WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Battle Wheat Kings on "First Nations & Métis Night"

Published on February 20, 2010 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


The Saskatoon Blades lock horns with the Brandon Wheat Kings tonight at Credit Union Centre in a battle for first place in the Eastern Conference. Game time is 7:05 pm.

Head-to-Head

Tonight is the seventh of eight meetings between the Blades and Wheaties this season and the final matchup of the season at Credit Union Centre. The Blades are 2-3-1-0 in the season series so far while the Wheat Kings are 4-1-1-0.

Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC) leads the Blades attack against the Wheat Kings this season with two goals and four assists for six points. Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB), Josh Nicholls (Tsawwassen, BC), and Gaelan Patterson (Saskatoon, SK) all share second spot versus Brandon with four points each.

In between the pipes, Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) is 2-1-1-0 against the Wheat Kings this season with a 3.68 goals against average and a.885 save percentage. Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) is 0-2 with a 5.10 goals against average and a.870 save percentage.

On the Brandon side, Matt Calvert (9-1-10) and Brayden Schenn lead the way against the Blades with ten points each.

In goal, Andrew Hayes is 2-1 against the Blades with a 2.54 goals against average and a.916 save percentage. Jacob De Serres, meanwhile, is 2-0-1-0 to go along with a 5.25 goals against average and a.914 save percentage against the Bridge City Bunch.

Saskatoon Blades

The Blades (40-14-3-3, 2nd in East Division, 3rd in Eastern Conference) come into tonight's game having won seven out of their last ten games. Last night at home, the Blades dropped a 5-2 decision to the visiting Vancouver Giants. Wintoneak and Elliott scored for the home squad while Stanford stopped 18 of 21 in goal.

The Blades are led in scoring this season by captain Derek Hulak, who has 26 goals and 44 assists for 70 points. Wintoneak is second on the team with 23 goals and 40 assists for 63 points. Elliott has 22 goals and 33 assists for 55 points and is third in team scoring and fourth in the WHL defensemen scoring race.

Hulak has 26 goals on the season to lead the team.

Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) leads the team and is sixth in the WHL in penalty minutes with 153 this season. Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) has 146 penalty minutes and is tied for seventh in the league.

Hulak has the top plus/minus on the team with a +35 rating this season and sits sixth in the WHL. Elliott is ninth in the league at +33.

In goal, Stanford has made 37 appearances and has compiled a 25-7-3-0 record to go along with a 2.65 goals against average (8th in the WHL), and a.904 save percentage. Morrison is 15-9-0-3 on the season with a 3.22 goals against average and a.895 save percentage in 29 games played.

The Blades come into tonight with the 19th-ranked power play in the WHL at 15.9%. Saskatoon is 6th in the WHL on the penalty kill at 82.2% this year.

Brandon Wheat Kings

The Wheat Kings (42-16-1-3, 1st in East Division, 1st in Eastern Conference) enter tonight's action not having lost in regulation in 13 consecutive games. The Memorial Cup hosts were also last in action one night ago and pounded the Regina Pats 10-2 at home.

The Wheaties are led in scoring by Calvert, who has 39 goals and 41 assists for 80 points and is seventh in the Western Hockey League scoring. Schenn is second on the team and eighth in league scoring with 25 goals and 54 assists for 79 points. Aaron Lewadniuk is third on the team with 31 goals and 42 assists for 73 points. Colby Robak is the leading scorer for defensemen on the Wheat Kings with 13 goals and 44 assists for 57 points and is third in the WHL defensemen scoring race.

Calvert has 39 goals this season and is tops on the team and fourth in the WHL.

The Wheat Kings are led in penalty minutes by defenseman Ryley Miller, who has 124 penalty minutes on the season.

The Wheat Kings feature seven players in the WHL top 10 for plus/minus. Robak is tops in the entire league with a +48 rating. Alexander Urbom is second at +40. Lewadniuk sits third at +38. Calvert and Brodie Melnychuk share fourth spot at +37. Overage forward Jay Fehr is tied for seventh at +34. Finally, Schenn is tied for tenth in the league at +32.

In net, Hayes is 22-12-0-2 record with a 2.70 goals against average (9th in the WHL) and a.905 save percentage in 38 appearances. De Serres has a 20-6-1-1 record in 28 appearances this season split between the Wheaties and the Seattle Thunderbirds to go along with a 3.01 goals against average and a.896 save percentage.

The Wheat Kings power play is ranked 9th in the WHL currently working at 22.2%. The team's penalty kill unit is ranked 17th in the WHL at 76.3%.

Blades vs Wheat Kings

Tonight marks a special evening as the Blades mark "First Nations & Métis Night". The evening will be a celebration of the First Nations & Métis culture and will feature a group of cultural dancers and drummers during the intermissions.

The Blades will also use the night to showcase the 2010 Saskatchewan First Nations Winter Games. The games take place April 5th-10th in Saskatoon and will feature upwards of 3500 athletes, coaches, and support staff from the 13 tribal councils across the province.

Be sure to arrive early as the national anthem will be sung tonight in the Cree language by Falynn Prystupa.

Tickets for tonight's game are available online at ticketmaster.ca, by calling 938-7800, or by visiting any Ticketmaster location.

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 20, 2010


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