not standing still. He is distributing and giving himself some space and putting himself in good situations to get perhaps a second opportunity. He has been great.”

Ryder Ritchie has six points in four post-season games.

Blades star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong was a member of the Winnipeg Ice last season when they advanced to the WHL Championship Series falling to the Seattle Thunderbirds in five games. When the Ice franchise moved to Wenatchee to become the Wenatchee Wild, Armstrong followed the club to the state of Washington.

He played four regular season games with the Wild at the start of the 2023-24 campaign before the Blades acquired him in a trade on October 10, 2023. The Blades gave up a third round selection in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and a conditional sixth round pick in the 2027 Prospects Draft to get Armstrong.

The Los Angeles, Calif., product said he has enjoyed his time with both franchises, and he believes the Blades have an intangible special feeling going on.

Easton Armstrong has seven points in four post-season games.

“Both teams have been unbelievable,” said Armstrong. “It has been such a good experience.

“I think this is one of the best cultures I’ve ever been a part of. That has been unbelievable. I don’t think I can really compare the two teams, because it is two complete different teams.

“I think the culture here is unbelievable.”

When the Blades took both Games 3 and 4 in Prince Albert, Armstrong was so strong in both those contest he became the target of boos from the Raiders faithful. In Game 3, Armstrong had a hat trick including the winner in the 4-3 overtime triumph. He was later credited with an assist on the Blades third goal.

The Raiders tackle Blades LW Easton Armstrong.

In Game 4 on Wednesday, Armstrong scored with 1.7 seconds to play in the first period to start the Blades on their way to a 4-1 victory.

Armstrong said it would be big for the Blades to eliminate the Raiders on Friday. At the moment, it appears the first round of the WHL’s post-season could be a quick one.

Out of the eight first round series, four of them have already ended in sweeps. In the Eastern Conference bracket, the Central Division champion Swift Current Broncos swept away the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Blades and Raiders players get tangles up.

On Thursday in Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors dumped the host Wheat Kings 6-2 to take Game 4 of that series and close out a sweep. The Warriors jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first period and cruised to victory from there.

The other four series in the first round all have the potential to conclude in Game 5.

Armstrong said it is big his squad is in a position to close things out at home.

“It is huge,” said Armstrong, who leads the Blades with seven points in the post-season coming on five goals and two assists. “If we get an opportunity to win on Friday night, then we get a little bit of a break towards the next series.

The Blades and Raiders engage in some rough stuff.

“That would be pretty huge going into round two if we were able to finish it.”

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Blades knock Raiders down to last life with 4-1 win in Game 4

Saskatoon takes 3-1 lead in first round WHL playoff series

The Blades celebrate a goal from Misha Volotovskii (#17).

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Saskatoon Blades are runnin’ back to Saskatoon with the chance to knock their archrivals out of the 2024 WHL Playoffs.

On Wednesday night before a standing room crowd of 2,926 spectators at the 2,580 at the Art Hauser Centre, the Blades downed the host Prince Albert Raiders 4-1 holding a 36-16 edge in shots on goal in Game 4 of a best-of-seven first round series. With the win, the Blades take a commanding 3-1 lead in the set.

They will have a chance to put the series away back in Saskatoon in Game 5, which is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

“I thought there were some stretches of some really good stuff,” said Blades head coach Brennan Sonne. “I’m definitely pleased with how we played overall.

Misha Volotovskii had a goal and an assist for the Blades.

“There are always little things we are looking to adjust, but in general, I thought we played really hard.”

The Blades came storming out of the gate in the opening frame. It took a number of saves by Raiders star netminder Max Hildebrand to keep the visitors at bay.

Early in the first, Hildebrand turned away a smart redirection from Blades 18-year-old left-winger Rowan Calvert from the front of the Prince Albert net. Later on in the frame, Hildebrand stoned Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov with a shoulder stop on a shot from the right of the Prince Albert goal.

The Blades finally broke through on the scoreboard with 1.7 seconds remaining in the first. While working on the power play, Blades star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong banged home a goal from the left of the Prince Albert net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Raiders C Turner McMillen, left, battles Blades LW Easton Armstrong.

The tally was Armstrong’s fourth goal in the last two games. He had a hat trick in the Blades 4-3 overtime win in Game 3 on Tuesday in Prince Albert.

“Every night is a new night,” said Armstrong. “You just come and try to play your hardest, and obviously, my teammates have really helped me out along the way.

“The puck has been going my way, and that has been nice.”

The Los Angeles, Calif., product was pleased he was able to break his team through on the scoreboard on Wednesday night after Hildebrand came through keeping the visitors at bay to that point in the contest.

Max Hildebrand stopped 32-of-35 shots in goal for the Raiders.

“Obviously, it is huge to score late in a period,” said Armstrong. “It brings momentum into the next period.

“I definitely thought we played a lot more full of a game tonight. We just came and played 20 guys for 60 minutes.”

The Blades kept their momentum going early in the second and benefitted from some great play by 18-year-old centre Misha Volotovskii. At the three-minute mark of the second, Volotovskii floated a shot from the point through a screen into the Prince Albert net to push the visitor’s edge out to 2-0.

Just 3:03 later, the Volotovskii had the puck on the left wing boards and centred a pass to Blades offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk. Molendyk one-timed home a midrange shot to give the Blades a 3-0 advantage.

Easton Armstrong (#27) reacts to scoring late in the first period.

“He (Volotovskii) just played hard and smart,” said Sonne, who was named the East Division’s nominee for the WHL’s coach of the year award on Wednesday. “He didn’t force anything.

“He was just getting heavy in the offensive zone and just pounced on opportunities when they were there as opposed to trying to force things and create things out of nothing.”

When the second intermission came around, the Blades went into the break holding their 3-0 advantage along with a 25-11 edge in shots on goal.

“I think at times I think that they just had the puck in our zone at will,” said Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt. “They did what they wanted to do and hemmed us in there for quite a while.

Tanner Molendyk had the Blades third goal on Wednesday.

“They are strong on pucks. From our standpoint, there had to be a little bit more emotion in that offensive zone just not standing still, so we can open up holes. We have to generate things that way.”

Truitt said there were times his Raiders had chances to come through with a traction moment to get the game turned around, and a cash in on one of those chances could have changed the game around.

“We didn’t get a lot of quality looks,” said Truitt. “We had some chances, and I think that if we would have capitalized on a few of our chances it could have been a different story.

“We have to generate more dangerous opportunities in traffic to the net. It is tough sledding out there, and you’ve got a get pucks and traffic to the net and fight for second opportunities and grind it out. We came up short here tonight.”

Ryder Ritchie scored for the Raiders in the third period.

The Raiders were able to battle back a little bit in the third. At the 4:02 mark of the frame while working on the power play, Raiders star 17-year-old star right-winger Ryder Ritchie blew into the Saskatoon zone down the left wing and potted home a shot that Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner got a piece of, but the puck flipped into the net to cut the Saskatoon lead to 3-1.

With about four minutes to go in the third, the Raiders pulled Hildebrand for an extra attacker, but the comeback wasn’t to be. Sidorov, who signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, sealed the final outcome scoring into an empty net with 2:01 remaining in the third.

Hildebrand turned away 32-of-35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders. Gardner, who was named the East Division’s nominee for WHL rookie of the year, stopped 15 shots to pick up the win in net for the Blades.

Egor Sidorov had an empty net goal for the Blades.

The only down part for the Blades was veteran left-winger Tyler Parr had to be helped off the ice leaving the game with 16:11 remaining in the third.

Entering the first round series between Saskatoon and Prince Albert, the Blades finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Raiders entered the WHL Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 31-32-2-3 mark.

Sonne was pleased his club was able to win both Games 3 and 4 in Prince Albert after the two sides split Games 1 and 2 in Saskatoon. The Blades bench boss said the series hasn’t been easy and now the focus shifts for the opportunity his squad has on Friday at home.

The Blades celebrate their win on Wednesday.

“This is a series,” said Sonne. “This is a war.

“It is first to four. We just have to turn the page and get ready for Game 5.”

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Armstrong “Hulks up” for Blades

Scores hat trick and OT winner in Game 3 against Raiders

Easton Armstrong (#27) scores the OT winner for the Blades.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Easton Armstrong was 1980s Hulk Hogan, and his Saskatoon Blades followed his lead.

On Tuesday night at the Art Hauser Centre, Armstrong and the Blades took on their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders in Game 3 of a best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs. Like a 1980s Hulk Hogan match in the WWE, Armstrong and the Blades came out on fire.

Armstrong, the Blades star overage left-winger from Los Angeles, Calif., scored twice to push the Blades out to a 2-0 lead holding a 16-4 edge in shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes. Like a Hulk Hogan 1980s match, the opponent then takes control of the situation.

Easton Armstrong celebrates scoring the OT winner for the Blades.

The Raiders outscored the Blades 3-1 and shots on goal were even 17-17 over the next two periods. With 5:38 remaining in the third, Raiders 18-year-old centre Aiden Oiring slipped in the equalizer from just off to the right of the Saskatoon net to force a 3-3 tie and ultimately overtime.

At that point in a 1980’s Hulk Hogan match, Hogan “Hulks up,” hits his foe with three straight punches, either body slams or knocks his foe to the canvas with a foot to the jaw and proceeds to hit the leg drop for the win.

Armstrong and the Blades proceeded to “Hulk up” having 58 seconds of power play time to work with at the start of the extra session. Just 23 seconds into overtime, Blades captain Trevor Wong centred a pass from the left boards in the Prince Albert zone to Armstrong in front of the Raiders net. Armstrong deflected the winner past Raiders star netminder Max Hildebrand to give the Blades a 4-3 victory and a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Blades mob Easton Armstrong after he scores his OT winner.

With the Blades playing on the road in a rink where they are seen as the most hated visiting club, it felt like a victory by 1990s Hulk Hogan when he was leading the NWO in WCW. The standing room crowd of 2,930 spectators in the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre rained down boos.

The reaction was like 1990s Hulk Hogan in the NWO getting away with hitting an opponent in the head with a chair shot to pick up the victory.

Of course, the gathering of Blades supporters that made their way to the game were elated with the result. Had that outcome happened at the Blades home rink in the SaskTel Centre, the celebration would have been like a 1980s Hulk Hogan win in the WWE with Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” playing in place of Rick Derringer’s “Real American.”

Easton Armstrong had a hat trick for the Blades on Tuesday.

Outside of the comparisons to the unreal world of professional wrestling, Tuesday’s game was a huge win for the Blades and a heartbreaker for the Raiders. 

The Raiders had to come away lamenting their errors and missed chances which could have easily reversed the result of the Game 3 clash and given the Prince Albert side that much more belief and extra gas in trying to manufacture a major post-season upset.

The Blades finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Raiders entered the WHL Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 31-32-2-3 mark.

Krzysztof Macias had the Raiders first goal on Tuesday.

While the Blades controlled play in the opening 20 minutes, they build their 2-0 lead on two gaffs by Raiders players.

At the 5:56 mark of the second, Raiders veteran left-winger Niall Crocker put a blind backhand pass from the right boards down across his own blue-line, and the puck was picked off by Armstrong. Armstrong zipped into the Prince Albert zone and tucked home his second of the post-season to put the Blades up 1-0.

Just over three minutes later, the Blades were pressing in the Prince Albert zone on the forecheck. Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov was pressuring Raiders overage defenceman Jacob Hoffrogge.

Ryder Ritchie had the Raiders second goal on Tuesday.

Hoffrogge lost the puck to Armstrong, who was positioned at the right side of the Prince Albert net. Armstrong quickly popped his second of the contest to give the Blades a 2-0 at the 9:03 mark of the opening frame.

Late in the first, the Raiders almost got a traction moment. Blades 19-year-old defensive-defenceman John Babcock gave away the puck in his own zone to Raiders star 20-year-old left-winger Sloan Stanick. Stanick wasn’t able to cash in on the gift sliding a shot past the Saskatoon net.

Early in the second, Raiders 19-year-old import left-winger Krzysztof Macias came through with a big traction moment for his side. Macias broke into the Saskatoon zone down the right wing, cut around the Blades defence and the front of the Saskatoon net and popped home his first of the post-season to cut the Blades lead to 2-1 at the 2:51 mark of the frame.

Aiden Oiring had the goal that forced overtime on Tuesday.

The host side proceeded to even the score 2-2 at the 11:32 mark of the second on the power play. Stanick had the puck on the left wing boards, and he passed it across the front of the Saskatoon net to Raiders star 17-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie by the right wing boards. Ritchie wired home his second of the post-season for the equalizer.

Before the second period ended, the Blades went back out in front off another Raiders turnover. Raiders captain Eric Johnston had the puck behind his own icing line and was pressured by Armstrong.

Johnston put a blind backhand pass up the right wing, which was picked off by Blades captain Trevor Wong. Wong quickly fired home his first of the playoffs to put the Blades in front 3-2 with 2:47 remaining in the second.

Sloan Stanick had two assists for the Raiders on Tuesday.

Before Oiring potted his equalizer, the Raiders had a number of big chances to hit the scoreboard before that moment. Offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen was stopped alone right in front of the goal by Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner.

Ritchie proceeded to fire a drive off the post, Johnston was denied by a Gardner glove save on a screen shot attempt, and Gardner made a key pad save off Macias.

After Oiring tied the game, Stanick was hit with a tripping call with 62 seconds remaining in the third. 

The Blades power play that had been scoreless in five attempts to that point in the contest was due. 

Trevor Wong scored the Blades third goal on Tuesday.

The sixth time with the man advantage was the charm with Armstrong getting his well-executed winner in overtime.

Hildebrand turned away 31 shots to take the extra time setback in net for the Raiders. Evan Gardner stopped 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades.

Stanick had a pair of assists for the Raiders. Ritchie had a helper to go with his goal.

The Raiders were 1-for-5 on the power play, and the Blades were 1-for-6 with the man advantage.

The two squads go at it again in Game 4 on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

The thrill of sudden victory belonged to the Blades on Tuesday.

There could still be a long way to go in this rivalry series, and we will see who next will step into the hero’s role like Armstrong did on Tuesday night for the Blades.

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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