Blades Seek Revenge on Broncos
The Saskatoon Blades get right back at it tonight with a visit to Swift Current to take on the Broncos in a rematch of last night’s overtime battle. Game time at the Credit Union i-Plex is 7:30 pm.
Head-to-Head
The Blades and Broncos renew acquaintances for the seventh time this season tonight with the Blades having a 4-1-1-0 record and the Broncos a 2-4-0-0 record.
Charles Inglis (Saskatoon, SK) and Jeremy Boyer (Saskatoon, SK) share the lead in scoring for the Blades against the Broncos this year with five points each.
In goal, Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) has made five appearances against Swift Current and is 4-1 after making 139 saves on 150 shots. Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) is 0-1 and turned aside 34 of 40 shots.
Veteran forward Cody Eakin leads the Broncos’ charge against the Blades this season with six goals. Derek Claffey has chipped in five assists from the back end.
Mark Friesen has seen action in the three most recent games and is 1-2 with 89 saves on 99 shots. Morgan Clark started the first three games between the clubs and is 1-2 with 90 saves on 97 shots.
Saskatoon Blades
The Blades (33-11-3-3, 72 points, 2nd in East Division, 3rd in Eastern Conference) dropped a 4-3 decision to the Broncos last night that drops them to just one win in their last five contests. Marek Viedensky (Handlova, Slovakia) had two goals in the game while Brent Benson (Weyburn, SK) added a single. Stanford stopped 39 of 43 shots in between the pipes.
Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) is the leading scorer for the Blades with 20 goals and 38 assists for 58 points on the season. Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB), with 20 goals and 33 assists for 53 points,is second on the team. Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC) is third on the team with 18 goals and 28 assists for 46 points which puts the third-year rearguard in a tie for fifth in scoring amongst WHL defensemen.
Hulak and Wintoneak each have 20 goals this season, tops for the team in that category.
The Blades have a pair of players near the top of the WHL penalty minutes list. Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) leads the team and is second overall in the WHL with 142 penalty minutes on the season. Injured forward Curt Gogol (Calgary, AB) is second on the team and seventh overall in the league with 133 penalty minutes.
Two Blades are in the WHL top 10 for plus/minus this season. Elliott is second in the league with a +32 rating and Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) is tied for third in the league with a +31 rating.
In goal, Stanford has made 28 appearances this season and is 18-5-3-0 to go along with a 2.58 goals against average (4th in the WHL) and a .909 save percentage (7th in the WHL). Morrison has made 27 appearances this season and sports a 15-8-0-3 record with a 3.06 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.
The Blades have the 19th ranked power play in the WHL at 16.4% and broke out of a 0/44 slump with a pair of goals with the man advantage last night. The team’s penalty kill unit is ranked 4th in the league at 84.1%.
Swift Current Broncos
The Broncos (26-23-0-3, 55 points, T-4th in East Division, T-8th in Eastern Conference) won their second straight game in overtime with last night’s victory over the Blades to pull them back into a playoff position.
Eakin leads the Broncos and is seventh in the WHL with 36 goals and 32 assists for 68 points this season. Justin Dowling is second on the team with 22 goals and 35 assists for 57 points. Brad Hoban is third in team scoring with 14 goals and 29 assists for 43 points. Claffey leads the team’s defensemen with 5 goals and 18 assists for 23 points.
Eakin is alone at the top of the Western Hockey League with 36 goals on the campaign.
Winger Michael Stickland is the Broncos’ leader in penalty minutes with 81 on the season.
Adam Lowry has the top plus/minus rating on the team at +12.
In between the pipes, Friesen leads the Broncos in appearances with 41 on the season, split between Swift Current and Chilliwack. The 19-year-old has compiled a 15-16-0-5 record with a 3.22 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. Clark has a record of 15-11-0-1 to go along with a 3.26 goals against average and an .894 save percentage in 32 appearances this season.
The Broncos have the 18th ranked power play in the WHL at 17.3%. The team’s penalty kill unit is working at an 83.1% clip this year, putting them 5th overall in the league.
Blades vs Broncos
Tonight’s game can be heard live on 92.9 The Bull with “The Voice of the Blades” Les Lazaruk. The game is also available for purchase on WHL WebTV.
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