Blades Battle Hitmen On Rogers Sportsnet
March 8, 2010 – Western Hockey League (WHL) Saskatoon BladesThe Saskatoon Blades face the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Calgary Hitmen, in an afternoon affair at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. Game time is 3:00 pm (Sask. time).
This is the fourth and final time this season that the Blades and Hitmen will face off. The Blades lead the season series with a 2-1 record.
Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) leads the Blades’ offensive charge against the Hitmen with two goals and four assists for six points. Gaelan Patterson (Saskatoon, SK) and Travis Toomey (Leduc, AB) are tied for second with a goal and three assists each.
Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) is 2-0 this season against the Hitmen with a 1.00 goals against average and a.957 save percentage. Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) has one start against Calgary and made 25 saves in a losing cause.
The Hitmen are led in the season series by Brandon Kozun, who has two goals and four assists for six points. Joel Broda is next with two goals and an assist for three points.
In goal, Martin Jones is 1-1 against the Blades with a 3.55 goals against average and a.860 save percentage. Michael Snider took the loss in the opening game of the season between the two clubs after stopping 26 of 31 shots.
The Blades (44-16-3-4, 95 points, 2nd in East Division, 3rd in Eastern Conference) come into tonight’s game following a 6-4 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings last night. Charles Inglis (Saskatoon, SK) had two goals while Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB), Elliott, Marek Viedensky (Handlova, Slovakia), and Hulak added singles for the Blades. Morrison stopped 25 shots to claim the win in relief in goal.
Hulak is the Blades’ scoring leader this season with 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points. Wintoneak sits second with 24 goals and 46 assists for 70 points. Elliott is third on the team in scoring with 24 goals and 38 assists for 62 points and is tied for third for WHL defensemen.
Hulak is the team leader for goals with 31 markers this season.
Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) leads the Blades and is tied for eighth in the Western Hockey League for penalty minutes this season with 159. Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) is second on the team and tenth in the WHL with 156 penalty minutes.
Three Blades are in the WHL Top 10 for plus/minus currently. Elliott is sixth in the league at +39 this season. Hulak is eighth in the league at +37. Finally, Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) is tenth at +35.
Between the pipes, Stanford is 26-8-3-1 with a 2.78 goals against average and a.898 save percentage in 41 appearances this season. Morrison, meanwhile, is 18-10-0-3 with a 3.06 goals against average and a.901 save percentage in 33 appearances this season.
The Blades are 19th in the WHL in power play efficiency at 16.2% this season. The team is ranked #7 in the league on the penalty kill at 82.0%.
The Hitmen (48-17-1-2, 99 points, 1st in Cental Division, 1st in Eastern Conference) come into tonight’s game having earned points in nine straight games. The team also played last night on the road, blanking the Kootenay Ice 6-0.
Kozun leads the hockey club in scoring this season with 30 goals and 65 assists for 95 points and sits in third in the WHL scoring race. Tyler Shattock is second on the team with 28 goals and 45 assists for 73 points. Broda is third on the Hitmen with 35 goals and 32 assists for 67 points. Michael Stone leads the team’s rearguards with 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points.
Broda leads the team in goals with 35 this season.
Cody Beach leads the team in penalty minutes with 155 on the season.
Tyler Fiddler, a product of Prince Albert, is the team leader in plus/minus at +20 on the campaign.
Jones has made 45 appearances this season and has a 33-11-0-1 record to go along with a 2.27 goals against average (1st in the WHL) and a.918 save percentage (T-4th in the WHL). Snider has played in 23 games this season and has a 15-5-1-1 record with a 2.61 goals against average (6th in the WHL) and a.898 save percentage.
The Hitmen feature the 2nd-ranked power play in the WHL at 26.9% on the season. The team’s penalty kill unit is working at an 87.3% clip this year and is ranked 1st in the entire league.
Tonight’s game can be heard live on 92.9 The Bull. The game can also be seen on tape delay across Canada on each of the Rogers Sportsnet channels and in the United States on the NHL Network.
The next Blades home game is Tuesday night when the Moose Jaw Warriors are in town. Game time at Credit Union Centre is 7:05 pm. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.ca, by calling 938-7800, or by visiting any Ticketmaster location.
The Blades are pleased to announce that 2010 WHL Playoff packages are now available for rounds 1 and 2. For more information on securing your package call the Blades office at 975-8844 or stop by the playoff ticket booth at Tuesday’s game.
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Western Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2010 • Portland Winterhawks This Week – Portland Winterhawks • Chiefs News: Chiefs Enter Final Week Of Regular Season – Spokane Chiefs • Beattie Homes Hockey Mums Fight Breast Cancer Campaign Raises Over $22,000 – Calgary Hitmen • Kelowna Rockets’ Brandon McMillan Named Boston Pizza WHL Player Of The Week – WHL • Weekly Ice Report – Kootenay Ice • Americans Ink Prospect Grist – Tri-City Americans • Brett Connolly To Play Tuesday Vs. Chilliwack, Cougars Call Up Troy Bourke – Prince George Cougars • Blazers Week In Review – Kamloops Blazers • Help Support The Humane Society – Brandon Wheat Kings • Raiders This Week – Prince Albert Raiders • Calgary Hitmen Announce First Two Home Dates Of 2010 WHL Playoffs – Calgary Hitmen • Playoff Bound – Moose Jaw Warriors • Warriors Prepare For Playoffs – Moose Jaw Warriors • The Road To The 2010 WHL Playoffs – WHL • Blazers Sign Sterzer; Mowat Called Up – Kamloops Blazers • Blades Blasted By Potent Hitmen Power Play – Saskatoon Blades • Blades Battle Hitmen On Rogers Sportsnet – Saskatoon Blades • Pats Weekly – Regina Pats • Tri-City Rally Falls Short In 4-3 Loss To Seattle – Tri-City Americans • Oil Kings Fall On Road In Medicine Hat – Edmonton Oil Kings
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You Don't Have To Say Sorry For That.(: &It Was Great But Now Its Ruined Cause Lakers Are Losing.:
linda!
wow…another win for that mawfucka…..” Thats my last piece of fried chicken”!!!!
RT #donewithlife
@Lilibeth_Paola get ready cause next round I think they’re losing to OKC”