Vs
 September 24/10 7:05 PM |
First place in the Eastern Conference is on the line tonight as the Saskatoon Blades play host to the Brandon Wheat Kings at Credit Union Centre. Game time is 7:05 pm.
Defenseman Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC) leads the Blades in scoring this season against the Wheaties with a goal and 4 assists for 5 points. Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) and Josh Nicholls (Tsawwassen, BC) are tied for second with 3 points.
Matt Calvert (8 G, 1 A) and Brayden Schenn (1 G, 8 A) share the scoring lead for the Wheat Kings versus the Blades this year with 9 points each.
In goal for the Wheat Kings, Andrew Hayes is 2-1 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .916 save percentage in four appearances against Saskatoon. Jacob De Serres is 2-0 with a 2.31 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.
Hulak leads the Blades in scoring this season with 23 goals and 40 assists for 63 points. Wintoneak is second on the team with 21 goals and 35 assists for 56 points on the campaign. Elliott is third with 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points and is sixth in scoring for WHL defensemen.
Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) is tops on the team and tied for fourth in the WHL with 144 penalty minutes this season. Curt Gogol (Calgary, AB), currently out of the lineup with an injured thumb, is second on the Blades and tied for eighth in the league with 133 penalty minutes.
In goal, Stanford is 20-6-3-0 with a 2.76 goals against average (10th in the WHL) and a .905 save percentage in 31 appearances. Morrison has a 15-8-0-3 record with a 3.12 goals against average and .898 save percentage in 28 games played this year.
The Blades enter the game with the 19th-ranked power play in the Western Hockey League at 15.8%. The Bridge City Bunch is tied for 5th in the league on the penalty kill at 83.3%.
Brandon is led offensively by Calvert, who has 35 goals and 37 assists for 72 points and is tied for fifth in WHL scoring. Schenn, a Saskatoon product, is second in team scoring with 23 goals and 44 assists for 67 points and is tenth in league scoring. Aaron Lewadniuk is third on the team with 28 goals and 36 assists for 64 points. Colby Robak leads the team from the back end with 11 goals and 39 assists for 50 points and is tied for third amongst WHL defensemen.
Rookie defenseman Ryley Miller leads the team in penalty minutes with 115 this season.
The Wheat Kings feature a host of players in the WHL top 10 for plus/minus. Robak is tops in the entire league with an impressive +41 rating. Alexander Urbom is second on both the team and the league list at +34. Calvert and Brodie Melnychuk are tied for third on both lists at +33. Lewadniuk is tied for seventh in the league at +32. Finally, Schenn and Jay Fehr are tied for tenth in the league at +28.
In between the pipes, Hayes comes into tonight’s game with a 20-12-0-2 record with a 2.82 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. De Serres, meanwhile, is 17-6-0-1 with a 3.10 goals against average and a .894 save percentage.
The Wheat Kings are tied for 9th in the WHL for power play efficiency at 21.2% this season. The team’s penalty kill unit is 19th in the league at a 75.3% rate.
Upon entering the building make sure to secure your free Saskatoon Blades program. Check the Homer’s Pizza advertisement in the program and if your page is signed by a Blades player you could win a free large pizza and doughnuts.