WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Claw Back against the Tigers

Published on October 25, 2015 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


MEDICINE HAT, AB - Three third period goal propelled the Blades to victory in the brand new Canalta Centre in Medicine Hat.

"It was a great game to be apart of, everyone wanted it so bad coming into the third," said Josh Paterson on the great effort shown by the team to come from behind.

The teams traded goals in the first before the Tigers took the lead on 15 year old Josh McNeil's 1st career WHL goal. The Blades  would trail 2-1 heading into the second.

The Blades would tie it up early in the second period when Cameron Hebig worked his way down the wing and out muscled the Tigers defender to the slot and got a shot off on goaltender Austin Lotz. Nikita Soshnin, who was trailing on the play, swung around to the left wing to pick up the rebound and bury it past Lotz. The assist was Hebig's second of the night, giving him 17 points on the year.

Medicine Hat took the lead once again in the second period on a nice play by Montreal Canadiens draft pick Matthew Bradley. Bradley would circle the offensive zone before snapping a shot far side on Blades' goaltender Brock Hamm. The Tigers would double their lead on the powerplay shortly after on a point shot by Ty Stanton which fooled Hamm. That was the end of the night for Hamm who was replaced by Nik Amundrud who started the first two games of the road trip. Amundrud would stand tall for the Blades, stopping all 15 shots he faced on the night.

Saskatoon entered the third period down by two, when unlikely heroes for the Blades would emerge. Rookie centre Josh Paterson finished off a hard working shift by the young line comprised of 16 year olds. Lukus MacKenzie fished the puck out from behind the net before feeding it to Paterson who slid the puck past Lotz to cut the Tigers lead to one.

Paterson would score again just over seven minutes later to tie the game at 4, on a quick shot from the slot that caught the goaltender off guar. A nice shot by Paterson who earned 3rd star honours on the night. Head Coach and GM Bob Woods relied heavily on the young 16 year olds late in the game, putting them into high pressure situations which they seemed to thrive on.

"It's great that he has the faith in us to put us out there," said Paterson. "We just have to keep producing in those situation on just keep the trust there," he added.

"You gotta play them, and they have to play in those crucial situations," said assistant coach Dean Brockman following the game. "Certainly it's a team effort, and to play those young guys in those minutes, they're just going to gain experience and be better players."

Josh Uhrich would complete the comeback for the Blades with under three minutes to play in the game. More great work from another 16 year old, as Logan Christensen worked his way down below the goal, protecting the puck before sliding it out front for Uhrich who snapped it past Lotz for the game winner, stunning the over 4500 spectators at the Canalta Centre. The win finished the Blades road trip off with a record of 3-1-0-0 and making their record 6-3-3-0 on the season.

The Blades now have 4 days off until their next game, a Thursday night matchup against the Edmonton Oil Kings, who they beat 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday night at Rexall Place. It's "Throwback Thursday" at SaskTel Centre, wear your best retro jersey to the game and you can win some great prizes from the Blades. Also, purchase your game tickets at the Preston Crossing and College Park Sobey's locations to get throwback pricing on your ticket.

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 25, 2015


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