SASKATOON, REGINA — After batting the Regina Pats for seven games, the Saskatoon Blades have advanced to play the Red Deer Rebels in the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs.
The Saskatoon squad beat the Pats, 4-1, to win the WHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal series 4-3. After the Pats won the first two games of the series on the road, the Blades battled back with three straight victories, including two in overtime. Regina won game six to force a seventh contest on April 10 in Saskatoon. More than 14,700 came out to SaskTel Centre to see the Blades battle the Pats and Connor Bedard, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming National Hockey League Entry Draft.
Bedard led all WHL scorers in the first round with 10 goals, 10 assists and 20 points in seven games. Egor Sidorov and Trevor Wong paced Saskatoon with 10 points each. Sidorov had a team-high five goals.
The schedule for the Blades’ second round series is:
- April 14 at Saskatoon
- April 16 at Saskatoon
- April 18 at Red Deer
- April 19 at Red Deer
- April 21 at Saskatoon
- April 23 at Red Deer
- April 25 at Saskatoon
With a 43-19-3-3 regular season record, the Rebels won the Central Division. The Blades were 48-15-4-1 and finished second to the Winnipeg Ice in the East Division. Saskatoon beat the Rebels three games to one in the regular season.
Red Deer made it to the second round by dispatching the Calgary Hitmen in five games. Captain Jayden Grubbe led the Rebels with 10 points in the series. He had five assists in the series’ final game. Kai Uchacz leads Red Deer with four postseason goals.
Game 3
Blades 4, Pats 3 OT
Sidorov scored in overtime to lift the Blades to victory and prevent them from falling into a 3-0 hole. The host Pats had led 3-1 at almost the halfway point of the third period. Sidorov and Brandon Lisowsky scored on the power play to send the contest to overtime. Lisowsky’s goal came at the 19:33 mark.
Jayden Wiens scored for the Blades in the first period. Scoring for the Pats were Stanislav Svozil, Alexander Suzdalev, and Bedard.
Saskatoon goalie Ethan Chadwick stopped 21 shots. Drew Sim made 33 saves for Regina.
Game 4
Blades 4, Pats 3 OT
The Blades scored first on the road on April 4 with a second period marker by Sidorov. Bedard scored once in the second period, on a powerplay, and second time early in the third to put his team up 2-1. A Tanner Howe goal 40 seconds later made it 3-1 for Regina.
Wiens and Charlie Wright lit the lamp in the lamp to knot the game at 3-3. In OT, Jake Chiasson scored the winning goal.
Chadwick made 23 saves. Sim had 33 stops.
Game 5
Blades 4, Pats 2
The Blades never trailed at home on April 7 on the way to a 4-2 win and 3-2 series lead. Saskatoon led 2-1 after the first period and 3-1 after the second.
Sidorov scored twice for the Blades. His Saskatoon teammates Vaughn Watterodt and Conner Roulette also had goals. Bedard had both of Regina’s goals.
Chadwick turned away 20 shots. Sim made 29 saves.
Game 6
Pats 5, Blades 3
On April 8 at home, the Pats were able to extend the series to a seventh game. After Wong scored for the Blades with 1:04 gone by in the third to tie the game at 3-3, Bedard scored the go-ahead goal 55 second later. Zackary Shantz added an insurance marker.
Wiens had opened the game’s scoring with a first period marker. Suzdalev replied for Regina to make it 1-1 at the first intermission. He scored again, on a powerplay, in the second, to make it 2-1. Howe’s goal increased the Pats’ lead to 3-1. Wong’s first of the night, which came in the second period, cut Regina’s lead to 3-2. Bedard finished with four points.
Sim made 27 saves in the win. Chadwick had 15 for Saskatoon.
Game 7
Blades 4, Pats 1
After a scoreless first period, Spencer Shugure scored for Saskatoon in the final minute of the second period. The defenceman had one goal during the regular season. In the third, the Blades increased their lead to a 2-0 on a Chiasson goal. Svozil, got the Pats on the board to make it 2-1 In the final three minutes, Saskatoon got goals from Watterodt and Wong (empty net).
Elliott backstopped the Blades to the win with 25 saves. Sim made 36 for Regina.
