SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Blades went 3-0 last week and are on a four-game winning streak. The team enters this week with a 37-13-3-1 record. They are third in the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.
On Valentine’s Day, the Blades did not show the host Prince George Cougars much love. The Saskatoon squad outscored Prince George 4-1 in the third period to earn a 5-2 victory.
After a scoreless first period, Cougar Zac Funk and Blade Jordan Keller traded goals with the latter coming on the power play. In the third period, the Saskatoon team scored four straight goals. Doing the honours were Keller, Spencer Shugrue, Charlie Wright and Egor Sidorov, on the power play. Prince George’s Jaxsen Wiebe capped the game’s scoring.
Austin Elliott had 24 saves for the Blades. For the Cougars, Tyler Brennan made 21 stops.
In Victoria on Friday night, a five-goal first period helped the Blades beat the Royals, 6-4. Trevor Wong scored twice in the frame as the Saskatoon team took a 5-0 lead. He had a power play goal and one shorthanded. Jake Chiasson, Sidorov, and Conner Roulette also had goals for the Blades in the period.
In the second period, Jake Poole had two goals and Tanner Scott one as the Royals cut the Blades’ lead to two 5-3. Sidorov got his second goal of the night to make it 6-3. Before the end of the second, Carter Dereniwsky’s goal pulled Victoria within two, 6-4. That would be the final after a scoreless third period.
Ethan Chadwick was in net for Saskatoon. He made 31 saves. Braden Holt started for Victoria and had 12 saves on 17 shots. Nicholas Cristiano came on in relief and stopped nine of the 10 shots sent his way. Sidorov had four points on the night.
On Saturday night, the Blades did all of their scoring in the third period on their way to a 2-1 road win over the Vancouver Giants. For the hosts, in the second period, Ty Thorpe scored the game’s first goal on a powerplay. Jayden Wiens tied the game with a third period power play marker. Conner Roulette’s 21st goal of the season was the game winner.
Elliott turned away all but one of the 20 shots he faced. For Vancouver, Jesper Vikman made 31 saves.
The Blades are back home on Friday to host the Raiders. On Saturday the teams meet again in Prince Albert.
