Evolving series
After slow start, Blades now in position to end the post-season for the Raiders
What a difference a few games can make.
After trailing in their series with the Prince Albert Raiders, the Saskatoon Blades find themselves with a commanding 3-1 lead in the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference quarterfinal.
Since stealing Game 1 thanks to goalie Max Hildebrand, the Raiders now find themselves on the brink of elimination.
My, how the tables have turned. Game 5 goes Friday night in Saskatoon at Sasktel Centre. Gametime is 7 p.m.
“Any time you have to learn hard lessons, you improve; any time you face adversity, and learn from it, you improve,” said Blades head coach Brennan Sonne, whose team entered playoffs as the No. 1 seed while the Raiders were seeded No. 8 in the Eastern Conference.
The battle continues.
“I just think P.A. is really well coached,” added Sonne. “Honestly, I think (head coach Jeff ) Truitt just gets those guys playing as a team; he gets them excited to play. He's got them full of belief and I just think he does a fantastic job with that team. He gets them working. It comes as advertised because this is quite the series.”
Indeed, the Blades expect plenty of pushback from their Highway 11 rivals, with the Raiders on the ropes.
“This series has been a war,” said Sonne, who is experiencing the Blades-raiders rivalry firsthand in the playoffs for the very first time during his third season in Saskatoon.
“I heard all the stuff about the rivalry coming into the playoffs. You just hear about it, right, because it's a little bit of a legendary thing. It comes as advertised. This is a war. They're putting everything they have into it and we're trying to match that. What we have to do is refocusing for Game 5.”
The Blades lost forward Tyler Parr to a leg injury in Game 4. His status was unknown for Friday.
Parr, along with Lukas Hansen, Vaughn Watterodt, Rowan Calvert, Misha Volotovskii and rookies William James and Hudson Kibblewhite, have been crucial to the Blades' success while playing among the so-called bottom six forward positions.
“Those guys are clear on what they need to do,” noted Sonne. “They love doing it. They love the challenge and they make such a difference for our team.”
GARDNER UP FOR MULTIPLE WHL AWARDS
Blades goalie Evan Gardner is up for multiple WHL awards in his rookie season.
The Fort St. John, B.C. product, who turned 18 on Jan. 25, is the East Division nominee for both the WHL rookie of the year and humanitarian of the year awards.
Gardner led all qualified WHL goaltenders in goals-against average (1.91) and save-percentage (.927), while finishing tied for second in shutouts (4).
Aside from his outstanding efforts on the ice, the rookie netminder is also a finalist for the WHL'S Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL Humanitarian of the Year.
Gardner, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 11, has partnered with Diabetes Canada for numerous events, including the “Lace Up to End Diabetes” initiative for Diabetes Awareness Month in November and the “Unite the Circle” challenge.
“Unite the Circle” saw Blades fans walk the concourse of Sasktel Centre to raise money for Diabetes Canada. Gardner met with participants after the game and hopes to grow the partnership with the national body for diabetes education, research, resources and service.
Gardner also volunteered his time at local minor hockey practices across the city and spent time with people living at Eden Care Home.
This is a war. They're putting everything they have into it and we're trying to match that.what we have to do is refocusing for Game 5.
SONNE UP FOR WHL COACH OF THE YEAR
For the second straight year, Sonne is the East Division nominee for the Dunc Mccallum Memorial Trophy awarded annually to the WHL Coach of the Year.
Sonne led the Blades to a 50-132-3 in the regular season to capture the franchise's fifth Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. It was the third time in team history, and the first time since 2011, that the Blades earned 50 wins.
The Blades allowed the fewest goals in the WHL (163) and boasted the league's best penalty kill (86.1 per cent).
Saskatoon posted a league-best 29-4-1-0 record on home ice.
The team also tied a franchise record with a 14-0-2-2 points streak that stretched from Nov. 24, 2023, to Jan. 17, 2024.
Sonne owns a 136-54-9-5 regular season record behind the Saskatoon bench.
The WHL awards will be announced May 1 to 9.