Blades tame Tigers to increase winning streak

The Saskatoon Blades tamed the Medicine Hat Tigers and the league’s most potent power play Tuesday night.

Kyle Crnkovic, with his first Western Hockey League goal, Max Gerlach, Chase Wouters and Kirby Dach scored for the Blades in a 4-2 victory over the visiting Tigers at Sasktel Centre.

It was Saskatoon’s third win in a row as the Blades improve to 13-72-0 for the season. Medicine Hat slips to 9-9-1-2.

Ryan Chyzowski, scoring with the man-advantage just 19 seconds into Medicine Hat’s first power play of the game, and again with 22 seconds left in regulation, replied for the Tigers, who entered Tuesday ’s game with the No. 1 power play in the league. The Tigers’ power play came in with a whopping 36.8 per cent proficiency on the road and finished the game going 1-for-9.

The Blades successfully killed off a slew-foot double-minor by Eric Florchuk with 12:48 left in the third period and then denied the Tigers on a two-man advantage with 2:22 left.

The Blades were back home Tuesday for the first time since a 4-2 loss to the Kootenay Ice back on Nov. 1.

The game against Medicine Hat was the first of a three-game homestand, which continues Saturday against the Tri-city Americans and next Wednesday against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Announced paid attendance Tuesday was 2,866.

FORMER TIGERS

The Blades feature a pair of former Tiger forwards in Gerlach and Gary Haden.

Haden was recently acquired from Medicine Hat on Oct. 25 for Logan Christensen, now a forward for the Tigers and playing on a line with Bryan Lockner and Elijah Brown. INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

The Blades welcomed back Crnkovic and D-man Aidan De La Gorgendiere from the World Under-17 Challenge in New Brunswick.

Both Blades played for Team Canada Black at the World U-17 Challenge. Crnkovic had four goals and one assist for five points in five games.

Team Black placed fifth in the eight-team tournament won by Team Sweden over Russia.

Earlier this month, Blades leading scorer Kirby Dach was also one of three 2001-born players to represent Team WHL in the CIBC Canada-russia Series. NHL WATCH LIST

A pair of Blades, Dach and Emil Malysjev, are on the NHL Central Scouting’s players-to-watch list for November.

Dach is one of 24 A-ranked prospects in the world and one of six from the WHL. Malysjev is one of 28 C-ranked prospects from the WHL.

(A-ranked prospects are projected to go in the first round of the draft, B -ranked in rounds 2-3, and C-ranked players and expected to go in rounds 4-7. )

Dach, a 6-foot-4 centre from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., came into Tuesday’s game tied with Portland’s Cody Glass for fourth in WHL scoring with 34 points. Dach is the only 17-year-old in the WHL’S top 10 scoring. The other nine players are either 19 or 20.